Economics & Energy

U.S. Airline Bankruptcies & Service Cessations

The table below is a loose, unofficial compilation of research conducted by various individuals. Neither DOT nor ATA maintains official records of airline bankruptcy filings and/or service cessations. As such, we can not verify the accuracy of each individual entry. The table is provided as a service rather than an authoritative source. It is the only known source that is publicly available, free, and centralized.

Pre-1978, bankruptcies were extremely rare in the unduly regulated environment. [Some exceptions existed for intra-state carriers, which were not regulated by the Civil Aeronautics Board.] The CAB typically arranged marriages between failing carriers (i.e., Northeast) and survivors (i.e., Delta), transferring routes and assets to the surviving carrier. Since 1978, there have been well over 100 bankruptcy filings, although not all of these have resulted in liquidation.

DATE Carrier
 Chapter
5/18/79 New York Airways 11
11/19/79 Aeroamerica 11
1/24/80 Florida Airlines 11
3/3/80 Indiana Airlines 11
12/15/80 Air Bahia 11
12/31/80 Tejas Airlines 11
3/6/81 Mountain West 11
3/16/81 LANICA 11
7/13/81 Coral Air 11
9/11/81 Pacific Coast 11
9/18/81 Swift Air Line 11
10/9/81 Golden Gate 11
1/26/82 Pinehurst Airlines 11
3/3/82 Silver State Airlines 11
3/26/82 Air Pennsylvania 11
4/2/82 Air South 11
4/16/82 Cochise Airlines 11
5/13/82 Braniff International 11
7/8/82 Astec Air East 11
8/19/82 Will's Air 11
10/5/82 Aero Sun International 11
10/19/82 Aero Virgin Islands 11
11/9/82 Altair 11
12/9/82 North American 11
2/1/83 Inland Empire 11
2/14/83 State Airlines 11
4/22/83 Golden West 11
9/24/83 Continental Airlines 11
12/2/83 National Florida 7
1/30/84 Air Vermont 11
2/2/84 Pacific Express 11
2/8/84 Dolphin 11
4/9/84 Combs Airways 11
7/3/84 Air Florida 11
7/17/84 Excellair 7
7/19/84 American International 11
8/21/84 Emerald 11
8/29/84 Hammonds Commuter 11
9/4/84 Air North 11
9/27/84 Wright Air Lines 11
10/2/84 Oceanaire Lines 7
10/10/84 Atlantic Gulf 11
10/10/84 Connectaire 7
10/26/84 Air One 11
11/23/84 Capitol Air 11
11/28/84 Wien Air Alaska 11
1/8/85 Northeastern International 11
1/22/85 Pompano Airways 11
2/22/85 Far West Airlines 11
3/8/85 American Central 11
3/13/85 Provincetown Boston 11
3/19/85 Sun West Airlines 11
5/1/85 Wise Airlines 11
8/19/85 Cascade Airways 11
10/7/85 Wheeler Airlines 11
12/2/85 Pride Air 11
1/21/86 Southern Express 11
1/30/86 Imperial Airlines 11
2/11/86 Arrow Airways 11
4/9/86 Sea Airmotive 11
8/19/86 Trans Air 11
8/28/86 Frontier Airlines 11
2/19/87 Chicago Airlines 11
2/23/87 McClain Airlines 11
2/27/87 Rio Airways 11
3/6/87 Air Puerto Rico 11
3/10/87 Gull Air 11
3/12/87 Royal West Airlines 11
4/3/87 Air Atlanta 11
6/17/87 Air South 11
9/9/87 Royale Airlines 11
1/5/88 Sun Coast Airlines 11
1/14/88 Air New Orleans 11
1/15/88 Air Virginia 11
1/20/88 Mid Pacific Airlines 11
3/4/88 Exec Express 11
5/6/88 Caribbean Express 11
5/25/88 Pocono Airlines 11
6/20/88 Virgin Island Seaplane 11
8/11/88 Princeton Air Link 7
9/14/88 Qwest Air 11
9/27/88 Southern Jersey Airways 11
3/9/89 Eastern Air Lines 11
3/14/89 Big Sky Airlines 11
7/19/89 Air Kentucky 7
9/28/89 Braniff International 11
10/26/89 Presidential Airways 11
11/12/89 Resorts International 11
11/17/89 Resort Commuter 11
1/23/90 Pocono Airlines 11
5/10/90 SMB Stage Lines 11
7/5/90 CCAir 11
12/3/90 Continental Airlines 11
12/3/90 Britt Airways 11
12/3/90 Rocky Mountain Airways 11
