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| Founded | 2006 (as Myrtle Beach Direct Air) | |||
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| Hubs | ||||
| Focus cities | ||||
| Destinations | 18 | |||
| Company slogan | When Time Matters...GO DIRECT! | |||
| Headquarters | Myrtle Beach, South Carolina | |||
| Key people | Ed Warneck Judy Tull |
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| Website | visitdirectair.com | |||
Direct Air, formerly Myrtle Beach Direct Air, is a business based in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA[1] It used to market domestic charter airline service using the aircraft of charter airlines.[2] In Spring 2009, Direct Air started to operate regular scheduled flights. These services continue to exist today. Direct Air leases aircraft with charter airlines. Its main base is Myrtle Beach International Airport. In December 2007 the airline opened a focus city at St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport, but closed the station in June 2008. Currently, Direct Air's flights are being operated by Sky King, Inc., Xtra Airways, Sun Country Airlines, and USA Jet.
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On November 14, 2006, it was announced service from Myrtle Beach to Newark, Niagara Falls, and Plattsburgh, NY would be flown nonstop. On March 7, 2007, Direct Air (Myrtle Beach Direct Air at the time) started flying.
From March 7 until May 14, 2007, flights were being operated by Sky King, Inc. on Boeing 737-200 aircraft. Direct Air soon ended its relationship with Sky King, Inc. Direct Air opened a secondary hub in St. Petersburg, FL, but closed the station in 2008. Direct Air also used Virgin America Airbus A319 and A320's. Virgin America soon took them back in order to expand more of their domestic routes. Today, Direct Air's flights are operated primarily by Xtra Airways (Boeing 737-400) but also by Sky King, Inc. (737-400), Vision Airlines (737-800), and Dynamic Airways (McDonnell Douglas MD-88). In winter 2009 they started flying from Melbourne, FL to Niagara Falls and Punta Gorda. In the 2010-2011 winter season they began operating flights from Palm Beach International Airport to several of their northern origin airports, including Worcester, Kalamazoo, and Rockford.
As Direct Air is a business classed as a virtual airline (economics), it has no true aircraft fleet upon its own FAA / DOT operating certificate. Instead, the Direct Air business model uses the services of the following airlines aircraft (as of 14 March 2010):[5]
| Aircraft | Total | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-400 | 2 | 150 | both owned and operated by Xtra Airways N43XA, N271AD |
| Boeing 737-400 | 1 | 144 | owned and operated by Sky King, Inc. N773AS |
October 15, 2011 : Direct Air flight from Lakeland Linder Regional Airport to Niagara Falls International Airport operated by Sky King, Inc. lost cabin pressure approximately one hour into the flight. Oxygen masks on board failed to deploy, and several passengers passed out, complained of chest pains, shortness of breath, or other issues related to the loss of pressure. The flight returned to Lakeland, FL. After landing in Lakeland, mechanics attempted to fix the plane, and it took off again approximately 5 hours later. The second flight experienced the same air pressurization issues 20 minutes into the flight, again causing passengers to pass out as oxygen masks again failed to deploy. The flight returned, again, to Lakeland, FL. There were no deaths, but at least one person was hospitalized with shortness of breath. Eventually, another plane was chartered to make the flight to Niagara Falls.[6]
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