Surf Air (URF, Santa Monica) will change its corporate name to Surf Anywhere, Inc., and no longer use the "Surf Air" name to identify itself as an indirect air carrier or as an agent, according to a United States Department of Transportation (DOT) filing.
In the trade name registration notice on May 6, DOT Office of Aviation Analysis director Todd Homan said the change had been notified by Surf Air parent Southern Airways Express (9X, Memphis International).
Still, the DOT has approved the registration of the trade name Surf Air, as requested by Southern Airways Express on April 1. The department has also agreed to deregister the following trade names previously approved for Southern's use: Sun Air Express, Sun Air International, Southern Private Jets, Mokulele Airlines, Mokulele Express, Makani Kai Air, and Marianas Southern Airways.
Launched in Memphis, Tennessee, in 2013 as a commuter airline and essential air service (EAS) provider, Southern Airways Express began its acquisition drive in 2016 with Sun Air Express, another commuter airline providing EAS connectivity to communities in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New York states.
In February 2019, it acquired Mokulele Airlines, a commuter airline connecting the Hawaiian islands. During Covid-19, it added Makani Kai Air, a small commuter airline dedicated to providing air service to the island of Molokai. The combination of Mokulele and Makani Kai in Hawaii and Southern's EAS routes across the continental US positioned the company to survive the pandemic.
In March 2022, Southern acquired St. Louis-based commuter airline Air Choice One, facilitating its expansion to the mid-West and Great Lakes regions, making it a dominant player across the US with major hubs such as Washington Dulles, Atlanta, Chicago O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver International, Los Angeles International, Phoenix Sky Harbor, and Honolulu.
A partnership with Surf Air Mobility (SAM), an electric aviation company, led to the merger of the companies on July 27, 2023, and the joint company's listing on the New York Stock Exchange. Surf Air, a subsidiary of SAM, is a regional air mobility platform with scheduled routes and on-demand charter flights operated by third parties under Part 135. It is developing electric powertrain technology, starting with a hybrid-electric and a fully electric variant of the Cessna (single turboprop) 208B Grand Caravan EX.
