Southern Airways was a regional airline operating in the United States from its founding by Frank Hulse in 1949 until 1979 when it was folded into Republic Airlines, which on 1 October 1986 became part of Northwest Airlines. In the United States, regional airlines were an important building block of the passenger air system we have today. ... Republic Airlines was an airline formed on July 1, 1979 by the merger of North Central Airlines and Southern Airways. ... Jump to: navigation, search October 1 is the 274th day of the year (275th in Leap years). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search Northwest Airlines (IATA: NW, ICAO: NWA, and Callsign: Northwest) is an airline headquartered in Eagan, Minnesota, with three major hubs in the United States: Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, and Memphis International Airport. ...

Southern Airways began its life operating Douglas DC-3 aircraft on a route system which covered the south-central portion of the U.S. By 1968, Southern's route system extended from its most northerly stop at the Bristol-Kingsport-Johnson City (Tri-Cities) airport in Tennessee southward to its most southerly points at New Orleans and Jacksonville, Florida. The westward boundaries of Southern's route system were marked by Baton Rouge and Monroe, Louisiana. Routes extended eastward to the Atlantic Ocean at Myrtle Beach and Charleston, South Carolina. Jump to: navigation, search 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search State nickname: Volunteer State Other U.S. States Capital Nashville Largest city Memphis Governor Phil Bredesen (D) Senators Bill Frist (R) Lamar Alexander (R) Official languages English Area 109,247 km² (36th)  - Land 106,846 km²  - Water 2,400 km² (2. ... New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... The Jacksonville skyline and the Acosta Bridge. ... Jump to: navigation, search Founded Incorporated 1699 16 January 1817  County East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor Melvin Kip Holden Area  - Total  - Water 204. ... The city of Monroe is the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, in the US state of Louisiana. ... Jump to: navigation, search Myrtle Beach is a city located in Horry County, South Carolina. ... Jump to: navigation, search Motto: Fedes Mores Juraque Curat Nickname: The Holy City, The Palmetto City Founded Incorporated 1670   County Berkeley and Charleston Counties Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. ...

Southern began acquiring 40-passenger Martin 4-0-4 piston airliners secondhand from Eastern Airlines in 1961, and its final DC-3 retired in 1967. The airline began acquiring 65-75 passenger Douglas DC-9-10 fanjets in 1967 and 85-95 passenger DC-9-30 fanjets in 1969. Some of these were bought new from the manufacturer. Southern did not operate turboprop aircraft as a transition from propeller equipment to pure jets, as many other airlines did. Instead, like Trans World Airlines, it moved directly from piston-engined equipment to jets. However, by the time of the merger with North Central, Southern had replaced its Martins with a small fleet of 19-passenger Swearingen Metroliner II turboprop commuter airliners. For the Chinese airline, see China Eastern Airlines. ... Jump to: navigation, search A diagram showing how a turboprop works. ... Jet aircraft are aircraft with jet engines. ... TWA Lockheed Constellation over Manhattan, mid-20th century Trans World Airlines logo Trans World Airlines (IATA: TW, ICAO: TWA, and Callsign: TWA), commonly known as TWA, was an American airline which was acquired by American Airlines in April 2001. ...

By 1971, Southern was operating flights into New York City and Chicago and as far south as Orlando and Miami. Because U.S. government regulation of airline routes prohibited Southern from operating flights from New York or Washington, D.C. nonstop to Atlanta, an unusual route developed which provided multiple daily flights from New York and Washington nonstop to Columbus, Georgia, then on to Dothan, Alabama; Mobile, Alabama; Eglin Air Force Base, Florida; and/or Gulfport/Biloxi, Mississippi. Southern remained a regional airline in character, and flights with up to five or six stops were frequently found in their published schedules. Jump to: navigation, search 1971 is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ... New York City, officially named the City of New York, is the most populous city in the United States, the most densely populated major city in North America, and is at the center of international finance, politics, entertainment, and culture. ... Chicago (officially named the City of Chicago) is the third largest city in the United States (after New York City and Los Angeles), with an official population of 2,896,016, as of the 2000 census. ... Jump to: navigation, search Skyline of Orlando at night, from across Lake Eola The city of Orlando is the county seat of Orange County, Florida. ... This article is about the city in Florida. ... Governments have played an important part in shaping air transportation. ... Jump to: navigation, search Washington, D.C. is the capital city of the United States of America. ... This article is about the state capital of Georgia. ... Columbus is a city located in Muscogee County, Georgia. ... Dothan is a city located in extreme southeastern Alabama. ... Jump to: navigation, search Nickname: The Azalea City Location in Alabama Founded Incorporated 1702 1814  County Mobile County Mayor Sam Jones Area  - Total  - Water 412. ... Eglin Air Force Base is a base of the United States Air Force that belongs to the Air Force Materiel Command; the Air Armament Center is the host unit. ... Jump to: navigation, search State nickname: Sunshine State Other U.S. States Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Governor Jeb Bush (R) Senators Bill Nelson (D) Mel Martinez (R) Official language(s) English Area 170,451 km² (22nd)  - Land 137,374 km²  - Water 30,486 km² (17. ... Gulfport [1] is a city located in Harrison County, Mississippi. ... Jump to: navigation, search Biloxi and Mississippi coast Biloxi is a city located in Harrison County, Mississippi. ...

