Air L.A. (IATA: UE, ICAO: UED), a wholly owned subsidiary of Air L.A. Inc (NASDAQ: AILA) was an American regional airline headquartered in the Westchester area of Los Angeles, California.[1] It was founded by Wayne Schoenfeld, Ken Dickey and Bill Wolf. It ceased all operations in September 1995.
Air LA started life as a charter airline in the late 1970s. It first started scheduled operations using Piper Chieftain aircraft in May 1982. It served Blythe, Burbank, Grand Canyon and Las Vegas. It gradually expanded its network to take in Bermuda Dunes/Palm Desert, Bullhead City/Laughlin (NV), Ontario (CA) and Las Vegas.
In November 1990, Air L.A. added Mexico service through the acquisition of Air Resorts Airline.
In April 1993, it had the distinction of entering into one of the first international code-share agreements with Aeromexico. The relationship began initially on the Los Angeles to Tijuana route and expanded to another of other Mexican cities primarily out of Tijuana and Hermosillo. The airline bought Conquest Airlines in 1995.[2] In early 1995 Air L.A. also bought St. Paul, MN based Capitol Air (Not to be confused with the Capitol Air that operated jets, the Saint Paul based Capitol Air was a small commuter that served primarily Chicago Midway and Milwaukee from the St. Paul Downtown airport between mid-December 1993 and December 31, 1994).[3] In 1993, the airline operated a fleet of Fairchild Swearingen Metroliners, seating 19 passengers.
It served the following California cities: Los Angeles, San Diego, Ontario, California, Bakersfield, Fresno, Stockton and Monterey. In Arizona, it served Phoenix. In Nevada, it served Las Vegas.
The airline also served two states in Mexico In Baja California, it served Tijuana, Ensenada, Mexicali and San Felipe. In Sonora, it served Hermosillo.