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West Coast Airlines

May 05, 2023

West Coast Airlines was an airline (then called a "local service" airline as defined by the federal Civil Aeronautics Board) linking small cities in the Pacific Northwest with larger cities in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Montana, California and north to Alberta in Canada.[1] It was headquartered in the Westlake area of Seattle, Washington.[2]

West Coast Airlines
IATA ICAO Callsign
WC WC WEST COAST
Founded1941
Ceased operations1968
Operating basesSeattle, Washington
HubsSeattle, Washington
Focus citiesBoise, Idaho
Portland, Oregon
Spokane, Washington
HeadquartersSeattle, Washington

History

West Coast was formed in 1941 and acquired Empire Air Lines (formerly Zimmerly Airlines) in 1952.[3][4][5][6] The company was based at Boeing Field in Seattle and began scheduled passenger service in 1946 with a fleet of Douglas DC-3s, marketed as Scenicliners.[7]

A promotional film produced for the company in the 1960s said that in 1946 the federal Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) granted the first regional airline certificate to West Coast Airlines as local service air carrier.

In July 1953, West Coast scheduled flights to 32 airports in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho; in May 1968 it flew to 36 airports including 29 in those states. Like other Local Service airlines West Coast was subsidized; in 1962 its "revenues" included $6.6 million from passengers and $5.4 million for "mail".[8]

West Coast was the first local service airline in the U.S. to use turbine airliners when it began Fairchild F-27 flights in September 1958. The F-27 was the U.S. manufactured version of the Dutch built Fokker F27 Friendship. In June 1968 West Coast was the first airline to order Fairchild 228 twin jets with the acquisition of three planned, but the F-228, a smaller variant of the Dutch manufactured Fokker F28 Fellowship, never made it to production.[9] The only jet operated by West Coast was the Douglas DC-9-14 with 75 seats, all coach.

On July 1, 1968, West Coast merged with Pacific Air Lines and Bonanza Air Lines to form Air West, which became Hughes Airwest in 1970. In 1968, West Coast operated Douglas DC-9s, Fairchild F-27s, Douglas DC-3s, and Piper Navajos. The DC-3s were not transferred to Air West and were retired; the Navajos continued for a short time. The West Coast route system then included cities in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and several in Montana. San Francisco, Oakland, and Sacramento in northern California were added in 1959 with Salt Lake City being served later. West Coast's only international destination was Calgary, Alberta, which was served with F-27s from Spokane. Almost all West Coast flights at Seattle used Boeing Field (BFI) instead of Seattle/Tacoma International Airport (SEA); after the merger Air West and successor Hughes Airwest continued to use Boeing Field until DC-9 and F-27 flights moved to SEA in 1971.[10]

Jet service destinations in 1968

The April 28, 1968 West Coast timetable listed the following cities being served with Douglas DC-9-10 jets:[11]

  • Boise, ID (BOI)
  • Eugene, OR (EUG)
  • Medford, OR (MFR)
  • Pasco, WA (PSC)
  • Portland, OR (PDX)
  • Salt Lake City, UT (SLC)
  • San Francisco, CA (SFO)
  • Seattle, WA - Boeing Field (BFI)
  • Spokane, WA (GEG)
  • Walla Walla, WA (ALW)
  • Yakima, WA (YKM)

Other destinations saw Fairchild F-27s, Douglas DC-3s and/or Piper Navajos (or, in 1966, Piper Aztecs).

West Coast's lineage runs through a string of mergers: In 1980 Hughes Airwest was acquired by Republic Airlines which had been created by a merger of Southern Airways and North Central Airlines in 1979. In 1986 Republic Airlines was acquired by Northwest Airlines (formerly Northwest Orient Airlines). The Delta-Northwest merger with Delta Air Lines as the surviving air carrier was completed in 2010.

In 2001 an attempt was made to resurrect the West Coast Airlines name, with plans for an airline based in Concord, California, to connect several Northern California cities with Las Vegas, Reno and San Diego. The effort ended in bankruptcy.[12]

A Canadian commuter airline with a similar name, West Coast Air, flew floatplanes between Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia.

Accidents

Fleet

 
West Coast Fairchild F-27

The West Coast Airlines fleet consisted of the following aircraft:[22]

Destinations in 1968

The April 28, 1968 West Coast timetable lists scheduled passenger flights to:[23]

