Air Florida Appears to Be Ready to Return to the Skies

Following speculation that Air Florida would be relaunching services, updates on the carrier’s website and statements from companies in discussion with Air Florida indicate that the rumors are true.

Is Air Florida — the low-cost carrier that operated from 1971 to 1984 out of Miami International Airport (MIA) — actually planning a return to the skies? Based on the Air Florida website, the rumors appear to be true. According to updates posted on the carrier’s website, Air Florida is currently in negotiations for both equipment and management agreements.

A tweet posted by the company on September 4 read: “We’re so impressed by response to our proposed service! As news is official, you’ll hear it here first :-) #kissushello #airflorida.”

The first hint of the carrier’s return was published in a World Airline News report on September 6. Writer Bruce Drum noted that Air Florida incorporated as a Florida Corporation in 2014, and it has since filed for registration of all logos and indicative material.

Drum stated in his report that the carrier would initially operate as a public charter, with plans to enter into “an agreement with Xtra Airways of Boise, Idaho, for the provision of multiple Boeing 737-400 aircraft and crews on an ACMI lease program.” However, a follow-up post on Jaunted quotes Xtra Airways as saying “that’s not the case.”

The World Airline News report also noted that “the carrier is expected to name the executive team of Aviation Solutions, Inc., of Dallas to manage all phases of operation.”

FlyerTalk spoke to David Meyers, owner and CEO of Aviation Solutions, Inc., who confirmed the company is in “very early discussions” with representatives of Air Florida, but said that “nothing definitive has been decided, and I do not believe they have committed to any other agreements at this time.” Meyers added that there was “a lot of misinformation out there right now.”

According to Air Florida’s website, the carrier is planning to be based primarily at St. Petersburg—Clearwater International Airport (PIE), with additional aircraft based elsewhere on the route network. The website also stated that Air Florida will provide leisure travel services from under-served airports in the Northeast and Midwest to various Florida destinations, for both nonstop and connecting flights. The company says it is currently in negotiations with its destination airports.

[Photo: Twitter]