WinAir Airlines
Encyclopedia
WinAir Airlines was a charter passenger airline in the United States
based in Salt Lake City, Utah
. Established in 1997, its first flight was a Super Bowl
charter on January 25, 1998. This rapid certification was credited partially to experienced staff, which included personnel from Morris Air
, Key Airlines
, and Champion Air
.
In November 1998, the airline launched public scheduled charter flights from a hub at Long Beach Municipal Airport
in Long Beach, California
to Las Vegas, Nevada
, Oakland, California
, Sacramento, California
, and Salt Lake City, Utah
. The airline applied to the FAA
for authority to operate as a scheduled passenger airline, but this was not received by the time the airline shut down.
After running into substantial financial difficulties and maintenance concerns caused by the leaseholders and former aircraft owners including Pegasus Airlines
of Turkey and Garuda Indonesia
regarding some of the airline's leased 737-400 aircraft, the airline shut down on July 6, 1999.
The airline was featured in the 1999 film For Love of the Game
. The film was released in September 1999, two months after the airline ceased operations.
The airline also planned flights to Seattle, Washington
. Seattle was dropped the week before the airline was scheduled to fly, as competition from rival carriers including Southwest Airlines
and Delta Air Lines
made it impossible to compete without a contract with Boeing
to guarantee a minimum number of passengers between Long Beach and Seattle. After failing finalize a contract in time, WinAir canceled Seattle as a destination.
Over the course of its operations, WinAir operated a total of 10 aircraft:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
based in Salt Lake City, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. Established in 1997, its first flight was a Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
charter on January 25, 1998. This rapid certification was credited partially to experienced staff, which included personnel from Morris Air
Morris Air
Morris Air was a low-fare airline based in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. It began operations in 1992. It was sold to Southwest Airlines in December 1993 for over $130 million. The airline officially became part of Southwest in Summer 1994.-History:...
, Key Airlines
Key Airlines
Key Airlines, formerly known as Sun Valley Airlines, was a charter United States airline.-The early years: Commuter operations:The airline was originally based in Sun Valley, Idaho. In the early 1970s Sun Valley Airlines and Key Airlines merged to form Key Airlines...
, and Champion Air
Champion Air
Champion Air was an airline based in Bloomington, Minnesota, USA. It operated general charter services to sports teams, vacation wholesalers and government agencies. It also offered limited scheduled service...
.
In November 1998, the airline launched public scheduled charter flights from a hub at Long Beach Municipal Airport
Long Beach Municipal Airport
Long Beach Airport , also known as Daugherty Field, is a city-owned public-use airport located three nautical miles northeast of the central business district of the City of Long Beach, in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It serves Los Angeles and Orange Counties...
in Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
to Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
, and Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
. The airline applied to 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...
for authority to operate as a scheduled passenger airline, but this was not received by the time the airline shut down.
After running into substantial financial difficulties and maintenance concerns caused by the leaseholders and former aircraft owners including Pegasus Airlines
Pegasus Airlines
Pegasus Airlines is a low-cost airline headquartered in the Halkalı area of Küçükçekmece, Istanbul, Turkey. Formerly a charter airline in partnership with Aer Lingus, Pegasus is now completely controlled by Esas Holding.- History :...
of Turkey and Garuda Indonesia
Garuda Indonesia
PT Garuda Indonesia Tbk , publicly known as Garuda Indonesia, is the flag carrier of Indonesia. It is named after the mystical giant bird Garuda of Hinduism and Buddhist mythology. It is headquartered at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, near Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia...
regarding some of the airline's leased 737-400 aircraft, the airline shut down on July 6, 1999.
The airline was featured in the 1999 film For Love of the Game
For Love of the Game (film)
For Love of the Game is a 1999 American drama sports film based on the novel of the same title by Michael Shaara...
. The film was released in September 1999, two months after the airline ceased operations.
Destinations
- CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
- Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
(Long Beach Airport) - Oakland, CaliforniaOakland, CaliforniaOakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
(Oakland International AirportOakland International AirportOakland International Airport , also known as Metropolitan Oakland International Airport, is a public airport located south of the central business district of Oakland, a city in Alameda County, California, United States...
) - Sacramento, CaliforniaSacramento, CaliforniaSacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
(Sacramento International AirportSacramento International AirportSacramento International Airport is a public airport located 10 miles northwest of the central business district of Sacramento, in Sacramento County, California, USA. It is run by Sacramento County...
)
- Long Beach, California
- NevadaNevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
- Las Vegas, NevadaLas Vegas, NevadaLas Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
(McCarran International AirportMcCarran International AirportMcCarran International Airport is the principal commercial airport serving Las Vegas and Clark County, Nevada, United States. The airport is located five miles south of the central business district of Las Vegas, in the unincorporated area of Paradise in Clark County. It covers an area of and...
)
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- UtahUtahUtah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
- Salt Lake City, UtahSalt Lake City, UtahSalt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
(Salt Lake City International AirportSalt Lake City International AirportSalt Lake City International Airport is a major public airport in Utah. A joint civil-military facility, it is located in western Salt Lake City, approximately four miles from the central business district...
)
- Salt Lake City, Utah
The airline also planned flights to Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
. Seattle was dropped the week before the airline was scheduled to fly, as competition from rival carriers including Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Co. is an American low-cost airline based in Dallas, Texas. Southwest is the largest airline in the United States, based upon domestic passengers carried,...
and Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
made it impossible to compete without a contract with Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
to guarantee a minimum number of passengers between Long Beach and Seattle. After failing finalize a contract in time, WinAir canceled Seattle as a destination.
Fleet
- 5 Boeing 737-200Boeing 737The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
- 2 Boeing 737-300Boeing 737The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
- 3 Boeing 737-400Boeing 737The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...