1/8/91 Pan Am World Airways 11
1/8/91 Pan Am Express 11
1/9/91 L'Express 11
1/18/91 Eastern Air Lines 7
1/20/91 Bar Harbor Airlines 11
1/22/91 Virgin Island Seaplane 11
1/29/91 Northcoast Executive 7
3/25/91 Midway Airlines 11
3/26/91 Grand Airways 11
4/1/91 Metro Airlines 11
5/20/91 Jet Express 11
5/30/91 Metro Airlines Northeast 11
6/27/91 America West Airlines 11
8/12/91 Mohawk Airlines 11
11/27/91 Midway Airlines 7
12/31/91 Flagship Express 11
1/31/92 Trans World Airlines 11
2/28/92 L'Express 7
6/8/92 Markair 11
6/8/92 Hermans/Markair Express 11
12/15/92 States West Airlines 11
9/20/93 Evergreen International Aviation 11
9/21/93 Hawaiian Airlines 11
May 1993 Key Airlines 11
3/21/94 Resorts International 11
10/11/94 Florida West Airlines 11
2/3/95 Crescent Airways 11
4/14/95 Markair 11
6/30/95 Trans World Airlines 11
12/15/95 The Krystal Company 11
11/28/95 Grand Airways 11
1/10/96 GP Express 11
1/22/96 Business Express 11
1/23/96 Conquest Airlines 11
9/30/96 Kiwi International Airlines 11
7/25/97 Mahalo 11
8/28/97 Air South 11
10/5/97 Western Pacific Airlines 11
11/6/97 Mountain Air Express 11
2/26/98 Pan American World Airways 11
7/29/98 Euram Flight Centre 11
3/23/99 Kiwi International Airlines 11
6/25/99 Sunjet International/Myrtle Beach Jet Express 11
9/30/99 Eastwind Airlines 7
11/29/99 Access Air 11
2/29/00 Tower Air 11
5/1/00 Kitty Hawk 11
9/19/00 Pro Air 11
9/27/00 Fine Air Services 11
12/3/00 Legend Airlines 11
12/6/00 National Airlines 11
12/13/00 Allegiant Air 11
1/10/01 Trans World Airlines 11
8/13/01 Midway Airlines 11
1/2/02 Sun Country Airlines 7
7/30/02 Vanguard Airlines 11
8/11/02 US Airways 11
12/9/02 United Airlines 11
3/21/03 Hawaiian Airlines 11
10/30/03 Midway Airlines 7
1/23/04 Great Plains Airlines 11
1/30/04 Atlas Air/Polar Air Cargo 11
9/12/04 US Airways 11
10/26/04 ATA Airlines 11
12/1/04 Southeast Airlines 7
12/30/04 Aloha Airlines 11
9/14/05 Delta Air Lines 11
9/14/05 Comair 11
9/14/05 Northwest Airlines 11
9/29/05 TransMeridian Airlines (founded 1995) 7
10/13/05 Mesaba Airlines (founded 1944; sched. service eff. 2/4/73) 11
11/7/05 Independence Air (originally Atlantic Coast Airlines eff. 12/15/89) 11
12/28/05 Era Aviation (sched. service eff. 5/83) 11
1/6/06* Independence Air (6/16/04 through 1/5/06) 7
2/21/06 Florida Coastal Airlines 11
10/15/07 Kitty Hawk Aircargo 11
12/24/07 MAXjet Airways (11/1/2005 through 12/24/07) 11
1/7/08 Big Sky (9/15/78 through 1/7/08) 7
3/31/08 Champion Air (orig. MGM Grand Air; 9/87 through 5/31/08) 11
3/31/08 Aloha Airlines (7/26/46 through 3/31/08) 7
4/2/08 ATA Airlines (8/73 [sched. service in 1986] through 4/2/08) 11
4/7/08 Skybus Airlines (5/22/07 through 4/5/08) 11
4/11/08 Frontier Airlines (began 7/5/94) 11
4/26/08 Eos Airlines (10/18/05 through 4/27/08) 11
5/14/08 Air Midwest (5/15/65 through 6/30/08) 7
6/18/08 Gemini Air Cargo 11
7/18/08 Vintage Props & Jets (began 1991) 11
8/12/08 Gemini Air Cargo (10/24/96 through 8/12/08) 7
10/6/08 Sun Country (began 1982 [sched. service 6/1/99]) 11
10/15/08 Primaris Airlines (est. 2002, ops. in 2004; charter) 11
1/5/10 Mesa Air (founded in 1982) 11


Sources: ATA research; company reports; DOT records; "The Bankruptcy Virus in the U.S. Airline Industry: Causes and Cures," Aviation Forecasting and Economics and The George Washington University; Lehman Brothers Equity Research, BankruptcyData.com, Chicago Tribune

Last Modified: 1/5/2010

An Unofficial Compilation

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