StatesWest Airlines was a commuter airline

Regional airline

Regional airlines are airlines that operate regional aircraft to provide passenger air service to communities without sufficient demand to attract mainline service...

 headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...

 that operated to destinations in the Southwestern United States

Southwestern United States

The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...

.

History

States-West was founded by Phoenix entrepreneur Rudy Miller http://www.millercapitalmarkets.net/our-professionals.php in 1986 and began operating from its base at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in 1987 with 36-passenger Short 360 turboprop aircraft. Later that year, 19-passenger BAe Jetstream 31s were added to the fleet.

During the airline's lifespan as an independent carrier, States-West served San Diego, California

San Diego International Airport

San Diego International Airport , sometimes referred to as Lindbergh Field, is a public airport located northwest of the central business district of San Diego, California and from the Mexico – United States border at Tijuana, Mexico...

; Burbank, California

Bob Hope Airport

Bob Hope Airport is a public airport located 3 miles northwest of the central business district of Burbank, a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States...

; Ontario, California

Ontario International Airport

LA/Ontario International Airport , formerly Ontario International Airport, is a public airport located east of the central business district of Ontario, a city in San Bernardino County, California, USA. This airport is owned and operated by the Los Angeles World Airports , an agency of the city...

; Orange County, California

John Wayne Airport

John Wayne Airport is an airport in an unincorporated area in Orange County, California, with its mailing address in the city of Santa Ana, which is also the county seat, hence the International Air Transport Association airport code. The main entrance to the airport is off of MacArthur Blvd in...

; Los Angeles, California; Tucson, Arizona; Lake Havasu City, Arizona

Lake Havasu City Airport

Lake Havasu City Airport , also known as Lake Havasu City Municipal Airport, is a city-owned public-use airport located six miles north of the central business district of Lake Havasu City, in Mohave County, Arizona, United States....

;
Bullhead City, Arizona; Prescott, Arizona

Ernest A. Love Field

Prescott Municipal Airport, Ernest A. Love Field is a city-owned public-use airport located seven nautical miles north of the central business district of the City of Prescott, in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States...

; Sierra Vista/Fort Huachuca, Arizona

Sierra Vista Municipal Airport

Sierra Vista Municipal Airport , a joint-use civil-military airport which shares facilities with Libby Army Airfield, is located on Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista, a city and U.S. Army installation in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. The airport has three runways and one helipad...

 and briefly to Las Vegas, Nevada

McCarran International Airport

McCarran International Airport is the principal commercial airport serving Las Vegas and Clark County, Nevada, United States. The airport is located five miles south of the central business district of Las Vegas, in the unincorporated area of Paradise in Clark County. It covers an area of and...

 as well as Albuquerque, New Mexico and Telluride, Colorado

Telluride, Colorado

The town of Telluride is the county seat and most populous town of San Miguel County in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Colorado. The town is a former silver mining camp on the San Miguel River in the western San Juan Mountains...

.

In late 1988, States-West determined the Short 360 and Jetstream 31 aircraft were inefficient for the company's mission. Both types were phased out in favor of 19-passenger Beechcraft 1900C

Beechcraft 1900

The Beechcraft 1900 is a 19-passenger, pressurized twin-engine turboprop airplane manufactured by the Beechcraft Division of the Raytheon Company . It was designed, and is primarily used, as a regional airliner...

 aircraft. In 1989, the airline entered a small niche market by offering daily nonstop service between Scottsdale, Arizona

Scottsdale Airport

Scottsdale Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located nine miles north of the central business district of Scottsdale, a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. Although most U.S...

 and Orange County, California

John Wayne Airport

John Wayne Airport is an airport in an unincorporated area in Orange County, California, with its mailing address in the city of Santa Ana, which is also the county seat, hence the International Air Transport Association airport code. The main entrance to the airport is off of MacArthur Blvd in...

, but that route was discontinued in 1990.

Future Scottsdale

Scottsdale

Scottsdale is the name of several places:* Scottsdale, Arizona, United States* Scottsdale, Tasmania, Australia* Scottsdale Reserve, New South Wales, Australia...

 city council member and current mayor, W.J. "Jim" Lane was elected States-West president and chief operating officer on January 31, 1990 . Shortly after, States-West discontinued all flying under its own name and entered into an agreement with USAir to operate as USAir Express by providing feeder service to its hubs at San Diego

San Diego International Airport

San Diego International Airport , sometimes referred to as Lindbergh Field, is a public airport located northwest of the central business district of San Diego, California and from the Mexico – United States border at Tijuana, Mexico...

, Los Angeles

Los Angeles International Airport

Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...

 and San Francisco

San Francisco International Airport

San Francisco International Airport is a major international airport located south of downtown San Francisco, California, United States, near the cities of Millbrae and San Bruno in unincorporated San Mateo County. It is often referred to as SFO...

 which were remnants of the original Pacific Southwest Airlines

Pacific Southwest Airlines

Pacific Southwest Airlines was a United States airline headquartered in San Diego, California, that operated from 1949 to 1988. It was one of the first large discount airlines in the United States and is considered a precursor to Southwest Airlines...

 route structure.

During the contract with USAir, States-West acquired a 13 passenger Beechcraft 1300

Beechcraft Super King Air

The Beechcraft Super King Air family is part of a line of twin-turboprop aircraft produced by the Beech Aircraft Corporation . The King Air line comprises a number of model series that fall into two families: the Model 90 series, Model 100 series , Model 200 series and Model 300 series...

 aircraft to supplement the fleet of 1900Cs. In 1993, States-West closed its doors for good as USAir sharply reduced the size of its operations in California.

Fleet

The StatesWest fleet consisted of:

• Short 360
• BAe Jetstream 31
• Beechcraft 1900C
  Beechcraft 1900
  The Beechcraft 1900 is a 19-passenger, pressurized twin-engine turboprop airplane manufactured by the Beechcraft Division of the Raytheon Company . It was designed, and is primarily used, as a regional airliner...
  
  
• Beechcraft 1300
  Beechcraft Super King Air
  The Beechcraft Super King Air family is part of a line of twin-turboprop aircraft produced by the Beech Aircraft Corporation . The King Air line comprises a number of model series that fall into two families: the Model 90 series, Model 100 series , Model 200 series and Model 300 series...
  
  
• Dehavilland Dash 8 DHC-8-100

Cities Served

Arizona

• Bullhead City/Laughlin
• Lake Havasu City
• Phoenix
• Prescott
• Sierra Vista/Fort Huachuca
• Scottsdale
• Tucson

California

• Burbank
• Los Angeles
• Ontario
• Orange County
• San Diego

Colorado

• Telluride

Nevada

• Las Vegas

New Mexico

• Albuquerque