| Airline: | Nations Air Express |
| Iata: | N5 |
| Icao: | NAE |
| Callsign: | NATIONS AIR EXPRESS |
| Commenced: | March 6, 1995 |
| Ceased: | September 1, 1999 |
| Bases: | |
| Fleet Size: | 4 Boeing 737 and 4 Boeing 727 |
| Key People: | Mark McDonald (CEO) |
Nations Air was a new start up airline in the United States that began operating in 1995[1] that was established as Miami Air Charter in 1987[2] and ceased operations in 2000.
It was not related to a similarly-named airline based in Canada, Nationair, which had ceased operations prior to Nations Air's establishment.
Nations Air began as a passenger airline with three Boeing 737-200 jetliners, adding fourBoeing 727 within the first year. Scheduled services were operated between Pittsburgh,Philadelphia and Boston. The airline quickly faced aggressive competition, "Justice ProbesUSAir's Actions In Fare Battles; Airline Denies 'Predatory' Tactics Against ValuJet and NationsAir The Washington Post; August 15, 1995", as well as a five day voluntary "no-fly" consent overa clerical error on a training form which required the pilots to repeat a single maneuver in theBoeing simulator. According to the Department of Transportation data, Nations Air increased thepassenger traffic in these markets dramatically; specifically, the passenger traffic in thePittsburgh/Philadelphia market by 200%. Nations Air was the first airline to start scheduled jetpassenger service to Myrtle Beach South Carolina, connecting Pittsburgh and Boston throughPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Nations Air also provided Boeing727 contract schedule service to Pan Am World Airways, Air Jamaica and the U.S. Immigrationservice. In March 1996, Nations Air announced extensive expansion plans to the routestructure connecting the Philadelphia hub to destinations of Fort Lauderdale, Orlando andTampa/St.Petersburg Florida.
Nations Air was established as Miami Air Charter in 1987. Miami Air Charter became one ofthe most successful charter operations in Florida, operating both passenger and cargo aircraft.Miami Air Charter's CEO Mark McDonald orchestrated a private equity placement withAccredited Investors issuing Preferred A and B stock for the capital requirements to support theairlines expansion.[3]
The demise of scheduled service for Nations Air occurred after the Valujet crash in the Florida Everglades.[4] Nations Air CEO Mark McDonald reported thatreservations/income had dropped by 42% within six days after the Valuejet tragedy and madethe difficult decision to discontinue the scheduled service in an effort for the company to survive.The aircraft dedicated on the scheduled route structure were deployed to the charter market.His 737's on contracts with the US Immigration service and with the casino/hotel markets inAtlantic City and Gulfport/Biloxi. The 727 were contracted to Air Jamaica, Aero Costa-Rica, AirHaiti and on demand for other Caribbean Airlines.
Dan Colussy - President/COO Pan Am World Airways 1978 - 1980
William Howard - Chairman/CEO Piedmont Airlines merged with USAir 1987
Morton Breyer - Founder MBA International Aviation Consulting Firm
Mark McDonald - President/CEO Nations Air Express
According to the December 1, 1995 Nations Air system timetable, scheduled service was being operated on a linear Boston (BOS)-Philadelphia (PHL)-Pittsburgh (PIT) routing. Fares were as low as $59 one way BOS-PHL and PHL-PIT.[5]
According to the June 1, 1999 Official Airline Guide (OAG), the airline was flying scheduled nonstop service between Gulfport, MS (GPT) and Atlanta (ATL) four times a week.[6]