See also

References

  1. ^ West Coast Airlines routemap 1961
  2. ^ "World Airline Directory." Flight International. April 13, 1967. 598.
  3. ^ "EAL, West Coast merger authorized". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). June 28, 1952. p. 10.
  4. ^ "Merger of EAL and West Coast now effective". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). August 1, 1952. p. 10.
  5. ^ Riddle, Arthur S. (September 28, 1952). "Empire notes 6th birthday with first of merger flights". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1.
  6. ^ Flight Global Archive article, March 1953
  7. ^ West Coast timetable 1950
  8. ^ Moody's Transportation Manual 1964
  9. ^ "What happened to the Fairchild 228?". AAHS Journal. Spring 1998.
  10. ^ One exception: in 1967 three Navajo flights a day did CLM-SEA-BFI-CLM.
  11. ^ http://www.timetableimages.com, April 28, 1968 West Coast timetable
  12. ^ Ron Leuty (January 11, 2002). "Startup airline makes landing in bankruptcy". San Francisco Business Times. Retrieved November 1, 2009.
  13. ^ National Transportation Safety Board: Aircraft Accident Report. West Coast Airlines, Inc DC-9 N9101. Near Wemme, Oregon, Adopted: December 11, 1967
  14. ^ Wyant, Dan (October 2, 1966). "Jet airliner missing near Portland". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 1A.
  15. ^ "West Coast plane missing with 18 aboard". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. October 2, 1966. p. 1.
  16. ^ Wyant, Dan (October 3, 1966). "Investigators sift wreckage for clues". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 1A.
  17. ^ "Investigators probing WCA plane wreckage". The Bulletin. (Bend, Oregon). UPI. October 3, 1966. p. 1.
  18. ^ "None survive WCA crash". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. October 3, 1966. p. 1.
  19. ^ "Airline crash takes 4 lives". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). March 10, 1967. p. 1A.
  20. ^ "West Coast crash kills 4 in Oregon". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. March 11, 1967. p. 1.
  21. ^ "Deep snow prevents probe of plane crash". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. March 12, 1967. p. 3A.
  22. ^ "West Coast Airlines". rzjets. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  23. ^ http://www.timetableimages.com, April 28, 1968 West Coast timetable
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to West Coast Airlines.

