Air Florida - wikipedia Air Florida Air Florida IATA ICAO Callsign QH FLA PALM Founded September 1971 Commenced operations 1972 Ceased operations 1984 Hubs Miami International Airport Fleet size 58 Destinations 99 Parent company Air Florida, Inc. Headquarters Miami - Dade County, Florida Key people Eli Timoner ( President ) Ed Acker CEO Air Florida was an American low - cost carrier that operated from 1971 to 1984. In 1975 it was headquartered in the Dadeland Towers in what is now Kendall, Florida in unincorporated Miami - Dade County, Florida. Contents 1 History 2 Air Florida Commuter 3 Sponsorship 4 Mainline fleet 5 Air Florida Commuter fleet 6 Destinations 7 Accidents and incidents 8 References 9 External links History Lockheed L - 188 Electra of Air Florida landing at Miami International Airport in 1976 McDonnell Douglas DC - 10 - 30 in 1981 Air Florida was based at Miami International Airport. It was founded in September 1971 by a Miami, Florida, native, Eli Timoner, and was organized by company president Ted Griffin, a former marketing director of Eastern Airlines. It initiated revenue operations on September 28, 1972, operating as an intrastate airline using two Boeing 707 jetliners purchased from Pan American World Airways and offering twice - daily service in Florida between Miami ( MIA ), Orlando ( MCO ) and St. Petersburg ( PIE ) on a `` triangle '' routings of MIA - MCO - PIE - MIA and MIA - PIE - MCO - MIA with a one way introductory fare of $12.00. The airline later acquired Lockheed L - 188 Electra turboprop aircraft which replaced the Boeing 707s. Although Air Florida began operations as an intrastate air carrier flying wholly within the state of Florida, it subsequently began adding domestic and international destinations outside of the state. With this expansion, Air Florida 's fleet grew to include Boeing 727 - 200, Boeing 737 - 100, Boeing 737 - 200, Douglas DC - 8 - 62, Douglas DC - 9 - 10, and McDonnell Douglas DC - 10 - 30 jetliners. Ed Acker, formerly CEO of Braniff International Airways, led an acquisition of Air Florida in 1975 and expanded the airline into the interstate market following the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978. In addition to Air Florida having a large presence in the Northeast - to - Florida market during the 1970s and 1980s, the airline also expanded internationally and served various points in the Caribbean and Central America, as well as a number of European destinations including Amsterdam, Brussels, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Shannon and Zurich. The European services were primarily flown with McDonnell Douglas DC - 10 - 30 aircraft, although British Island Airways provided connecting passenger service with their British Aircraft Corporation BAC One - Eleven jets for Air Florida on some intra-European route segments with an example being London - Amsterdam. The airline also operated a leased Douglas DC - 8 - 62 for use on transatlantic flights at one point. Air Florida was well known for its attractive flight attendants and, on international flights, four - star cuisine. In 1981, shortly before the crash of Air Florida Flight 90, Acker left Air Florida to become the Chairman, CEO and President of Pan American World Airways ( Pan Am ). Air Florida tried to buy out Western Airlines during the 1980s in order to increase its presence in the West and also begin proposed flights to Mexico and western Canada. The negotiations with Western ended up with Air Florida owning 16 percent of the California - based company. Western was later acquired by and merged into Delta Air Lines. The crash of Flight 90 on January 13, 1982, coupled with Air Florida 's high financial leverage and reliance on foreign currency trading for profits, led the company to declare bankruptcy and cease operations on July 3, 1984, despite an effort by new head Donald Lloyd - Jones ( an alumnus of American Airlines ) to save the company. When operations ceased, Air Florida had over 18 months of unprocessed