Freelandia

Company founder Kenneth Moss made $1.5 million in the stock market before he was 26 (equivalent to $13,200,000 in 2025). He invested $1.15 million (equivalent to $8,300,000 in 2025) of his own funds into the company, and received operational certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on August 7, 1973. The company was founded as a non profit; Moss said income in excess of operating costs would be donated to worthy causes such as free clinics, free schools, and artists. To avoid CAB regulation, it was structured as an air travel club, with members voting on where the company's planes would fly. The club was based in Los Angeles's Sherman Oaks neighborhood. The company said that it had obtained landing rights in Hong Kong, Yugoslavia, and South America.

Its one DC-8-21 was painted entirely in a semi-dark yellow with a waving hand as its logo on the tail. It was equipped with 149 seats with first class leg room and a 7-seat lounge that would allow the passengers to mingle. Freelandia claimed the aircraft was six years old; it was, in fact, first delivered in 1960, making it 13 years old. Many of the seats were later removed and replaced with pillows with seat belts. It was decorated in what the company described as a "far-out chocolate-and-cream color". In-flight service offered organic food, rock music, and a waterbed. Entertainment options included books, chess, video games, and a pinball machine. All of the company's flight personnel had at least 10,000 hours flight experience. The company planned to add additional aircraft to its fleet every time the membership increased by 8,000.

Fares were announced as $69 from Honolulu to San Francisco, $12.50 from San Francisco to Los Angeles, $69 from Los Angeles to New York, and $100 from New York to Brussels. Accessing those fares required club membership, with an annual fee of $50 for adults and $25 for kids under 12. The advertised fares were about $30 cheaper than other airlines for the flight from San Francisco to Honolulu, and about $200 less than usual for flights from the West Coast to Brussels. The company stated three thousand people had signed up with the club before its first flight. Its first flight took place on September 18, 1973, from San Francisco to Honolulu.

Moss scandal

After Freelandia airline operations ceased, founder Kenneth Moss was implicated in the death of Robbie McIntosh, drummer of the Average White Band. Moss was charged with murder and unlawfully providing narcotics during a party at his home in September 1974. He pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 120 days in jail and four years' probation. Moss served three months at a Malibu work farm.