Air Florida

Air Florida

IATA QH ICAO FLA Callsign PALM
Founded	1971
Ceased operations	1984
Hubs	Miami International Airport
Fleet size	33
Destinations	Airchive.com
Parent company	Air Florida, Inc.
Headquarters	Miami-Dade County, Florida
Key people	Eli Timoner (President) Ed Acker CEO

Air Florida was an American low-cost carrier that operated from 1971 to 1984. In 1975 it was headquartered in the Dadeland Towers in what is now the Kendall CDP in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida.^[1][2]

History

McDonnell Douglas DC-10 in 1981

Air Florida was based at Miami International Airport. It was formed in 1971 and started operations in 1972.^{[citation needed]} Initial aircraft included the Boeing 707, later transitioning to the Lockheed L-188 Electra turboprop. Air Florida's fleet would grow to include the McDonnell Douglas DC-9, Boeing 727, Boeing 737, and McDonnell Douglas DC-10.^{[citation needed]}

Ed Acker, formerly CEO of Braniff International Airlines, led an acquisition of Air Florida in 1975 and expanded the airline into the interstate market following the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978.^[3] In addition to Air Florida having a large presence in the Northeast-to-Florida market during the 1970s and 1980s, the airline also expanded internationally and served various points in the Caribbean and Central America, as well as London, Brussels, Shannon, Frankfurt, Zurich, and Amsterdam.^{[citation needed]} Air Florida was well known for its attractive flight attendants and, on international flights, four-star cuisine.^{[citation needed]} In 1981, shortly before the crash of Air Florida Flight 90, Acker left Air Florida to become the Chairman, CEO and President of Pan American World Airways.^{[citation needed]}

Air Florida tried to buy out Western Airlines during the 1980s, to increase its presence in the West and begin flights to Mexico and western Canada. The negotiations with Western got Air Florida 16 percent of the California-based company.^{[citation needed]} Western was later absorbed by Delta Air Lines.^{[citation needed]}

On January 13, 1982, Air Florida Flight 90 crashed into Washington, DC's 14th Street Bridge and fell into the Potomac River shortly after taking off. A total of 70 passengers, 4 crew, and 4 motorists on the bridge were killed. The crash was due to an anti-icing system being left off, which caused an inaccurately high engine pressure ratio (EPR) indication at an extremely low power setting, and the crew's failure to either abort the takeoff or apply maximum engine power. The crash prompted modifications to Air Florida's pilot training regarding anti-ice systems. The FAA also required revised aircraft de-icing procedures at airports.^{[citation needed]}

The crash of Flight 90, coupled with Air Florida's high financial leverage and reliance on foreign currency trading for profits, led the company to declare bankruptcy and cease operations on July 3, 1984, despite an effort by new head Donald Lloyd-Jones (an alumnus of American Airlines) to save the company.^[3] When operations ceased, Air Florida had over 18 months of unprocessed credit card ticket purchases and dozens of flight crews idle at home because management had failed to renew leases on all DC-10-30 aircraft. Midway Airlines acquired most of the assets of Air Florida for $53 million while Air Florida was in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.^[4]

AIR FLORIDA COMMUTER - The Regional Feeder Network for Air Florida

Air Florida Commuter was an not an airline, but a system of affiliated commuter carriers that fed traffic into Air Florida's hubs. In an arrangement commonly known as code-sharing, each airline painted their aircraft in Air Florida colors and their flights were listed in reservations systems as Air Florida flights. Air Miami became the first affiliate in 1980, and over a dozen other airlines became part of the system, including: Marco Island Airways, Florida Airlines, Key Air, Southern International, Skyway, North American Airlines, National Commuter Airlines, Gull Air, Pompano, Finair, Slocum, Atlantic Gulf and others. As Air Florida became financially strapped, the commuter system was dismantled in early 1984. [5]

Sponsorship

Air Florida sponsored Southampton Football Club, an English Football League side, during the 1983-84 season, in which Southampton were league runners-up. The deal was cancelled after one season due to Air Florida's insolvency.^{[citation needed]}

Fleet

Boeing 737-200

The airline operated the following:

• Antonov An-32
• BAe Jetstream 41
• Boeing 707
• Boeing 727
• Boeing 737
• Cessna 340
• Douglas DC-9
• Douglas DC-10
• Lockheed L-188 Electra

Destinations

References

External links

	Miami portal
	Companies portal
	Aviation portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Air Florida

• Airchive.com: Air Florida timetable and route map images
• timetableimages.com: Air Florida timetable and route map images
• RoadstotheFuture.com: 14th Street Bridge, the Air Florida Crash, and Subway Disaster
• Sunshine Skies: Air Florida history, vintage photos and route map