May 05, 2023
west, coast, airlines, this, article, factual, accuracy, disputed, relevant, discussion, found, talk, page, please, help, ensure, that, disputed, statements, reliably, sourced, january, 2009, learn, when, remove, this, template, message, airline, then, called,. This article s factual accuracy is disputed Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page Please help to ensure that disputed statements are reliably sourced January 2009 Learn how and when to remove this template message West Coast Airlines was an airline then called a local service airline as defined by the federal Civil Aeronautics Board linking small cities in the Pacific Northwest with larger cities in Washington Oregon Idaho Utah Montana California and north to Alberta in Canada 1 It was headquartered in the Westlake area of Seattle Washington 2 West Coast AirlinesIATA ICAO CallsignWC WC WEST COASTFounded1941Ceased operations1968Operating basesSeattle WashingtonHubsSeattle WashingtonFocus citiesBoise IdahoPortland OregonSpokane WashingtonHeadquartersSeattle Washington Contents 1 History 2 Jet service destinations in 1968 3 Accidents 4 Fleet 5 Destinations in 1968 6 See also 7 ReferencesHistory EditWest Coast was formed in 1941 and acquired Empire Air Lines formerly Zimmerly Airlines in 1952 3 4 5 6 The company was based at Boeing Field in Seattle and began scheduled passenger service in 1946 with a fleet of Douglas DC 3s marketed as Scenicliners 7 A promotional film produced for the company in the 1960s said that in 1946 the federal Civil Aeronautics Board CAB granted the first regional airline certificate to West Coast Airlines as local service air carrier In July 1953 West Coast scheduled flights to 32 airports in Washington Oregon and Idaho in May 1968 it flew to 36 airports including 29 in those states Like other Local Service airlines West Coast was subsidized in 1962 its revenues included 6 6 million from passengers and 5 4 million for mail 8 West Coast was the first local service airline in the U S to use turbine airliners when it began Fairchild F 27 flights in September 1958 The F 27 was the U S manufactured version of the Dutch built Fokker F27 Friendship In June 1968 West Coast was the first airline to order Fairchild 228 twin jets with the acquisition of three planned but the F 228 a smaller variant of the Dutch manufactured Fokker F28 Fellowship never made it to production 9 The only jet operated by West Coast was the Douglas DC 9 14 with 75 seats all coach On July 1 1968 West Coast merged with Pacific Air Lines and Bonanza Air Lines to form Air West which became Hughes Airwest in 1970 In 1968 West Coast operated Douglas DC 9s Fairchild F 27s Douglas DC 3s and Piper Navajos The DC 3s were not transferred to Air West and were retired the Navajos continued for a short time The West Coast route system then included cities in Idaho Oregon Washington and several in Montana San Francisco Oakland and Sacramento in northern California were added in 1959 with Salt Lake City being served later West Coast s only international destination was Calgary Alberta which was served with F 27s from Spokane Almost all West Coast flights at Seattle used Boeing Field BFI instead of Seattle Tacoma International Airport SEA after the merger Air West and successor Hughes Airwest continued to use Boeing Field until DC 9 and F 27 flights moved to SEA in 1971 10 Jet service destinations in 1968 EditThe April 28 1968 West Coast timetable listed the following cities being served with Douglas DC 9 10 jets 11 Boise ID BOI Eugene OR EUG Medford OR MFR Pasco WA PSC Portland OR PDX Salt Lake City UT SLC San Francisco CA SFO Seattle WA Boeing Field BFI Spokane WA GEG Walla Walla WA ALW Yakima WA YKM Other destinations saw Fairchild F 27s Douglas DC 3s and or Piper Navajos or in 1966 Piper Aztecs West Coast s lineage runs through a string of mergers In 1980 Hughes Airwest was acquired by Republic Airlines which had been created by a merger of Southern Airways and North Central Airlines in 1979 In 1986 Republic Airlines was acquired by Northwest Airlines formerly Northwest Orient Airlines The Delta Northwest merger with Delta Air Lines as the surviving air carrier was completed in 2010 In 2001 an attempt was made to resurrect the West Coast Airlines name with plans for an airline based in Concord California to connect several Northern California cities with Las Vegas Reno and San Diego The effort ended in bankruptcy 12 A Canadian commuter airline with a similar name West Coast Air flew floatplanes between Vancouver and Victoria British Columbia Accidents EditWest Coast Airlines Flight 956 crashed on October 1 1966 with eighteen fatalities and no survivors 5 5 miles 9 km south of Wemme Oregon This accident marked the first loss of a Douglas DC 9 13 and the first fatalities for the airline 14 15 16 17 18 West Coast Airlines Flight 720 crashed on March 10 1967 with four fatalities and no survivors near Klamath Falls Oregon The Fairchild F 27 was bound for Medford from Klamath Falls and crashed due to ice accumulation on the aircraft 19 20 21 Fleet Edit West Coast Fairchild F 27 The West Coast Airlines fleet consisted of the following aircraft 22 13 Douglas DC 3 4 Douglas DC 9 14 14 Fairchild F 27 Piper Aztec Piper Navajo PA 31 model Destinations in 1968 EditThe April 28 1968 West Coast timetable lists scheduled passenger flights to 23 Astoria Oregon Baker Oregon Boise Idaho Focus city Burley Idaho Rupert Idaho was served via Burley Calgary Alberta Canada only international destination Corvallis Oregon Albany Oregon was served via Corvallis Ephrata Washington Moses Lake Washington was served via Ephrata Eugene Oregon Great Falls Montana Hoquiam Washington Aberdeen Washington was served via Hoquiam Idaho Falls Idaho Kalispell Montana Klamath Falls Oregon Lewiston Idaho Clarkston Washington was served via Lewiston Medford Oregon North Bend Oregon Coos Bay Oregon was served via North Bend Oakland California Olympia Washington Ontario Oregon Payette Idaho was served via Ontario Pasco Washington Pocatello Idaho Portland Oregon Focus city Pullman Washington Moscow Idaho was served via Pullman Redmond Oregon Bend Oregon was served via Redmond Roseburg Oregon Sacramento California Salt Lake City Utah San Francisco California Seattle Washington Hub and headquarters at Boeing Field BFI Spokane Washington Focus city Sun Valley Idaho Tacoma Washington Twin Falls Idaho Walla Walla Washington Wenatchee Washington Yakima WashingtonSee also EditList of defunct airlines of the United StatesReferences Edit West Coast Airlines routemap 1961 World Airline Directory Flight International April 13 1967 598 EAL West Coast merger authorized Lewiston Morning Tribune Idaho June 28 1952 p 10 Merger of EAL and West Coast now effective Lewiston Morning Tribune Idaho August 1 1952 p 10 Riddle Arthur S September 28 1952 Empire notes 6th birthday with first of merger flights Lewiston Morning Tribune Idaho p 1 Flight Global Archive article March 1953 West Coast timetable 1950 Moody s Transportation Manual 1964 What happened to the Fairchild 228 AAHS Journal Spring 1998 One exception in 1967 three Navajo flights a day did CLM SEA BFI CLM http www timetableimages com April 28 1968 West Coast timetable Ron Leuty January 11 2002 Startup airline makes landing in bankruptcy San Francisco Business Times Retrieved November 1 2009 National Transportation Safety Board Aircraft Accident Report West Coast Airlines Inc DC 9 N9101 Near Wemme Oregon Adopted December 11 1967 Wyant Dan October 2 1966 Jet airliner missing near Portland Eugene Register Guard Oregon p 1A West Coast plane missing with 18 aboard Lewiston Morning Tribune Idaho Associated Press October 2 1966 p 1 Wyant Dan October 3 1966 Investigators sift wreckage for clues Eugene Register Guard Oregon p 1A Investigators probing WCA plane wreckage The Bulletin Bend Oregon UPI October 3 1966 p 1 None survive WCA crash Lewiston Morning Tribune Idaho Associated Press October 3 1966 p 1 Airline crash takes 4 lives Eugene Register Guard Oregon March 10 1967 p 1A West Coast crash kills 4 in Oregon Spokesman Review Spokane Washington Associated Press March 11 1967 p 1 Deep snow prevents probe of plane crash Eugene Register Guard Oregon Associated Press March 12 1967 p 3A West Coast Airlines rzjets Retrieved September 8 2019 http www timetableimages com April 28 1968 West Coast timetable Wikimedia Commons has media related to West Coast Airlines Portals United States Companies Aviation Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title West Coast Airlines amp oldid 1144010173, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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