Essair Airlines, incorporated in 1939, was the first airline authorized to fly as a local service carrier in the USA. It changed its name to Pioneer Airlines in 1946 and merged with Continental Airlines in 1955.
Background
As airlines became more reliable, small communities demanded airline service. One of the first of this new type of airline was Essair, of Houston, Texas. Incorporated in 1939, Essair began a temporary service between Houston and Amarillo, via Abilene. On July 11, 1944 the Civil Aeronautics Board agreed that an experiment in subsidized short-haul and local scheduled air service should be conducted. The experiment involved the establishment of a new airline category, known as "feeder" or "local service" carriers. On August 1, 1945, Essair became the first airline to fly under the new classification, with a temporary certificate. It used Lockheed 10 Electras on its routes within Texas and New Mexico.
Pioneer Air Lines
The airline's name became Pioneer Air Lines in 1946. The Electras were replaced by Douglas DC-3s, 23 being used between 1946 and 1953. From June 1952, nine Martin 202 unpressurised airliners were operated by Pioneer after purchase from Northwest Airlines. Davies (and Killion) says the CAB forced Pioneer to revert to DC-3s in 1953, but the February 1955 OAG still shows some 36-seat "Pacemaster" flights.
In April 1949 Pioneer scheduled flights to 24 airports between Albuquerque/El Paso and Dallas/Houston. In February 1955 it flew to 21 airports; later that year it merged into Continental Airlines.
External links
- President Johnson Letter regarding ""Order Denying Petition for Rehearing, Reargument and Reconsideration"
- Ed Coates' Civil Aircraft Photograph Collection
Bibliography
- Gradidge, Jennifer (2006). DC-3 The First Seventy Years. Air-Britain (historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-332-3.
- Marson, Peter J. (2001). The Lockheed Twins. Air-Britain (Historians. ISBN 0-85130-284-X.
References
- ^ FAA HISTORICAL CHRONOLOGY, 1926-1996
- ^ Marson 2001, p.154
- ^ Gradidge, 2006, p. 235
- ^ Serling, Robert J., Maverick: The story of Robert Six and Continental Airlines (ISBN 0-385-04057-1), Doubleday & Company, 1974.
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