List of defunct American airlines
The following list is a list of United States-based airlines that no longer operate, in many cases the date of operations is also listed, as is the new name of the airline if it were taken-over or restarted with another name.
- AAXICO Airlines (1946 - 1965, to Saturn Airways)
- Access Air (1998 - 2001)
- ADI Domestic Airlines
- Aeromech Airlines (1951 - 1983, to Wright Airlines)
- Air America (owned and operated by the CIA in SouthEast Asia)
- Air America (1980s)
- Air Atlanta (1981 - 88)
- Airborne Express (1946 - 2003, to DHL)
- Air California, later AirCal (1967 - 87, to American Airlines)
- Air Chaparral (1980 - 82)
- Air Florida (1972 - 84)
- Air Hawaii (ceased operations in 1986)
- Air Illinois
- Airlift International (1946 - 81)
- Air New England (1975 - 81)
- Air Niagara
- Air North (1963 - 1983, to Brockway Air)
- Air South (1968 - 1975, to Florida Airlines; 1994 - 1997)
- Air Speed (1974)
- Air Vegas (1971 - 2004)
- Airways of New Mexico
- Albany Air
- All American Aviation Company (became US Airways)
- Allegheny Airlines (became US Airways)
- American Flyers Airline
- American International Airways
- American Overseas Airlines (1945 - 1950) merged into Pan American World Airways
- Arista International Airlines
- Arizona Airways
- Arizona Airways (1993 - 1996)
- Aroostook Airways
- Aspen Airways (1962 - 1990)
- Atlantic Coast Airlines (1989 - 2004, to Independence Air)
- Atlantic Gulf Airlines
- Bar Harbor Airlines (1971 - 1992)
- Business Express Airlines to American Eagle
- Boeing Air Transport (1927 - 1930) to United Airlines
- Bonanza Air Lines (1945 - 1968, to Hughes Airwest)
- Braniff (1991 - 1992)
- Braniff Inc. (1983 - 1990)
- Braniff International Airways (1928 - 1982)
- Britt Airways (1976 - 1987)
- Brockway Air
- CalPac (California Pacific) (1993 - 1995 to Mesa Airlines)
- Cal Sierra Airlines (1980)
- Cape Smythe Air (1975 - 2005, to Frontier Flying Service)
- Capitol Air Lines (1970s - 1980s)
- Capital Airlines (1936 - 1961, to United Airlines)
- Capitol Airways (1946 - 1982)
- Caribbean Sun (2002 - 2007)
- Carnival Air Lines
- Cascade Airways (1969 - 1986)
- Catalina Airlines (1940 - 1969)
- CCAir
- Centennial Airlines
- Central Airlines (1944 - 1967)
- Challenge Air Cargo (1978 - 2001)
- Chicago Air
- Chicago and Southern Air Lines (1934 - 1953)
- Chicago Express Airlines (1993 - 2005)
- Coastal Airways (1929 -1930)
- Cochise Airlines
- Colgan Airways (1971 - 1986, to Presidential Airways, revived 1991, and currently operating as Continental Express, United Express, and US Airways Express)
- Colonial Air Transport (1926 - 1930)
- Command Airways
- Crown Airways (1969 - 1992 to Mesa Airlines)
- Curtiss Flying Service (1929 - 1932)
- Delta Express (1996-2003: replaced by Song; folded back into Delta Air Lines)
- Desert Sun Airlines (1995 - 1997 to Mesa Airlines)
- Eastern Air Lines (1926 - 1991)
- Eastwind Airlines
- Emerald Air (1978 - 1991)
- Emery Worldwide Airlines (1977 - 2003)
- Empire Airlines (1976 - 1985, to Piedmont)
- Eureka Areo (c. 1976 - 1979)
- Falcon Air Express (1995 - 2007)
- Fine Air (1989 - 2004)
- Florida Coastal Airlines (ceased operations 2006)
- FloridaGulf Airlines (1991 - 1997, to Air Midwest)
- Flying Tiger Line (1945 - 1988, to Federal Express)
- Freelandia
- Frontier Airlines (1950 - 1986)
- Galaxy Airlines
- Global International Airways (1981 - ?)
- Golden Pacific Airlines (1981 - 1988)
- Golden West Airlines
- Great Plains Airlines (2001 - 2004)
- Gulf Air Transport (1979 - 1990)
- Hooters Air (2003 - 2006)
- Hughes Airwest (1968 - 1980, to Republic Airlines)
- Imperial Airlines (1964 - 1986)
- Independence Air (2004 - 2006)
- Indigo Airlines
- Intermountain Airlines
- Jet Express
- Key Airlines
- Kitty Hawk Airways
- Kitty Hawk International (to Kalitta Air)
- Kiwi International Air Lines
- Lake Central Airlines (1949 - 1968, to Allegheny Airlines)
- Lakeland Airlines (1980 - 1984)
- Las Vegas Airlines (1973 - 1987)
- Legend Airlines (1996 - 2000)
- Liberty Express Airlines ((1994 - 1997, to Air Midwest)
- Lone Star Airlines
- Mackey Airlines (1957 - 1981)
- Maddux Airlines (1927 - 1929, to Transcontinental Air Transport)
- Mahalo Air (1993 - 1997)
- Mall Airways (1973 - 1989, to Business Express)
- MarkAir (1947 - 1995)
- Marquette Airlines (to Trans World Airlines)
- Mayflower Airlines (1936 - ?)
