{{Short description|Hawaii low-fare airline}} {{Infobox airline | airline = Mid Pacific Air |logo = File:Mid_Pacific_Air_Logo,_July_1981.svg |logo_size = 250 | alt = Mid Pacific Air logo | IATA = HO | ICAO = MPA | callsign = MID PAC | founded = {{Start date and age|1981}} | ceased = {{End date and age|1995}} | hubs = {{Unbulleted list | [[Honolulu International Airport]] | [[Indianapolis International Airport]]}} | destinations = | headquarters = {{Unbulleted list | Honolulu, [[Hawaii]], US | Indianapolis, [[Indiana]], US}} }} [[File:Mid Pacific Air Fokker F28 Groves-1.jpg|thumb|Mid Pacific Air Fokker F28-4000. This aircraft [[Korean Air Flight 175|crashed while operating with Korean Air]]]] [[File:Mid Pacific Air NAMC YS-11A-659 Silagi-1.jpg|thumb|Mid Pacific Air NAMC YS-11A-659]] '''Mid Pacific Air''' was a low-cost regional airline which began operations with passenger services in [[Hawaii]]. Founded in 1981, initial routes connected the islands of [[Kauai]], [[O'ahu]], [[Maui]] and [[Hawaii (island)|Hawaii]] (the Big Island). Its primary competitors were established air carriers [[Hawaiian Airlines]] and [[Aloha Airlines]]. When it operated in the Midwest, its headquarters were on the grounds of [[Indianapolis International Airport]] in Indianapolis, Indiana.<ref>"World Airline Directory." ''[[Flight International]]''. March 23–29, 1994. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1994/1994%20-%200796.html 106]-[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1994/1994%20-%200798.html 108].</ref> Originally its headquarters were located at [[Honolulu International Airport]].<ref>"World Airline Directory." ''[[Flight International]]''. May 16, 1981. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1981/1981%20-%201450.html?search=%22Muse%20Air%22 1452]. "Head Office: Honolulu International Airport, Hawaii, USA."</ref><ref>"World Airline Directory." ''[[Flight International]]''. April 3, 1982. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1982/1982%20-%200896.html?search=%22Muse%20Air%22 852]. "550 Palea Street, Honolulu, Hawaii 96820, USA."</ref>
==History== In contrast to Hawaiian and Aloha, Mid Pacific Air's fleet was made up primarily of [[NAMC YS-11]] [[turboprop]] planes; Hawaiian and Aloha operated [[jet aircraft]] such as the [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9]] (Hawaiian) and [[Boeing 737]] (Aloha) on the same interisland routes. Mid Pacific added [[Fokker F28 Fellowship]] twin jets in 1985. In October 1982, the airline wet leased a [[Boeing 707]] from [[Arrow Air]] and operated a short lived service from Honolulu to [[Pago Pago, American Samoa]] using the name '''Mid Pacific Arrow'''. In 1984, Mid Pacific leased four of its YS-11's to [[Fort Worth Airlines]] in [[Texas]],<ref name=DejaVu>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=10 March 1985 |title=Airline's start-up evokes sense of deja vu |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0ED3CD43AAFFFF67&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AMNEWS&req_dat=1000BC63AFF86032 |work=[[The Dallas Morning News]] |location=Dallas, Texas}}</ref> and in February 1985 it became one of that airline's largest shareholders.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ragland |first=James |date=9 February 1985 |title=Fort Worth Airlines charting expansion |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0ED3CD3596B6A658&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AMNEWS&req_dat=1000BC63AFF86032 |work=[[The Dallas Morning News]] |location=Dallas, Texas}}</ref> That same month, the airline expanded to the southwestern United States, where it operated low-fare service between from Las Vegas, Nevada and the [[Grand Canyon]] to [[Burbank, California|Burbank]] and [[Orange County, California]], and also flew nonstop between Orange County and [[Fresno, California]]. In January 1986, Mid Pacific was sold to [[Kampgrounds of America|KOA Holdings]], and shortly thereafter the F28 jets were removed from service.
