California Pacific Airlines
Encyclopedia
California Pacific Airlines (CP Air) is a planned airline that is headquartered on the grounds of McClellan-Palomar Airport
in Carlsbad
, California
.
By early June 2011, the planned start of operations had been pushed back to early 2012 from late 2011, due to delays in obtaining approval from the Federal Aviation Administration
. At the time, the airline had about $14 million in assets, all Vallas' money, with plans to raise up to $32 million more from private investment.
On August 10, 2011, the DOT issued a preliminary show cause order to approve the required interstate certificate authority for Carlsbad-Palomar Airlines, Inc. d/b/a California Pacific Airlines (“CP Air”). The department found CP Air is fit, willing, and able to provide interstate air transportation of persons, property, and mail, and should be issued a Certificate of Public Convenience. After 14 days on August 24, 2011, no objections were filed by other parties and this DOT order was made final.
On September 9, 2011, CP Air's application for Part 121 certification was accepted by the FAA. The company has also passed it first formal application meeting which tests the company's knowledge of processes and procedures of its operations manual system.
Next up is the Phase II of the application process once a lease has been signed for at least one aircraft. This phase, known as design assessment, is a detailed page by page assessment of the airline's manual system and training procedures. This is expected to be completed by the end of 2011. Phase III will involve a physical review of an aircraft's layout followed by proving runs. Proving runs are simulated full flight operations without passengers. It is designed to assess an applicant's performance in actual flight operations. Successful completion of proving runs is the final step before regulatory approval would be granted for a Part 121 certificate. If no significant issues arise, the company anticipates completion of the regulatory process around April of 2012.
CP Air is currently the only US applicant airline in the FAA formal 121 certification process.
in Carlsbad, CA
to three cities in California
(Oakland
, Sacramento
, and San Jose
), Phoenix, Arizona
, Las Vegas, Nevada
, and, later in the year, Cabo San Lucas
and Puerto Vallarta
. By 2015, the airline plans to serve destinations as far east as the Midwest United States and Canada
. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer
said that the airline's flight model resembles the point to point service established by Pacific Southwest Airlines
(PSA), though the airline will not market itself as a low-cost airline. Vallas said that he wants to emulate PSA's style, and CP Air's staff at the time of its founding included several former PSA employees.
McClellan-Palomar Airport
McClellan-Palomar Airport , known to locals as Palomar Airport, is a public airport located three miles southeast of the central business district of Carlsbad, a city in San Diego County, California, United States. It is owned by the County of San Diego and serves the northern part of the county...
in Carlsbad
Carlsbad, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Carlsbad had a population of 105,328. The population density was 2,693.1 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Carlsbad was 87,205 White, 1,379 African American, 514 Native American, 7,460 Asian, 198 Pacific Islander, 4,189 from other...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
History
In 2009, 89-year old Ted Vallas proposed starting a new airline out of Palomar Airport. Vallas, a San Diego County businessperson from North County, had previously operated Air Resorts Airlines, wanted to create a San Diego County-based airline.By early June 2011, the planned start of operations had been pushed back to early 2012 from late 2011, due to delays in obtaining approval from the Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
. At the time, the airline had about $14 million in assets, all Vallas' money, with plans to raise up to $32 million more from private investment.
On August 10, 2011, the DOT issued a preliminary show cause order to approve the required interstate certificate authority for Carlsbad-Palomar Airlines, Inc. d/b/a California Pacific Airlines (“CP Air”). The department found CP Air is fit, willing, and able to provide interstate air transportation of persons, property, and mail, and should be issued a Certificate of Public Convenience. After 14 days on August 24, 2011, no objections were filed by other parties and this DOT order was made final.
On September 9, 2011, CP Air's application for Part 121 certification was accepted by the FAA. The company has also passed it first formal application meeting which tests the company's knowledge of processes and procedures of its operations manual system.
Next up is the Phase II of the application process once a lease has been signed for at least one aircraft. This phase, known as design assessment, is a detailed page by page assessment of the airline's manual system and training procedures. This is expected to be completed by the end of 2011. Phase III will involve a physical review of an aircraft's layout followed by proving runs. Proving runs are simulated full flight operations without passengers. It is designed to assess an applicant's performance in actual flight operations. Successful completion of proving runs is the final step before regulatory approval would be granted for a Part 121 certificate. If no significant issues arise, the company anticipates completion of the regulatory process around April of 2012.
CP Air is currently the only US applicant airline in the FAA formal 121 certification process.
Destinations
By early 2012, the airline plans to begin service from McClellan-Palomar AirportMcClellan-Palomar Airport
McClellan-Palomar Airport , known to locals as Palomar Airport, is a public airport located three miles southeast of the central business district of Carlsbad, a city in San Diego County, California, United States. It is owned by the County of San Diego and serves the northern part of the county...
in Carlsbad, CA
Carlsbad, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Carlsbad had a population of 105,328. The population density was 2,693.1 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Carlsbad was 87,205 White, 1,379 African American, 514 Native American, 7,460 Asian, 198 Pacific Islander, 4,189 from other...
to three cities in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
(Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
, and San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
), 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...
, Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, and, later in the year, Cabo San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas , commonly called Cabo, is a city at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, in the municipality of Los Cabos in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. As of the 2010 census, the population was 68,463 people...
and Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta is a Mexican balneario resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean's Bahía de Banderas.The 2010 census reported Puerto Vallarta's population as 255,725 making it the sixth-largest city in the state of Jalisco...
. By 2015, the airline plans to serve destinations as far east as the Midwest United States and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is an online newspaper and former print newspaper covering Seattle, Washington, United States, and the surrounding metropolitan area...
said that the airline's flight model resembles the point to point service established by 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...
(PSA), though the airline will not market itself as a low-cost airline. Vallas said that he wants to emulate PSA's style, and CP Air's staff at the time of its founding included several former PSA employees.
Fleet
California Pacific Airlines is in discussions with regard to leasing the following aircraft (at May 15, 2011):| Aircraft | In Fleet | Orders | Passengers (First/Business/Economy) |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Embraer 170 | 0 | 4 | 70 (6/20/44) | To be leased Airline plans to own up to six additional aircraft by 2015 |