WestAir Commuter Airlines

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WestAir’s roots ran back to northern California commuter operator Stol Air Commuter, which flew short-takeoff-and-landing Islanders and Trislanders around the Bay Area. The business adopted the WestAir name in 1978, then expanded its reach after acquiring Redding-based Golden Eagle Airlines. Tiny airplanes, ambitious maps, and the usual regional-airline determination to make a connection happen somehow.

By May 1, 1985, WestAir was among the first regional airlines flying under the new United Express arrangement with United Airlines. The carrier later used the name WestAir Commuter Airlines and was headquartered in Fresno, California. Its fleet grew from Cessna 402s and Twin Otters to Shorts, Embraer Bandeirantes and Brasilias, Jetstream 31s, and even BAe 146 jets.

WestAir Holding combined its North Pacific Airlines operation into WestAir in 1991. Mesa Air Group acquired WestAir Holding in 1992, making WestAir a Mesa subsidiary while it continued flying United Express service across the western United States. The Fresno outfit’s airline chapter ended in 1998 after United terminated the WestAir United Express agreement and SkyWest took over much of the West Coast flying.

Our WestAir Commuter Airlines collection celebrates the compact, propeller-powered connective tissue of West Coast air travel: Fresno ramps, United Express timetables, “Sundance” call signs, and an airline that went from Bay Area STOL routes to the very serious business of feeding the big network.