This article is about Emerald Air (1978-1985). For Emerald Air founded in 1995, see Emerald Air (1995).
Emerald Air (IATA: OD) was an airline headquartered in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded by William Ford and Richard Martel[1] It was formerly known as Emerald Valley Airlines. Emerald Airlines' brief history is marked by arrangements to feed connecting flights into both passenger airlines (such as Continental Airlines and Pan Am) and cargo airlines (such as Purolator Courier) much larger route systems. The airline also independently operated scheduled passenger flights within the state of Texas during the mid-1980s with Douglas DC-9-10 jet and Fairchild Hiller FH-227 turboprop aircraft[2] and briefly served Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and later Wichita, Kansas and Omaha, Nebraska as well.[3][4]
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Emerald Air also independently operated scheduled passenger flights primarily within the state of Texas and also briefly to Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma during the early and mid-1980s. According to an Emerald Air route map dated July 15, 1982 as well as the airline's system timetables dated March 15, 1984 and September 15, 1984, the following cities were served:[2][6]
According to its March 15, 1984 timetable, Emerald Air was flying nonstop service on the following routes: Austin-Houston, Corpus Christi-Dallas/Ft. Worth, Corpus Christi-Houston, Corpus Christi-McAllen, Dallas/Ft. Worth-McAllen, Houston-McAllen, Houston-San Antonio and McAllen-San Antonio. These flights were operated with Douglas DC-9-10 jet and Fairchild Hiller FH-227 turboprop aircraft. Emerald was an intrastate airline in Texas at this time as it was no longer serving Oklahoma City.
In September 1984, Emerald Air then extended its scheduled passenger service north from Dallas/Ft. Worth with a DC-9 jet flight nonstop to Wichita, KS (ICT) with continuing same plane service to Omaha, NE (OMA).[2]
According to the October 1, 1989 edition of the Official Airline Guide (OAG), Emerald Air was operating nonstop DC-9 jet service between Newport News (PHF) and Orlando (MCO) twice a week.[7]
By 1985, Emerald ceased operations primarily in Texas and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.[1] In 1991, BIA-COR Holdings Inc., acquired Emerald Air's FAA and DOT operating certificate, along with Emerald's three Douglas DC-9-14 aircraft; and renamed the carrier Braniff International Airlines, Inc., before promptly going out of business. Parts of Emerald thus became the third and final resurrection of the Braniff name.[8]
Emerald Air operated a small fleet of the following jet and turboprop aircraft types:[9]
"index". Departedflights.com. Retrieved 2015-06-04. Oct. 1, 1989 Official Airline Guide (OAG), Newport News & Orlando flight schedules