Cal Sierra Airlines
Encyclopedia
Cal Sierra Airlines was a start-up airline based in San Diego, California
. The airline was the brain child of former Pan Am Captain Ed Perry. The airline started in 1980 with a route between San Diego and South Lake Tahoe, California
, operating Convair 580 aircraft.
The airline had planes for a large start-up with a route system covering the southwest United States. The initial start-up was a huge success with large load factors. Its claim to fame was superior in-flight service with flight attendants who wore ski outfits and cowboy hat
s. They were the first airline to serve Starbucks
coffee in-flight and offered a number of coffee selections in-flight.
The expansion was halted with the PATCO strike in the United States. Because of the shortage of air traffic controllers in the United States, airlines were not given authority to add new routes. The new airline was short-lived without the chance to expand. It ceased operations after less than nine months of service in 1981.
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
. The airline was the brain child of former Pan Am Captain Ed Perry. The airline started in 1980 with a route between San Diego and South Lake Tahoe, California
South Lake Tahoe, California
South Lake Tahoe is the most populous city in El Dorado County, California, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The population was 21,403 at the 2010 census, down from 23,609 at the 2000 census...
, operating Convair 580 aircraft.
The airline had planes for a large start-up with a route system covering the southwest United States. The initial start-up was a huge success with large load factors. Its claim to fame was superior in-flight service with flight attendants who wore ski outfits and cowboy hat
Cowboy hat
The cowboy hat is a high-crowned, wide-brimmed hat best known as the defining piece of attire for the North American cowboy. Today it is worn by many people, and is particularly associated with ranch workers in the western and southern United States, western Canada and northern Mexico, with...
s. They were the first airline to serve Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
coffee in-flight and offered a number of coffee selections in-flight.
The expansion was halted with the PATCO strike in the United States. Because of the shortage of air traffic controllers in the United States, airlines were not given authority to add new routes. The new airline was short-lived without the chance to expand. It ceased operations after less than nine months of service in 1981.