Intrastate airline


Intrastate airlines in the U.S. are defined as air carriers operating inside of one individual state and thus not flying across state lines. Larger intrastate airlines in the U.S. that operated mainline turboprop and/or jet aircraft were created as a result of past federal airline regulations as passenger air carriers that only flew intrastate service were not regulated by the federal government but were instead primarily regulated by the respective state governments in their home states. For example, Pacific Southwest Airlines and Air California were both regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission prior to the federal Airline Deregulation Act of 1978. Intrastate air carriers primarily operated in the United States but also elsewhere globally. In the U.S., California, Florida, Hawaii and Texas had scheduled jet passenger service operated by intrastate air carriers in the past.

History

Intrastate airlines were created as a result of U.S. federal government regulation of the airline industry. A number of intrastate airlines were also commuter or regional air carriers primarily operating smaller prop and/or turboprop passenger aircraft. These airlines connected smaller cities within their home state to the larger cities and airline hubs in the same state.
Several intrastate air carriers in the U.S. operated larger mainline turboprop and/or mainline jet aircraft in the states of California, Florida, Hawaii, and Texas in the past. These airlines included:
Pacific Southwest Airlines was the only U.S.-based intrastate air carrier ever to operate wide body jetliners in the form of the Lockheed L-1011. Before introducing the turboprop powered Lockheed L-188 Electra into its fleet in 1959 followed later by jet aircraft, PSA operated Douglas DC-3, DC-4 and DC-6 piston powered propliners during the 1950s.
Most of the above airlines then added other jetliner types to their aircraft fleets after commencing interstate service in the U.S. For example, AirCal and PSA both added British Aerospace BAe 146-200 and McDonnell Douglas MD-80 jets to their respective fleets with AirCal also introducing Boeing 737-300 jets. Muse Air added McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 and DC-9-50 jets to its fleet. Air Florida added Boeing 727-100, 727-200, 737-100, 737-200, Douglas DC-8-62 and McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 jets to its fleet with the DC-8 and wide body DC-10 being used for transatlantic international flights. Southwest added Boeing 737-300, 737-500, 737-700 and 737-800 jetliners to its fleet and also operated Boeing 727-200 jets at one point. Aloha added Boeing 737-700 and Boeing 737-800 jets for flights to west coast of the U.S. and Canada as well as to South Pacific destinations. Hawaiian added Douglas DC-8-62, Douglas DC-8-63, Lockheed L-1011 TriStar and McDonnell Douglas DC-10 jets followed by Boeing 767-300 and Airbus A330 jets for flights to the U.S. mainland as well as to international destinations and also subsequently operated McDonnell Douglas MD-81 jets on its interisland flights in Hawaii. Hawaiian currently operates Boeing 717-200 jets and ATR 42-500 propjets on its interisland flights.
Due to Civil Aeronautics Board regulations governing interstate air transportation, smaller airlines and start up carriers were often able to find niche markets in their home states and were not subject to CAB exemption to cross state lines.

United States

Following the federal Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, several intrastate airlines in the U.S. that were operating mainline jet aircraft then expanded with interstate service and in some cases international flights. One of the most successful former intrastate carriers which continues to exist is Southwest Airlines. Other airlines which started with intrastate services such as Air California, Air Florida, Pacific Southwest Airlines and Muse Air were subjected to post deregulation mergers, acquisitions, or bankruptcies and no longer exist as individual airline companies. Also following the Airline Deregulation Act, those airlines previously classified and listed in the Official Airline Guide as operating as an "Intrastate Air Carrier" were no longer listed as intrastate airlines in flight schedules published in the OAG.

Former intrastate air carriers in the U.S.

Air carriers noted in bold operated jet aircraft on their intrastate flights with all of these specific airlines with the exception of Discovery Airways and Tahoe Air subsequently expanding their operations with scheduled interstate service in the U.S. Intrastate route information is primarily taken from the route maps and system timetables sections of the departedflights.com website as well as the system timetables section of the timetablesimages.com website.
AirCal, Air Florida, Aloha Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, PSA and Southwest eventually operated scheduled international flights as well.
Hawaiian Airlines, Horizon Air, SkyWest and Southwest are the only airlines on this list currently still operating.
Unless otherwise noted, most of the above air carriers were commuter airlines that primarily operated smaller prop and/or turboprop aircraft.