California Pacific Airlines (San Diego McClellan Palomar) has once more announced plans to start commercial passenger operations this time using an existing Part 121-certificated carrier.
In an interview with Oside News, the San Diego McClellan Palomar-based start-up's Chief Commercial Officer Paul W. J. Hook said an unspecified "58-year-old airline" had been acquired with an official announcement due on November 16.
According to Hook, California Pacific Airlines aims to launch in April next year using an all-Embraer fleet of four E145s and two E170s. Cities to be served include Phoenix Sky Harbor, Las Vegas Harry Reid, Sacramento International, Oakland International, San José, US, and the Mexican resort town of San José Cabo.
“Each plane will have both first and business-class seating," he told Oside News. "Economy passengers won’t see much difference from business class. Our ticket pricing will be competitive with other airlines serving the area.”
The brainchild of nonagenarian entrepreneur Ted Vallas, California Pacific Airlines has undergone at least three unsuccessful attempts at acquiring an Air Carrier Certificate (ACC) from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The last attempt, in 2013, was suspended following an FAA manpower shortage brought on by budget cuts.
As such, the purchase of an existing airline replete with all the necessary permits and certificates is proving an increasingly popular shortcut to market among US-based start-ups. As recently reported, USGlobal Airways (formerly Baltia Air Lines) is in the process of acquiring Songbird Airways (Lakeland) as part of its own, separate bid to start commercial services.
