Provincetown-Boston Airlines

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PBA Florida Network in 1982
PBA Florida Network in 1982

Provincetown-Boston Airline (IATA: PT, ICAO: PBA, and Callsign: PBA) or better know as PBA was an airline that operated between 1949 and 1986 when it was taken over by People Express.

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[edit] Company History

PBA was founded in 1949 in the State of Massachusetts and its first route was between Provincetown and Boston hence its name. The aircraft of choice to start operations was the Cessna Bobcat. By 1953 PBA had acquired the Lockheed L-10 Electra and used it on the same route. Since the aircraft could not be utilized during the winder months, a cooperation with Naples Airlines of Naples, Florida was started in 1957 hence the aircraft could be used in Florida during the winter months. By 1958 PBA had taken over Naples Airlines and the name was changed to Naples Airlines & Provincetown-Boston Airline.

In the following years, the route network in Florida and New England was expanded and in 1968t he Douglas DC-3 was bought to fill the demand. In 1975 the Martin 4-0-4 was added and in 1980 PBA had a fleet of twelve DC-3s and four Martin 4-0-4s as well as a small number of smaller Cessnas and Pipers. It was during 1980 that the company expanded both in the north and in Florida and a new aircraft was introduced, the Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante. Soon thereafter an interline agreement was signed with Delta Air Lines and in 1982 PBA became a regional feeder for Eastern Airlines.[1]

Following the example of Eastern's Air Shuttle, PBA began its own mini-shuttle between Boston and Martha's Vineyard and for this route they acquired the NAMC YS-11. The year 1984 began with PBA taking over Air Dolphin, Marco Island Airways, Air Vermont and Trans East International. But the integration of all the routes, aircraft and personnel bought about technical, safety and administrative shortcoming and the FAA grounded the airline. At the time of the shut down by the FAA, PBA was the USA's largest commuter airline with 113 aircraft in the fleet.[2] A restart of operations saw the crash of a Bandeirante and the airline was affected once again by that. In 1986 People Express subsidiary Bar Harbor Airlines took over PBA and for 2 more years continued to operate independently until flight operations were suspended in September 1986 and the routes taken over by Bar Harbor Airlines.[3]

[edit] Historical fleet

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Airlines Remembered by BI Hengi, Publisher Midland Publishing
  2. ^ Crash of a Troubled Airline - TIME
  3. ^ rzjets.net