- MetroJet
- Mexus Airlines
- MGM Grand Air
- MidAtlantic Airways (2002 - 2006)
- Mid-Continent Airlines (1928 - 1952, to Braniff)
- Mid Pacific Air (1981 - 1988)
- Mid-State Airlines (1964 - ?, to Sentry Airlines)
- Midway Airlines (1979 - 1991 and 1993 - 2003)
- Mississippi Valley Airlines (1969 - 1985)
- Modern Air Transport
- Mohawk Airlines (1952 - 1988, to Allegheny Airlines)
- Morris Air to Southwest Airlines
- Mountain Air Express
- Mountain West Airlines (1995 - 1997 to Mesa Airlines)
- Muse Air to Southwest Airlines
- National Airlines (1929 - 1980, to Pan American World Airways)
- National Airlines (1983 - 1986)
- National Airlines/Private Jet Expeditions (1994 - 1995)
- National Airlines (1999 - 2002)
- National Air Transport (1926 - 1930)
- Nations Air Express (1994-1998)
- New England & Western Air Transportation Co. (1930)
- New York Air (1980 - 1986, to Continental Airlines)
- New York Airways (1949 - 1979)
- New York, Rio, and Buenos Aires Line (to Pan American World Airways)
- North Central Airlines (1939 - 1979)
- Northeast Airlines (1940 - 1972, to Delta Air Lines)
- Overseas National Airways (1950 - 1978)
- Ozark Airlines (1943 - 1986, to Trans World Airlines)
- Pacific Air Lines (1958 - 1968, to Hughes Airwest)
- Pacific Air Transport (1926 - 1927)
- Pacific Alaska Airways (1973 - 1986)
- Pacific East Airlines (ceased operations 1984)
- Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) (1945 - 1987, to USAir)
- Pan American Airways (1996-1998)
- Pan American Airways (1998-2004)
- Pan American-Grace Airways (Panagra) (1928 - 1967, to Braniff International Airways)
- Pan American World Airways (1927 - 1991)
- Paradise Island Airlines
- People Express (1981 - 1987, to Continental Airlines)
- Piedmont Airlines (1940 - 1989, to USAir)
- Pioneer Airlines
- Planet Airways (????- June 8, 2005, speculation only at this point in time)
- Potomac Air
- Presidential Airways (1985 - 1989)
- Private Jet Expeditions (???? - 1995)
- Pride Air (August 1985 - November 1985)
- Pro Air (1997 - 2000)
- Provincetown-Boston Airlines
- Ransome Airlines (1967 - 1986)
- Reeve Aleutian Airways (1932 - 2001)
- Regent Air
- RegionsAir (1996 - 2007)
- Reno Air (1990 - 99, to American Airlines)
- Republic Airlines (1979 - 1986, to Northwest Airlines)
- Rich International Airways (1971 - 1996)
- Rio Airways (1970 - 1987)
- Robertson Air Service
- Rocky Mountain Airways (1964 - 1986)
- Samoa Air (American Samoa, ceased operations in 2003)
- Saturn Airways (1960 - 76, to Trans International Airlines)
- Seaboard World Airlines (1946 - 80, to Flying Tiger Line)
- Shuttle by United and United Shuttle (1994 - 2001)
- Slick Airways (1946-1965)
- Song (2003-April 30th, 2006 Merged back in with its parent company, Delta Air Lines)
- South Pacific Island Airways (SPIA) (American Samoa, ceased operations in 1987)
- Southeast Airlines (1992 - 2004)
- Southern Air Transport
- Southern Airways (1943 - 1979, to Republic Airlines)
- Southern Jersey Airways
- Southwest Airways (1946 - 58, renamed Pacific Air Lines)
- Standard Airlines (1926 - 30) 1927 subsidiary of Aero Corp. of Ca., In 1930, bought by Western Air Express, thru merger with TAT became TWA, Transcontinental & Western Air, Trans World Airlines
- StatesWest Airlines (1986-1993)
- SunCoast Airlines (?-1988)
- Sun West Airlines
- Sunworld International Airlines (? - 2004)
- Superior Airlines (1993 - 1995 to Mesa Airlines
- Swift Aire Lines (1969 - 1981)
- TAG Airlines
- TAT - Maddux Air Lines (1928 - 30)
- Texas Air
- Texas Trans Air
- Texas International Airlines (1944 - 1986, to Continental Airlines)
- The Hawaii Express (1982 - 1983)
- Tower Air (1983 - 2000)
- Trans Air (1979 -1985)
- Transamerica Airlines (1948 - 1986)
- Transcontinental Air Transport (1928 - 1930, TWA)
- TransMeridian Airlines (1995 - 2005)
- Trans International Airlines (1947 - 1986)
- TranStar Airlines (1981 - 1987)
- Trans-Colorado Airlines
- Trans-Texas Airways
- Trans World Airlines (1930 - 2001, to American Airlines)
- Trans World Express
- Trump Shuttle (1989 - 1991, to US Airways)
- UltrAir (1993)
- Universal Airlines (US Cargo Operator 1966 - 1972, to Trans International Airlines)
- ValuJet Airlines (1993 - 1997, to AirTran Airways)
- Vanguard Airlines (1994 - 2002)
- Varney Airlines to United Airlines
- WestAir Commuter Airlines
- West Coast Airlines (1940s - 1968, to Hughes Airwest)
- Western Airlines (1925 - 1987, to Delta Air Lines)
- Western Pacific Airlines (ceased operations 1998)
- Westward Airways (2002 - 2005)
- Wien Air Alaska
- Wilmington - Catalina Air Line
- WinAir Airlines (1998 - 1999)
- Wings Airways
- Wright Airlines
- Zantop Air Transport
- Zantop Flying Service
- Zantop International Airlines