Air Florida
 

Does anyone remember Air Florida? How was their service? Did they ever fly to Paris? My grandmother says she flew them in May of 1982 from JFK to Orly/Paris.

The Wikipedia article on Air Florida mentions service to London, Brussels, Shannon and Amsterdam, but not Paris:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Florida


You might to have a look at the scanned route maps that are linked at the bottom of the Wikipedia page.

Thanks for the link about Air Floirda information. That was some long time ago while Air Florida is cease operations in 1984 due to aircraft was crashes near Washingtion, DC. I know one of those few Air Florida employees who work there in MIA or FLL. I can't personally why Air Florida has been gone for 23 years from now.

If they were doing LH flights to other European destinations, perhaps they were covering a Paris flight for another airline?

They did not go out of business due to the Flight 90 crash at DCA. Didn't help, but wasn't the cause.

They flew DC10's across the Atlantic during the last years/months(?) of their existence - I believe there are a few pictures around on airliners.net

Flew them once, as a kid, MIA-PAP (Port-au-Prince, Haiti) and back. Don't recall much, if anything at all, but they were friendly to me, gave me a coloring book I think, etc. Aircraft were 737-200's.

Edit: Oh yeah, I definitely got a pair of Air Florida plastic winglet thingys I was very proud of!

No. Air Florida does covering for few European cities from LHR.

Air Florida had one DC 10 that they flew on a Miami-London route. They had a great color scheme on their airplanes, green and blue.

They looked to be a going concern for awhile, but then their Chairman, Ed Acker, resigned to go to a bigger airline, and then the Flight 90 crash seemed to eliminate the rest of whatever energy they had left.

from a former Air Florida stockholder :-(

Air Florida served Burlington, Vermont, of all places, when I worked there in the early 1980s. Those were the crazy first years of deregulation when random airlines would open and close stations in a matter of a few weeks. After Palm 90 hit the bridge in a blizzard, not a lot of snow-zone people cared to buy Air Florida tickets anymore. They folded their BTV tent and went bust soon after.

I flew Air Florida JFK to Paris in 1982. As I remember it it was a charter flight. I bought the ticket thru CIEE which was a student travel org. I think I paid $800 for the flight and it was considered a bargain back then. FAs were friendly, VERY open bar! No meal service, our meals were in a sack on our seats when we boarded.

There's an interesting article in today's Washington Post about the significant changes to safety procedures that followed the Air Florida crash on the 14th St. bridge:

A Crash's Improbable Impact
'82 Air Florida Tragedy Led To Broad Safety Reforms
By Del Quentin Wilber
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 12, 2007; Page A01

...
While most air disasters quickly become historical footnotes, aviation safety experts say few crashes have left a legacy as sweeping as Air Florida Flight 90. Though some of the lessons may seem simple, such as communication and management skills, it helped break down an authoritarian cockpit culture dominated by captains. Over time, the principles learned from the disaster gradually migrated to other modes of transportation and into businesses, even hospitals.
...

The whole story can be found here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...011102220.html

An illustration of the crash can be found here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...011200290.html

Yes, I flew Air Florida from LAX to Orly in 1982 (via JFK). It was for my junior year abroad and organized by my university. Very friendly flight crew, the carrier cocktail was called a "Miami-Whammie" and they kept them coming.