credit card ticket purchases and dozens of flight crews idle at home because management had failed to renew leases on all DC - 10 - 30 aircraft. Midway Airlines acquired most of the assets of Air Florida for $53 million while Air Florida was in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Air Florida commuter Air Florida Commuter was not an airline, but a system of affiliated commuter and regional air carriers that fed traffic into Air Florida 's hubs. In an arrangement commonly known as code - sharing, each airline painted their aircraft in Air Florida colors and their flights were listed in reservations systems as Air Florida flights. Air Miami became the first affiliate in 1980 and over a dozen other airlines became part of the system, including : Marco Island Airways, Florida Airlines, Key Air, Southern International, Skyway Airlines, North American Airlines, National Commuter Airlines, Gull Air, Pompano, Finair, Slocum, Atlantic Gulf, Skyway of Ocala and others. As Air Florida became financially strapped, the commuter system was dismantled in early 1984. Sponsorship Air Florida sponsored Southampton Football Club, an English Football League side, during the 1983 - 84 season, in which Southampton were league runners - up. The deal was cancelled after one season due to Air Florida 's insolvency. Mainline fleet Boeing 737 - 200 When Air Florida ceased all operations, the airline was operating the following mainline jet aircraft : Aircraft Total Boeing 737 - 100 6 Boeing 737 - 200 38 Douglas DC - 8 - 62 ( Super DC - 8 ) Douglas DC - 9 - 10 8 McDonnell Douglas DC - 10 - 30 5 Total 58 Air Florida also operated the following aircraft in its mainline fleet, but retired these types before the demise of the airline : Boeing 707 ( B707 - 331 model ) Boeing 727 - 100 Boeing 727 - 200 British Aircraft Corporation BAC One - Eleven ( operated by British Island Airways in Europe to provide passenger feed for Air Florida 's transatlantic flights. The BAC One - Eleven series 400 jet aircraft had Air Florida titles in addition to their British Island Airways titles ) Lockheed L - 188C Electra ( only mainline turboprop aircraft type operated by Air Florida ) Air Florida commuter fleet The commuter and regional affiliates of Air Florida operated the following prop and turboprop aircraft : Beechcraft 99 Britten - Norman Islander Britten - Norman Trislander CASA 212 - 200 Cessna 208B Grand Caravan Cessna 340 Cessna 402 Convair 580 de Havilland Canada DHC - 6 Twin Otter de Havilland Heron Embraer EMB - 110 Bandeirante Martin 4 - 0 - 4 Mohawk 298 ( enhanced version of the Nord 262 ) Nord 262 Piper Navajo Destinations City Feb. 1979 Dec. 1981 Sep. 1982 Jan. 1984 Bermuda X Boston X X X Brussels X X Burlington X X Chicago O'Hare X X Cincinnati X Cleveland X Columbus X Daytona Beach X Detroit X Fort Lauderdale X X X X Fort Myers X X Freeport X X X Gainesville X X X George Town X X Grand Turk X X Guatemala City X X Hyannis X Indianapolis X Jacksonville X X X X Key West X X X Kingston X X X London Gatwick X X X Marathon X Marco Island X Marsh Harbour X X X X Miami X X X X Montego Bay X X X Nantucket X Newark X New Orleans X New York JFK X New York LaGuardia X X X North Eleuthera X X X X Ocala X X X Orlando X X X X Oslo X Panama City, FL X Pensacola X X X X Philadelphia X X Port - au - Prince X X X Puerto Plata X X X Rock Sound X X X X Saint Croix X X Saint Thomas X San Jose ( C.R. ) X X X San Pedro Sula X X X San Salvador X X X Santo Domingo X X Sarasota X X Shannon X X Stockholm X Stuart X Tallahassee X X X Tampa X X X X Tegucigalpa X X X Toledo X X Treasure Cay X X X X Washington National X X X X West Palm Beach X X X X White Plains X X X Some of the above destinations in the U.S. and the Bahamas were served by commuter air carriers operating Air Florida Commuter service with prop and turboprop aircraft via respective code sharing agreements. Air Florida also served Charleston, South Carolina ; Chicago ( Midway Airport ), Illinois ; Dallas / Ft. Worth ( DFW Airport ), Texas ; Düsseldorf, Germany ; Frankfurt, Germany ; Houston ( Hobby Airport ), Texas ; Madrid, Spain ; Providence, Rhode Island ; Savannah, Georgia ; and Zurich, Switzerland with mainline jet service at various times during its existence. Accidents and incidents On August 10, 1980, Air Florida Flight 4, with 35 people on board, operated by a Boeing 737 from Miami International Airport to Key West International Airport, was taken over by a hijacker, who demanded to be flown to Cuba. He later surrendered in Havana. Three days later, on August 13, 1980, Air Florida Flight 707, another Boeing 737, flying the opposite direction of Flight 4, with 74 people on board, was hijacked by seven people. They demanded to be taken to Cuba, but later surrendered. On January 13, 1982, Air Florida Flight 90 crashed very shortly after takeoff from Washington National Airport due to atmospheric icing and pilot error, killing 74 of the 79 people on board, injuring four of the five survivors, and killing and injuring four people on the Interstate 395 14th Street Bridge, which the Boeing 737 - 200 crashed into before plunging into the ice covered Potomac River. On February 2, 1982, Air Florida Flight 710, a Boeing 737 - 200 with 77 people on board from Miami International to Key West International was hijacked. The hijacker wanted to be taken to Cuba, but he later surrendered. On July 7, 1983, Air Florida Flight 8 with 47 people on board was flying from Fort Lauderdale International Airport to Tampa International Airport. One of the passengers handed a note to one of the flight attendants, saying that he had a bomb, and telling them to fly the plane to Havana, Cuba. He revealed a small athletic bag, which he opened, and inside was an apparent explosive device. The airplane was diverted to Havana - José Martí International Airport, and the hijacker was taken into custody by Cuban authorities. References Jump up ^ World Airline Directory. Flight International. March 20, 1975. `` 466. Jump up ^ `` Kendall CDP, Florida. '' U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on June 17, 2009. ^ Jump up to : AIR FLEETS INTERNATIONAL : United States ( 1980 ) June 30, 2015, 14 : 12 Jump up ^ http://www.sunshineskies.com/, Airlines, Air Florida ^ Jump up to : airliners.net, all Air Florida aircraft photos ^ Jump up to : Petzinger, Thomas ( 1996 ). Hard Landing : The Epic Contest For Power and Profits That Plunged the Airlines into Chaos. Random House. ISBN 978 - 0 - 307 - 77449 - 1. Jump up ^ departedflights.com ; Air Florida route maps Jump up ^ departedflights.com, Air Florida system timetables Jump up ^ AP ( 1985 - 08 - 15 ). `` Midway Jets Sale ''. New York Times. Retrieved 2009 - 10 - 24. Jump up ^ Air Florida Commuter. Sunshineskies.com ( 2010 - 12 - 07 ). Retrieved on 2013 - 08 - 16. Jump up ^ `` Air Florida Fleet Details and History ''. www.planespotters.net. Retrieved 2017 - 01 - 23. Jump up ^ QH020179intro. Departedflights.com ( 1979 - 02 - 01 ). Retrieved on 2013 - 08 - 16. Jump up ^ QH120181intro. Departedflights.com ( 1981 - 12 - 01 ). Retrieved on 2013 - 08 - 16. Jump up ^ QH090882intro. Departedflights.com ( 1982 - 09 - 08 ). Retrieved on 2013 - 08 - 16. Jump up ^ QH011584intro. Departedflights.com ( 1984 - 01 - 15 ). Retrieved on 2013 - 08 - 16. Jump up ^ departedflights.com, Air Florida route maps Jump up ^ Ranter, Harro. `` ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 737 registration unknown Havana ''. Retrieved 21 January 2017. Jump up ^ Ranter, Harro. `` ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 737 registration unknown Havana ''. Retrieved 21 January 2017. Jump up ^ Ranter, Harro. `` ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 737 - 200 registration unknown Havana ''. Retrieved 21 January 2017. Jump up ^ Ranter, Harro. `` ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 737 registration unknown Havana - José Martí International Airport ( HAV ) ''. Retrieved 21 January 2017. External links Miami portal Companies portal Aviation portal Wikimedia