Florida Airlines was a commuter airline based in Florida that operated from 1960 to 1982. It is said to have had the largest Douglas DC3 fleet in the world in 1976
Airline deregulation eventually resulted in the demise of the airline.

Fleet

In the sixties Florida Airlines operated the following fleet of aircraft

Florida Airlines Fleet - 1960s

Aircraft	Total
Piper Apache	3
V-tailed Bonanza Beechcraft Bonanza The Beechcraft Bonanza is an American general aviation aircraft introduced in 1947 by The Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas. , it is still being produced by Hawker Beechcraft, and has been in continuous production longer than any other airplane in history...	2
Beechcraft D18 - 55C, 90Z Beechcraft Model 18 The Beechcraft Model 18, or "Twin Beech", as it is better known, is a 6-11 seat, twin-engine, low-wing, conventional-gear aircraft that was manufactured by the Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas...	3
Piper Aztec -69Y, 60Y, 37Y Piper Aztec -Accidents and incidents:*On 18 April 1974, Aztec G-AYDE was involved in a ground collision with BAC One-Eleven G-AXMJ at London Luton Airport after the pilot of the Aztec entered the active runway without clearance. He was killed and his passenger was injured...	3
Douglas DC-3 Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...  - N8701, N6102	2
Cessna 402 Cessna 402 The Cessna 401 and 402 are series of 6 to 10 place, light twin, piston engine aircraft. This line was manufactured by Cessna from 1966 to 1985 under the name Utiliner and Businessliner...  - 97Q	1

Corporate history

• Incorporated on February 8, 1960 as Florida Air Taxi, Inc. in Tampa, Florida
  Tampa, Florida
  Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
  
   with William Taylor as owner; he had purchased the company in the early 1950s from L. A. Stevens.
• Corporate name was changed to Florida Airlines, Inc. on October 17, 1969
• Company sold to Lee H. Hill, Sr. and Lee H. Hill, Jr., owners of Hill-Donnelly Publishing company in 1969
• Company sold by the Hills to Arthur C. Allyn in late 1973. Allyn had previously owned the Chicago White Sox baseball team and Executive Airlines. He was also the owner of Sarasota Jungle Gardens and a significant philanthropist in the Sarasota area.
• Purchased Air South
  Air South
  There were several airlines in the United States known as Air South.-1968-1975:Air South was a regional airline operating out of Atlanta Municipal Airport. Founded as Nationwide Airlines Southeast in 1968, it served a variety of destinations in Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina...
  
   and Shawnee Airlines in 1975
• Filed for Bankruptcy protection and suspended services in January 1980
• Recommenced operations as Southern International Airlines (SIA) based at Sarasota in early 1980 (operating under the 'Air Florida Commuter' banner)
• December, 2 1981 Southern International Airlines (SIA) operations were suspended
• Corporation was dissolved on December 14, 1982

Note: another unrelated airline with similar name operated services from April 1, 1926 to June 9, 1927. This airline was known as Florida Airways

Florida Airways

Florida Airways is a defunct American airline. Founded in part by Eddie Rickenbacker and based in the state of Florida, the airline served the southeastern United States during the mid 1920s.- History :...

Destinations

The airports that Florida Airlines served in the 1970s:

• Miami
• Fort Myers
• Sarasota
• Tampa
  Tâmpa
  Tâmpa may refer to several villages in Romania:* Tâmpa, a village in Băcia Commune, Hunedoara County* Tâmpa, a village in Miercurea Nirajului, Mureş County* Tâmpa, a mountain in Braşov city...
  
  
• Gainesville
  Gainesville, Florida
  Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
  
  
• Tallahassee
• Jacksonville
• Ocala
• Punta Gorda
  Punta Gorda, Florida
  Punta Gorda is a city in Charlotte County, Florida, United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau estimates of 2007, the city had a population of 16,762. It is the county seat of Charlotte County and the only incorporated municipality in the county...
  
  
• Port Charlotte
  Port Charlotte, Florida
  Port Charlotte is a census-designated place in Charlotte County, Florida, United States. The population was 46,451 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Punta Gorda Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
  
  
• Fort Lauderdale