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| Founded | 1994; 32 years ago (1994) (as Vision Air) | ||||||
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| Commenced operations | February 26, 1995; 30 years ago (1995-02-26) (as a Grand Canyon tour company) | ||||||
| Ceased operations | May 2017; 8 years ago (2017-05) | ||||||
| Fleet size | 38 | ||||||
| Destinations | None on a scheduled basis, charter only | ||||||
| Parent company | Vision Aviation Holdings | ||||||
| Headquarters | North Las Vegas, Nevada | ||||||
| Website | http://www.visionairlines.com (apparently a dead link by May 2016) | ||||||
Vision Airlines, formerlyVision Air, was an airline that had its operations headquartered in North Las Vegas, Nevada.
The airline also operated charter flights for their tour services in northern Arizona and Nevada including theGrand Canyon,Marble Canyon,Hoover Dam, andMonument Valley out ofNorth Las Vegas Airport utilizingBoeing 737 andDornier 228 aircraft. In addition, during the summer months, Vision Airlines transported white water rafters to various destinations along theColorado River. They also operated charter service for TravelSpan Vacations toGeorgetown, Guyana andPort of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago and were operatingBoeing 737 jetliners on behalf ofPeople Express Airlines until this new start-up air carrier ceased all flights.[citation needed]
The airline was set up in 1994 as Vision Air.
On January 19, 2011, Vision Airlines announced that it would begin commercial flights to 17 U.S. destinations beginning March 25, 2011, fromNorthwest Florida Regional Airport (VPS) located nearFort Walton Beach, FL andDestin, FL usingBoeing 737 jet andDornier 328 turboprop aircraft.[1] Vision was operating nonstop flights between its hub at VPS and Asheville, NC; Atlanta, GA; Baton Rouge, LA; Columbia, SC; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Fort Myers, FL; Greenville/Spartanburg, SC; Huntsville, AL; Knoxville, TN; Lafayette, LA; Little Rock, AR; Louisville, KY; Orlando/Sanford, FL; Savannah, GA; Shreveport, LA; St. Louis, MO; St. Petersburg, FL and Tunica, MS. The airline also began operating nonstop Boeing 737 flights betweenBaton Rouge, Louisiana andLas Vegas, Nevada with these flights being an extension of the Baton Rouge service from the Northwest Florida Regional Airport, but then suspended all service on the route.
On June 16, 2011, Vision Airlines announced new service fromFreeport, Bahamas to the United States beginning on November 11, 2011. The scheduled service to and from the Bahamas included new cities ofBaltimore, Maryland;Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; andRichmond, Virginia.[2]
In early 2012, Vision Airlines announced that it would begin commercial flights to 11 U.S. cities beginning May 31, 2012, based inMyrtle Beach International Airport in South Carolina. Eight flights a day were to be operated fromMyrtle Beach with Vision's other destinations consisting of flights betweenSt. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport andGulfport-Biloxi International Airport. This schedule was effective May 31, 2012, through October 31, 2012.
Throughout 2013, Vision's only scheduled flights were from Gulfport-Biloxi to St. Petersburg and Orlando, Florida. According to the airline's website, these flights have been discontinued and Vision currently does not operate any scheduled passenger service as an independent airline.[3]
Vision Airlines began operating flights with threeBoeing 737-400 jetliners for the newPeople Express Airlines ("PEOPLExpress") on June 30, 2014 from the start-up airline's hub atNewport News/Williamsburg International Airport (PHF).[4] The originalPeople Express Airlines operated a hub atNewark Liberty International Airport (EWR) from 1981 to 1987 before being merged intoContinental Airlines. However, according to aUSA Today news article dated September 26, 2014, the new version of People Express then cancelled all flights on this same date and no longer operates any scheduled passenger service.[5]
In November 2014 the airline began charter flights for Sandals Resorts between Toronto and the Bahamas using aBoeing 767-200.[6]
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As of May 2017, Vision Airlines does not operate any aircraft.[citation needed]
Before ceasing operations, Vision Airlines previously operated the following aircraft:[7][8]
Pilots and flight attendants from Vision Airlines volunteered to fly in supplies and emergency crews to Haiti after the2010 Haiti earthquake. Vision Airlines loaded planes in Miami and Atlanta with rescue workers, search dogs, water and medicine.[9]
On July 9, 2010, the United States government chartered a Vision Airlines jet to transport ten Russian "illegals" (spies) to Vienna and collect four alleged Western spies in the largest known prisoner swap since theCold War.[10][11]
In 2011, Vision Airlines sponsored the 15 and 51 trucks (driven byJustin Johnson and Dusty Davis, respectively) in theNASCARCamping World Truck Series asVision Aviation Racing.[citation needed]
A Virginia Department of Transportation audit of the loan by Peninsula Airport Commission's to repay a People Express Airlines debt discovered that the airline providing the air service on behalf of People Express (Vision Airlines) had its Virginia Incorporation revoked more than a year earlier.[12]
