StatesWest Airlines

StatesWest Airlines airline codes|YW|SWJ|States was a commuter airline headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona that operated to destinations in the Southwestern United States.

History

StatesWest was founded by Phoenix entrepreneur Rudy Miller [http://www.millercapitalmarkets.net/our-professionals.php] in 1986 and began operating from its base at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in 1987 with 36-passenger Shorts 360 turboprop aircraft. Later that year, 19-passenger BAe Jetstream 31 were added to the fleet. During the airline's lifespan as an independent carrier, StatesWest served San Diego, California; Burbank, California; Ontario, California; Orange County, California; Los Angeles, California; Tucson, Arizona; Lake Havasu City, Arizona; Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport
Bullhead City, Arizona; Prescott, Arizona; Sierra Vista/Fort Huachuca, Arizona and briefly to Las Vegas, Nevada as well as Albuquerque, New Mexico and Telluride, Colorado.

In late 1988, StatesWest determined the Shorts 360 and BAe Jetstream 31 aircraft were inefficient for the company's mission. Both types were phased out in favor of 19-passenger Beech 1900C aircraft. In 1989, the airline entered a small niche market by offering daily nonstop service between Scottsdale, Arizona and Orange County, California, but that route was discontinued in 1990. Shortly thereafter, StatesWest discontinued all flying under its own name and entered into an agreement with USAir to operate as USAir Express by providing feeder service to its hubs at San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco which were remnants of the original PSA route structure. During the contract with USAir, StatesWest acquired 13-passenger Beech 1300 aircraft to supplement the fleet of Beech 1900s. In 1993, StatesWest closed its doors for good as USAir sharply reduced the size of its operations in California.

Fleet

The StatesWest fleet consisted of:

*Shorts 360
*BAe Jetstream 31
*Beech 1900C
*Beech 1300