Sun Air Express
Sun Air Express was a United States airline with its headquarters in Dania Beach, Florida in Greater Miami (the headquarters had a Fort Lauderdale mailing address).[2][3] It operates charter services as well as scheduled passenger services subsidized under the federal Essential Air Service (EAS) program.
 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Commenced operations | 2012 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceased operations | March 7, 2016 (bought by Southern Airways Express)[1] | ||||||
| Fleet size | 12 | ||||||
| Destinations | 8 | ||||||
| Parent company | Sun Air Express, LLC | ||||||
| Headquarters | Dania Beach, Florida, USA | ||||||
| Key people | Philip LeFevre (President, COO) Mark Cestari (VP Marketing) Roy Canter (VP Customer Care) | ||||||
| Website | http://www.flysunairexpress.com | ||||||
The airline ended subsidized scheduled service to Victoria Regional Airport from George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas on October 31, 2014 after its two-year EAS contract expired.[4] A little over a month later, Sun Air began service from Washington Dulles International Airport to Lancaster Airport (Pennsylvania) and Hagerstown Regional Airport in Maryland.[5]
Sun Air had planned to begin service between Atlanta and Middle Georgia Regional Airport in Macon, Georgia on December 1, 2012.[6] However, the airline decided to pull out of the airport deal.[7]
Sun Air Express had a focus city at Pittsburgh International Airport and provided frequent daily service to Altoona, Hagerstown (Maryland), Jamestown (New York), Lancaster, Bradford and Franklin/Oil City.
Upon beginning scheduled service, Sun Air Express' passenger bookings were handled by Pacific Wings and their flight listings in travel reservation systems were under Pacific Wings' IATA code, LW. On April 21, 2015, Sun Air Express flights began being handled by and listed under the code of Mokulele Airlines, (6G).[8]
As of November 2013, Sun Air International received $6,583,848 in annual Federal subsidies for Essential Air Services that they provided to Hagerstown, Maryland, Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Victoria, Texas airports in the U.S.[9]
On March 7, 2016, Southern Airways Express bought Sun Air Express for an undisclosed amount. It will continue the routes currently running and will keep the focus cities that were established by Sun Air. The company withdrew from its Jamestown service after losing Essential Air Service funding.[10]
Destinations
Fleet
| Aircraft | In service | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piper PA-31 Navajo | 9 | 8 | |
| Cessna 208B Grand Caravan[13] | 3 | 9 | All aircraft leased from and operated by Mokulele Airlines. |
References
- Memphis airline buys commuter carrier and Pittsburgh hub Memphis Business Journal March 8, 2016 (subscription required)
- "Contact Us." (Archive) Sun Air International. Retrieved on March 30, 2013. "Mailing Address Sun Air International 3201 Griffin Road Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33312"
- "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Dania Beach city, FL 001." (Archive). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on March 30, 2013.
- Miles, Allison. Victoria air service resumes with Sun Air, Victoria Advocate, October 1, 2012, Retrieved 2012-11-08
- Stauffer, Cindy. First Sun Air flight takes off from Lancaster Airport, Intelligencer Journal / Lancaster New Era, November 5, 2012, Retrieved 2012-11-08
- Lockwood, Erica. New Airline Picked for Macon-Atlanta Service, WMAZ, September 7, 2012, Retrieved 2012-11-08
- "Sun Air Pulls Out of Macon Deal".
- McCarthy, Jimmy. Sun Air Express Changing Reservation Company, Jamestown Post-Journal, February 14, 2015, Retrieved 2015-03-02
- Subsidized EAS report for non-Alaska communities dot.gov November 2013
- "Reed Critical After Southern Airways Vacates City Airport".
- De Lancey, Fran. New airline to start March 1 at Bradford airport, The Bradford Era, January 15, 2015, Retrieved 2015-01-17
- Gordon, Sam. , The Titusville Herald, February 26, 2015, Retrieved 2015-03-02
- "Sun Air Express to lease three Cessna Caravans".
