Mid Pacific Air

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Mid-Pacific Air was founded in 1981 as a low-cost regional airline serving Hawaii. Routes connected the islands of Kauai, O'ahu, Maui and Hawaii (the Big Island). Its primary competitors were the existing regional carriers, Hawaiian Airlines and Aloha Airlines.

In contrast to Hawaiian and Aloha, Mid-Pacific Air's fleet was made up primarily of NAMC YS-11 turboprop planes; Hawaiian and Aloha used jet aircraft for the same routes. Mid-Pacific added Fokker F28 jets in 1985. 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.^[1]

Following the termination of the Hawaii operation, Mid Pacific moved to the midwestern United States and operated cargo flights, and in the 1990s operated commuter service for Reno Air under the name Reno Air Express using Jetstream 31 turboprop aircraft.