AccessAir

AccessAir was founded in 1998 and, after multiple delays, began operating flights in February 1999. Looking to provide lower rates at niche markets such as Des Moines, the Quad Cities, and Peoria, major investors at its start included many local companies, such as Caterpillar Inc. (Peoria) and FBL Financial Group, Principal Financial Group, MidAmerican Energy, and Pioneer Hi-Bred (Des Moines). Flights would fly from Des Moines to New York–LaGuardia via either the Quad Cities or Peoria. Direct service to Los Angeles was added later; Colorado Springs was later added as a stop.

Despite offering discounted rates below major carriers, AccessAir struggled to fill planes, with most planes not even half full. The airline filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 1999, after just nine months of operations. A total of 14,000 enplanements resulted in an estimated $30 million in losses. Des Moines business leader John Ruan III came forward in the spring of 2000 and injected the money necessary to take control of the company and restart operations. The airline resumed flights in November 2000 with daily flights from Des Moines to Chicago Midway Airport with the intent of offering flights to Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Cedar Rapids. However, low passenger loads again led to the airline shutting down in February 2001.

Destinations

AccessAir provided service to cities such as Los Angeles (via LAX) and New York City (via LaGuardia Airport) from its hub in Des Moines, Iowa from 1998 to 2001. Other cities included Colorado Springs, Colorado; Peoria, Illinois; and Moline, Illinois. Access was a point-to-point carrier, meaning flights did not always start or stop in its hub city of Des Moines. Access Air utilized a series of thru-flights to connect its route network. For example, if a passenger wanted to fly Access Air from New York to Los Angeles, they would have to first fly through one or two stops, i.e. Peoria, Moline, Des Moines, and Colorado Springs before reaching Los Angeles. In most cases, it would be a quick 25-minute turn-around for fuel and a few passengers before continuing to the next destination.

AccessAir flew (or had planned to fly) to the following domestic destinations:

California

Los Angeles – Los Angeles International Airport