PORTLAND AIRWAYS: United States (1932-1933). Established at Portland, Oregon, in the fall of 1932, the company is equipped with 2 Stinson Junior Ss that are employed to inaugurate scheduled passenger and air express services up to Walla Walla, Washington, beginning in October.
Without a mail subsidy, the carrier is unable to generate sufficient revenue traffic to survive beyond January 1933.
PORTS OF CALL: Stapleton Plaza Office Center, 3333 Quebec Street, Suite 9100, Denver, Colorado 80207, United States; Phone (303) 322-5600; Fax (303) 329-6129; Http://www. pocdenver. com; Year Founded 1966. Ports of Call, also known as Denver Ports of Call, is established, under Federal Air Regulation (FAR) 123, as a Denver-based travel club in 1966. Domestic and international travel experiences are provided for its membership, beginning with a single Douglas DC-
7. Three years later, a DC-7C is acquired, followed by a Lockheed L-188AElectra turboprop in 1972.
A Convair CV-990A Coronado, previously operated by APSA (Aero-lineas Peruanas, S. A.) before its 1971 collapse, is purchased on October 24, 1973, and allows the club to enter the Jet Age. Five more Coronados are acquired from Modern Air Transport in 1975-1976 and these allow flights to many world destinations, with flights to Honolulu the most popular.
Escaping charges of vehicular homicide and grand larceny at Grand Isle, Nebraska, on April 20, 1976, Robert Lyle Lentz captures a Piper PA-31-310 Navajo at the local airport, together with its pilot and a mechanic, and orders it to Denver. The lightplane takes off and circles the airport for half an hour while Lentz’s demands are made known, including a request for a flight to Mexico.
FBI agents offer Lentz the use of one of the travel club’s CV-990As. While the pirate and his hostages land and make their way to the aircraft, agents secret themselves within the jetliner’s cabin. Just after midnight, FBI agent Ted Rosack, dressed as an airline pilot, emerges from the cockpit and fatally shoots Lentz, who is caught off guard in the passenger cabin.
Within 15 years of its beginning, the club’s membership exceeds 69,000. In 1981, the original FAR 123 certificate is upgraded to FAR 125 status and allows the club to undertake passenger charters and affinity group flights on behalf of other organizations, although not for commercial enterprises. The new certification allows the company to upgrade and it begins to add a number of Boeing jetliners, retiring two of its Coronados.
Although the remaining Coronados are withdrawn because they cannot meet federal Stage I noise regulations, in early 1984 the fleet still comprises 5 Boeing 707-320Bs, 3 B-707-123s, and 1 B-727-100. Late in the year, the company, which is the largest air travel club in the country but does not have a Part 121 charter certificate, is charged with operating illegal passenger charters, including those flown on behalf of Democratic presidential candidate Gary Hart.
The matter is referred to court where it is ruled that Ports of Call may continue to fly charters for sports teams and operate its club-oriented business. If it wishes to expand beyond that, it must gain proper authority.
The carrier applies for and receives charter certification in July 1985. It also announces plans to change its name to SkyWorld Airlines. During the one month that it chooses to release traffic figures, the company reports enplanements of 28,000. The name change is allowed; however, the reborn airline continues to be known as Ports of Call until the change becomes official on August 1, 1986. Ports of Call remains the parent organization and will later be sold to American Trans Air.
Although claiming no association with the former Ports of Call Travel Club, which had been sold to American Trans Air parent Amtran in 1990, this organization is reborn and reformed in February 1995. Owned and funded by former Ports of Call Flight Operations Director Robert Resling and private investors, renewed emphasis on club travel on specially chartered flights begins via a Denver travel agency bearing the predecessor’s purchased trade name. Former Ports of Call General Manager Nancy Waite is director of club operations, while Karen Henderson is manager of club operations.
Club memberships are sold for $75 (later $125), with an annual fee of $50 (later $75) and reduced costs on club charter flights anywhere in the world. Initial membership rolls show 4,000 names. The club specializes in trips for senior citizens and at least one “mystery tour” is offered annually. For these trips, members are told the cost, average temperatures, and a few other details but do not receive word on the destination until they are in the air. The first “mystery trip” is operated with 56 members on July 10.
Operations continue without headline or incident in 1996-1999. Early in 2000, the decision is taken for the club to once again operate its own aircraft. The former Sky King British Aerospace (BAC) 1-11-400 employed to transport the Sacramento Kings is acquired during the summer and given a new color scheme and titles.
An open house to celebrate the club’s return to the sky is held at the plane’s base at Denver Jeffco Airport in Jefferson County NW of Denver, on October 14. Tours are given of the interior of the BAC, which is outfitted with comfortable leather seats and passenger electronics.
The jetliner’s first charter is operated to Laughlin the next day. Witnesses report that the hush-kitted BAC requires 8,500 ft. of the 9,000-ft. runway for its takeoff.
PORTSMOUTH, SOUTHSEAAND ISLE OF WIGHTAVIATION, LTD. (PS&IOW): United Kingdom (1932-1940). Founded as Inland Flying Services, Ltd. on April 16, 1929, that company is renamed Wight Aviation, Ltd. in March 1930 and Portsmouth Southsea and Isle of Wight Aviation, Ltd. (PS&IOW), in May 1932. Equipment consists of 1 each Westland Wessex, Spartan, DH 80A Puss Moth, and Monospar ST.4. On June 27, Portsmouth-Ryde Wessex ferry flights across Spit-head begin, reaching a peak summer frequency of 18 per day. A connection is offered by Solent Coaches, Ltd. four days later and a service is initiated to Shanklin. Monospar and Puss Moth Ryde to Shoreham flights begin on September 5.