Although Mid Pacific was able to lure customers with low fares and promotions that compensated for the slower, noisier turboprop aircraft, the airline was unable to compete with Hawaiian and Aloha and ended passenger flights in Hawaii on January 19, 1988, and ended cargo flights there a month later.<ref>{{cite news|title=Memories of Mid Pacific taking flight |url=http://www.mauinews.com/story.aspx?id=27429 |last=Apana |first=Lehia |work=[[The Maui News]] |date=2007-02-05 |accessdate=2007-02-05 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070210153203/http://www.mauinews.com/story.aspx?id=27429 |archivedate=2007-02-10 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Following the termination of the Hawaii operation, Mid Pacific moved to the midwestern United States and operated all cargo freighter flights using the YS-11s from a base in [[Lafayette, Indiana]], and in the 1990s operated commuter service via a [[code sharing]] agreement with [[Reno Air]] under the name '''Reno Air Express''' using [[British Aerospace]] [[BAe Jetstream 31]] turboprop aircraft. These Reno Air Express flights provided connecting passenger feeder service at the Reno Air hub located at the [[San Jose International Airport]] (SJC) in northern California. In 1992 and 1993, the airline operated a [[British Aerospace]] [[BAe 146]] jet in cargo freighter service on behalf of [[Thomas Nationwide Transport|TNT]] between New York City and [[Bermuda]]. The airline ceased operations in 1995.
==Mid Pacific Air destinations in 1986== ===Hawaii=== According to its system route map dated January 15, 1986, Mid Pacific was serving the following destinations in Hawaii with [[Fokker F28 Fellowship]] twin jets and [[NAMC YS-11]] turboprops:<ref name="departedflights">{{cite web|url=https://departedflights2.com/mid-pacific-air-january-15-1986/|title=Jan. 15, 1986 Mid Pacific Air system route map|access-date=28 Jan 2025|website=Departed Flights |date=6 January 2024 }}</ref> * [[Hilo, Hawaii]] (ITO) * Honolulu, Oahu (HNL) – ''original main base and headquarters'' * [[Kahului, Maui]] (OGG) * [[Kona, Hawaii]] (KOA) * [[Lihue]], [[Kauai]] (LIH)
===California & Nevada=== According to its system route map dated January 15, 1986, Mid Pacific was serving the following destinations in California and Nevada with [[NAMC YS-11]] turboprops:<ref name="departedflights" /> * [[Burbank, California]] (BUR) – now [[Bob Hope Airport]] * [[Fresno, California]] (FAT) * Las Vegas, Nevada (LAS) * [[Santa Ana, California]] via [[John Wayne Airport|Orange County Airport]] (SNA) – now [[John Wayne Airport]]
==Reno Air Express destinations in 1995== According to its system route map dated January 3, 1995, Mid Pacific was serving the following destinations in California and Oregon with [[British Aerospace]] [[BAe Jetstream 31]] propjets operating as Reno Air Express via a [[code sharing]] agreement with [[Reno Air]]:<ref>http://www.departedflights.com, Jan. 3, 1995 Reno Air Express system route map</ref> * [[Chico, California]] (CIC) * [[Eureka, California]] via the [[Arcata-Eureka Airport]] (ACV) * [[Klamath Falls, Oregon]] (LMT) * [[Medford, Oregon]] (MFR) * [[Monterey, California]] (MRY) * [[Redding, California]] (RDD) * [[San Jose, California]] (SJC) – '''''Hub''' (also a connecting hub for [[Reno Air]])'' * [[Santa Rosa, California]] (STS)
==Fleet== * 22 [[NAMC YS-11]] – ''primary aircraft type in fleet'' * 2 [[Fokker F28|Fokker F28 Fellowship]] *[[Boeing 707]] – ''operated by '''Mid Pacific Arrow''''' * 1 [[British Aerospace]] [[BAe 146]] – ''operated in cargo freighter service for [[Thomas Nationwide Transport|TNT]]'' * 9 [[British Aerospace]] [[BAe Jetstream 31]] – ''operated via a [[code share]] agreement in feeder services as '''Reno Air Express''' for [[Reno Air]]''
==See also== * [[List of defunct airlines of the United States]]
==References== {{Reflist}} {{commons category}} {{refbegin}} * {{cite book|last=Norwood|first=Tom W.|title=Deregulation Knockouts, Round One|year=1996|publisher=Airways International|location=Sandpoint, Idaho|isbn=0-9653993-0-3|oclc=37263082|pages=44–45}} {{refend}}
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[[Category:Defunct airlines of the United States]] [[Category:Airlines established in 1981]] [[Category:Airlines disestablished in 1995]] [[Category:Defunct companies based in Hawaii]] [[Category:Airlines based in Hawaii]] [[Category:Airlines based in Indiana]]