Air Florida was an American low-cost carrier that operated under its own brand from 1972 to 1984. During the period from 1972 to 1978 Air Florida was an intrastate airline. Until a notorious 1982 aircraft crash in Washington DC, Air Florida was considered a high-profile early success of U.S. airline deregulation, having expanded rapidly from its original Florida network, including internationally to Europe and Latin America. After the crash, the airline struggled for over two and a half years before finally succumbing to bankruptcy in 1984.
Electra at Miami in 1976
DC-10-30 in 1981
Boeing 737-200 in 1980
The tail section of Flight 90 being hoisted from the Potomac River
Intrastate airlines in the United States were air carriers operating solely within a single US state and taking other steps to minimize participation in interstate commerce, thus enabling them to escape tight Federal economic airline regulation prior to US airline deregulation in 1979. These intrastate carriers therefore amounted to a small unregulated, or less regulated, sector within what was otherwise then a tightly regulated industry. Geography alone did not determine intrastate status.
Holiday Airlines was a California intrastate airline from 1965 to 1975
California Central Martin 2-0-2
PSA Lockheed L-1011
Air California 737-200