Emerald Air was an airline headquartered in Austin

Austin, Texas

Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

, Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It was formerly known as Emerald Valley Airlines. Emerald Airlines brief history is marked by arrangements to feed connecting flights into both passenger airline

Passenger airline

A passenger airline is an airline dedicated to the transport of passengers. Cf. cargo airline. Passenger airlines usually operate a fleet of passenger aircraft which, rather than being owned outright, are usually leased from commercial aircraft sales and leasing companies such as GECAS and...

s and cargo airline

Cargo airline

Cargo airlines are airlines dedicated to the transport of cargo. Some cargo airlines are divisions or subsidiaries of larger passenger airlines.-Logistics:...

s much larger route systems.
Operations for Purlolator Courier=

Emerald began operating scheduled cargo flights, which fed Purolator Courier

Purolator Courier

Purolator Courier Ltd. is a Canadian courier that is 91% owned by Canada Post Corporation, 7% owned by Barry Lapointe Holdings Ltd. and 2% by others....

's Columbus, Ohio

Columbus, Ohio

Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...

 hub, in October 1978.
Operations for Pan American World Airways=

In June 1981 the airline began scheduled flights to feed Pan American World Airways's Houston hub. Emerald was promoted in print advertising by the carriers as Emerald the Pan Am Express.
Operations for Continental Airlines=

For a brief while in the mid-1980s, Emerald Air operated a connecting service on behalf of Continental Airlines

Continental Airlines

Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...

 from Houston Intercontinental Airport to Houston Hobby Airport, called the Houston Proud Express. Unlike the Pan Am operations the aircraft livery

Aircraft livery

Aircraft livery is a paint scheme applied to an aircraft, generally to fuselage, wings, empennage , or jet engines. Most airlines have a standard paint scheme for their aircraft fleet, usually prominently displaying the airline logo or name. From time to time special liveries are introduced, for...

 of Emerald was painted to mimic that of Continental Airlines' then present orange colors and scheme.
Bankruptcy and acquisition by Bia Cor Holdings Inc.=

By 1985 Emerald ceased operations and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In 1991, BIA-COR Holdings Inc., acquired Emerald Air's FAA

Federal Aviation Administration

The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...

 and DOT

Department of Transportation

The Department of Transportation is the most common name for a government agency in North America devoted to transportation. The largest is the United States Department of Transportation, which oversees interstate travel. All U.S. states, Canadian provinces, and many local agencies also have...

 operating certificate, along with Emerald's three McDonnell Douglas

McDonnell Douglas

McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturer and defense contractor, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft. It formed from a merger of McDonnell Aircraft and Douglas Aircraft in 1967. McDonnell Douglas was based at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport...

 DC9-14 aircraft; and renamed the carrier Braniff International Airlines, Inc.

Braniff (1991-1992)

Braniff International Airlines, Inc. was an airline formed in 1991. It was headquartered in the Dallas, Texas, area but owned by BIA-COR Holdings Inc., a Philadelphia real estate and subsequent airline holding company....

, before promptly going out of business. Parts of Emerald thus became the third and final resurrection of the Braniff name.http://www.nytimes.com/1992/04/23/business/braniff-aims-at-the-infrequent-flier.html