On May 1, 1934, thrice-daily Heston-Ryde and Shanklin flights begin employing the Wessex and a new de Havilland DH 84 Dragon. With the Wessex, Dragon, and two DH 80A Puss Moths, two new routes are opened on May 17: Shoreham to Bournemouth via Portsmouth and Ryde to Bournemouth via Shanklin.
During the summer of 1935, an experimental service is offered from Southampton via Portsmouth to Paris. Summer frequencies are maintained in 1936-1937 and a Portsmouth-Sandown service is flown between July and September 1938. In accordance with the Air Navigation Order of September 16, on October 21 the new Air Transport Licensing Authority grants the carrier route certification from Ryde to Portsmouth, Bournemouth, and Southampton and from Portsmouth to Lea.
When war is declared on Germany on September 3, 1939 the company ceases flying. It joins neither National Air Communications nor the Associated Airways Joint Committee for allocation of wartime domestic routes and services and the firm is liquidated in early 1940.
PORTUGALIA AIRLINES (COMPANHIA PORTUGUESA DE TRANSPORTES AEREOS, S. A.): Portugal (1987-1996). The initial project for the creation of this carrier is started in Lisbon in 1987 by a group of pilots from the former colonies of Angola and Mozambique. Joined by COOPAV, the Airline Pilot’s Association, and TRANSCON-SULT, a consultant company, the group establishes Portugalia Airlines as a joint-stock company on July 25, 1988.
The new enterprise names Dr. Joao Ribeiro Fonseca chairman/presi-dent and approximately $36 million in financial backing is provided by Grupo Espirito Santo and Grupo Melio. Because TAP-Air Portugal, S. A. owns the right to provide all Portuguese international services, the government refuses a company application to fly to foreign destinations. Following a delay, a new air transport liberalization law is enacted that allows Portugalia to operate.
Three Fokker 100 jetliners are leased from GPA, Inc. in late spring 1990, aircraft originally ordered by Braniff, Inc. Two Fokkers are on hand as domestic charter operations are inaugurated by the 321-worker concern on July 7 from Lisbon to Faro and to Oporto. The third leased Fokker 100 arrives in November and launches charter frequencies to Funchal, Madeira. Enplanements for the first 6 months total 146,318.
In 1991, authority is again unsuccessfully sought from the government for the initiation of international scheduled service. The year is not profitable as a $10-million loss is suffered. The company seeks additional capitalization in the form of loans and grants from additional private investors and banks and at the end of December, names banking executive Joao Ribeiro da Fonseca as chairman/president. Customer bookings for the first full year are 270,952.
Early in 1992, Chairman Fonseca, with board support, publishes a new five-year plan that addresses such issues as cost-control, efficient management, and route expansion. The 321-member staff agree to a three-year wage freeze.
Scheduled authority and a fourth Fokker 100 are received in the spring and services are begun in June from Lisbon to the European cities of Cologne, Turin, Birmingham, and Strasbourg. Daily charter flights are also inaugurated from Porto and Faro to Madrid. An application is made to fly new routes to France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the U. K.
Enplanements for the year total 294,000 and the loss is cut to $2 million.
Airline employment in 1993 stands at 245. Another Fokker 100 is delivered in April and is employed, beginning in May, to inaugurate scheduled flights to Madrid. During its period of recovery, the company enjoys excellent support from Mobil, its fuel supplier, and from foreign regional airports, which do not press the carrier too closely for landing and departure fees. Unhappily, Portuguese regional airports not only pressure the company for payment, but add interest to the carrier’s account when it cannot immediately handle its invoices.
Although customer bookings nearly double to 447,240 and a $2.58-million operating profit is generated, the net loss grows to $3.62 million.
The workforce is increased by 13.5% in 1994 to 425 and the fleet grows to include 6 chartered Fokker 100s. Service is inaugurated to Hanover and Brussels. Passenger boardings accelerate 15.3% to 515,843; in addition, 526,000 FTKs are also flown. Revenues increase 27.4% to $66.61 million while expenses rise only 24.1% to $61.68 million. There is, thus, an operating profit of $4.93 million and the net loss is cut to $242,814.
Airline employment stands at 503 in 1995 and a block-seat, codesharing agreement is signed with TAP-Air Portugal, S. A. With the beginning of the summer schedule at the end of March, scheduled service is initiated from Lisbon and Porto to Stuttgart and to Mulhouse, Basel, Freiburg via Madrid. The number of weekly roundtrips from Lisbon to Cologne is increased to five, while return flights from Lisbon to Madrid become thrice daily. A second daily roundtrip is introduced in September between Porto and Madrid.
Enplanements this year accelerate 12.2% to 578,734 and cargo increases 62.8% to 856.41 million FTKs. Operating revenues are $84.39 million, a 26.7% increase; costs are up an almost identical 26.6% to $82.3 million. As a result, operating gain is $2.09 million while a net profit of $423,000 is recorded.
The workforce stands at 565 in 1996, up 12.3% over 1995. A sixth Fokker 100 is delivered in January and introduces the company’s new color scheme. At the end of March, roundtrip frequencies to Cologne and Stuttgart are boosted to six per week, to Turin, five per week, and to Mulhouse, Basel, Freiburg to four per week.
By July, the carrier is completing 1,267 flight cycles per month. Company executives, however, are disappointed by the traffic generated as a result of its alliance with the national flag carrier. Consideration begins concerning possible linkage with a new partner.
Enplanements are up 8.3% to 626,985 (on 13,900 scheduled departures), but cargo is down, falling to 841,000 freight FTKs operated. Revenues jump 10.1% to $92.91 million while costs are up 2.1% to $84.03 million. The operating profit quadruples to $8.88 million and net gain doubles to $820,000.
The company is renamed PGA-Portugalia Airlines, S. A. in January 1997 and all of its aircraft receive the new livery.
World History
