Alaska Coastal Airlines
Alaska Coastal Airlines was an airline in the United States. It was formed in 1939 as a result of the merger of Alaska Air Transport and Marine Airways. On April 1, 1962, Alaska Coastal Airlines merged with Ellis Air Lines, trading for a while as Alaska Coastal-Ellis Airlines. Alaska Coastal Airlines was taken over by Alaska Airlines in April 1968. History. Alaska Air Transport was formed by Sheldon Bruce "Shell" Simmons (October 8, 1908 – November 16, 1994) at Juneau in the summer of 1935 with one Stinson SM-2AC aircraft named "Patco". Alaska Air Transport bought out  Irving Airways in September 1936. Irving Airways had been started by Wilbur Irving at Juneau in the spring of 1936. Marine Airways was formed by Alex Holden, Jim Davis and M E Monagle in Juneau in July 1936. Holden bought a Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker NC196N in August 1936. In 1938, Simmons used Bellanca NC47M in the rescue of survivors of the "Patterson", an oceangoing freighter which had run aground at Cape Fairweather, 150 miles northwest of Juneau. In 1939, Simmons and Holden joined forces, forming Alaskan Coastal Airways. Ellis Air Lines was formed in Ketchikan in 1936 by Robert  Edmund "Bob" Ellis (January 2, 1903 – May 8, 1994). At the time of the merger his fleet consisted of ten Grumman G-21 Goose amphibian aircraft. In 1945, Simmons went to Vancouver, BC, and purchased a Grumman G-21 Goose, formerly in the service of the Royal Canadian Air Force On one occasion in the late 1960s, a woman had a baby in flight between Gustavus and Juneau. Alaska Island Airways was acquired by Alaska Coastal Airlines in 1954. Destinations. Alaska. Angoon, Annette, Baranof, Cape Pole, Chatham, Craig, Duncan Canal, Edna Bay, Elfin Cove, Excursion Inlet, Funter, Gustavus, Haines, Hawk Inlet, Hollis , Hoonah, Hydaburg, Juneau, Kake, Kasaan, Ketchikan, Klawock, Pelican, Petersburg, Port Alexander, Port Armstrong, Point Baker, Port Walter, Rogers Point, Saginaw Bay, Sitka, Skagway, Steamboat Bay, Taku Lodge, Tenakee, Thorne Bay, Todd, Tokeen. Washington Bay, Wrangell. British Columbia. Prince Rupert, Tulsequah.