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