Commons has media related to Air Florida. Air Florida Systems : Air Florida Airchive.com : Air Florida timetable and route map images timetableimages.com : Air Florida timetable and route map images RoadstotheFuture.com : 14th Street Bridge, the Air Florida Crash, and Subway Disaster Sunshine Skies : Air Florida history, vintage photos and route map Airlines of the United States Mainline Alaska Airlines Allegiant Air American Airlines Delta Air Lines Frontier Airlines Hawaiian Airlines JetBlue Southwest Airlines Spirit Airlines Sun Country Airlines United Airlines Regional Air Wisconsin American Eagle California Pacific Airlines Cape Air CommutAir Compass Airlines Contour Airlines Delta Connection Elite Airways Empire Airlines Endeavor Air Envoy Air ExpressJet GoJet Airlines Horizon Air Mesa Airlines PenAir Piedmont Airlines PSA Airlines Ravn Alaska Republic Airline Silver Airways SkyWest Airlines Trans States Airlines United Express ViaAir Air taxi Air Choice One Air Flamenco Air Sunshine Bering Air Boutique Air Everts Air Frontier Flying Service Gem Air Grand Canyon Airlines Grand Canyon Scenic Airlines Grant Aviation Griffing Flying Service Hageland Aviation Services Island Airways JetSuiteX Kenmore Air Key Lime Air Makani Kai Air Mokulele Airlines New England Airlines Penobscot Island Air Reliant Air Rectrix Aviation San Juan Airlines Scenic Airlines Seaborne Airlines Servant Air Southern Airways Express Star Marianas Air Surf Air Taquan Air Tradewind Aviation Tropic Ocean Airways Ultimate Air Shuttle Utah Airways Vieques Air Link Warbelow 's Air Ventures Wright Air Service Cargo ABX Air Air Cargo Carriers Air Transport International AirNet Express Alaska Central Express Aloha Air Cargo Alpine Air Express Ameriflight Amerijet International Ameristar Jet Charter Asia Pacific Airlines Atlas Air Baron Aviation Services Bemidji Airlines Castle Aviation Corporate Air CSA Air Empire Airlines Everts Air Cargo Express One International FedEx Express Flight Express Freight Runners Express Kalitta Air Kalitta Charters II Lynden Air Cargo Martinaire Merlin Airways Mid-Atlantic Freight Mountain Air Cargo National Airlines Northern Air Cargo Polar Air Cargo Royal Air Freight Ryan Air Services Sky Lease Cargo Southern Air Tepper Aviation Transair UPS Airlines USA Jet Airlines West Air Western Global Airlines Wiggins Airways Charter Air Charter Bahamas Berry Aviation Bighorn Airways Charter Air Transport Choice Airways Contour Aviation Delta Private Jets Eastern Airlines ExcelAire Great Lakes Air Gryphon Airlines IBC Airways JetSuite L - 3 Flight International Aviation Liberty Jet Management Miami Air International NetJets Omni Air International Pacific Coast Jet Pentastar Aviation Phoenix Air PlaneSense Presidential Airways Rediske Air Sierra Pacific Airlines Skymax Superior Aviation Swift Air Talkeetna Air Taxi Twin Cities Air Service World Atlantic Airlines XOJET Xtra Airways Air ambulance AirMed International Air Methods Critical Air Medicine Life Flight Network LIFESTAR Government Comco Janet JPATS List of airline mergers and acquisitions List of airline holding companies List of defunct airlines of the United States Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Air_Florida&oldid=852199850 '' Categories : 1971 establishments in Florida Air Florida Airlines established in 1971 Airlines disestablished in 1984 Defunct airlines of the United States Defunct companies based in Florida Defunct low - cost airlines 1984 disestablishments in Florida Hidden categories : All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from June 2017 Articles with permanently dead external links All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from March 2012 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español Français Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Português Suomi Edit links This page was last edited on 27 July 2018, at 08 : 47 ( UTC ). 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Question: when did air florida go out of business
Answer: 1984