L.A.B. Flying Service was an American

United States

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

 airline

Airline

An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...

 based in Haines

Haines, Alaska

Haines is a census-designated place in Haines Borough, Alaska, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population of the area was 1,811. Haines was formerly a city but no longer has a municipal government...

, Alaska

Alaska

Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

, U.S.

United States

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

 It operated scheduled, charter and sightseeing flights in Southeast Alaska

Alaska Panhandle

Southeast Alaska, sometimes referred to as the Alaska Panhandle, is the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Alaska, which lies west of the northern half of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The majority of Southeast Alaska's area is part of the Tongass National Forest, the United...

. Its main base was Haines Airport

Haines Airport

- External links :* * from USGS The National Map...

, with a hub at Juneau International Airport

Juneau International Airport

Juneau International Airport is a public-use airport and seaplane base located seven nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Juneau, a city and borough in the U.S. state of Alaska...

.

History

The airline was established and started operations in 1956. It had 55 employees as of March 2007. L.A.B. Flying Service, named for its founder (and President), Layton A. Bennett, was Alaska's oldest continuously-operating small passenger airline. Layton A. Bennett received the 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...

's Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award for his work in operating the airline for over 50 years.

2008 Grounding

In July 2008, APRN reported that the FAA had grounded LAB's entire fleet, because, in their words, "LAB Flying Service lacks the care, judgment and responsibility required to hold an air carrier certificate." One of the seven counts listed in the grounding order stated that LAB mechanics took an engine off of an airplane that had been destroyed in a fire with temperatures in excess of 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit and re-mounted it on another airplane, intending to put it back into service. LAB will not be able to apply for a new flight certificate until July 2009, unless they successfully appeal the order before then. LAB's website and email system turned off August 26, 2008.