With increasing acquisitions of DC-9 jet aircraft, many routes which were once served with prop equipment were served with jets. Realtively small communities were linked to each other with full-size jet equipment. Jet transportation was provided to hubs at Atlanta and Memphis, sometimes with multiple stops. Some examples of these unusual nonstop jet routes include:

• Columbus, Georgia to Washington, DC. and New York/Newark.
• Meridian, Mississippi to Birmingham, Alabama; Columbus, Mississippi; and Laurel/Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
• Tuscaloosa, Alabama to Atlanta, Georgia and Columbus, Mississippi.
• Muscle Shoals/Florence, Alabama to Memphis, Tennessee and Huntsville/Decatur, Alabama.
• Greenville, Mississippi to Memphis, Tennessee and Monroe, Louisiana.
• Columbia, South Carolina to Greenville/Spartanburg and Charleston, South Carolina.
• Albany, Georgia to Atlanta, Georgia; Valdosta, Georgia; Dothan, Alabama; and Columbus, Georgia.

None of these routes are served with full-size jet aircraft today, few of these routes are served at all, and some of these airports no longer have any scheduled airline services whatsoever. Meridian is a city located in, and the county seat of, Lauderdale County in Mississippi, a state of the United States of America. ... Jump to: navigation, search Birmingham is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Jefferson County. ... Columbus is a city located in Lowndes County, Mississippi. ... Hattiesburg is a city located in Forrest County in Mississippi, a state of the United States of America. ... Jump to: navigation, search Tuscaloosa is a city in west central Alabama in the southern United States. ... Jump to: navigation, search Florence is a city in Lauderdale County which is situated in the northwest corner of Alabama. ... Jump to: navigation, search Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, of which it is the county seat. ... Jump to: navigation, search This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Decatur is a city located in Morgan County, Alabama on the shore of the Tennessee River. ... Greenville is a city located in Washington County, Mississippi. ... Jump to: navigation, search Founded Incorporated March 22, 1786 1854  County Richland and part of Lexington Mayor Bob Coble Area  - Total  - Water 324. ... Spartanburg is a city located in Spartanburg County in South Carolina, a state of the United States of America, and 98 miles (158 km) northwest of Columbia. ... Jump to: navigation, search Motto: Fedes Mores Juraque Curat Nickname: The Holy City, The Palmetto City Founded Incorporated 1670   County Berkeley and Charleston Counties Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. ... Albany is a city located in Dougherty County, Georgia, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 76,939. ... Valdosta is a city in, and the county seat of Lowndes County, Georgia, United States. ...

By the mid-1970s, Southern's route system had expanded significantly to include St. Louis, Detroit, Ft. Lauderdale and Grand Cayman, which would be Southern's only international destination. The Gateway Arch, shown here behind the Old Courthouse, is the most recognizable part of the St. ... This article refers to the largest city of Michigan. ... Fort Lauderdale, known as the Venice of America, is a city located in Broward County, Florida. ... Grand Cayman is the largest of the Cayman Islands and contains George Town, the capital. ...

Southern Airways billed itself as the "Route of the Aristocrats." It was famous for its promotional shot glasses: for a time, a differently designed shot glass was issued each year. Original Southern shot glasses are valued by collectors of the airline's memorabilia. Aristocracy is a form of government in which rulership is in the hands of an upper class known as aristocrats. ... A shot glass (pencil included for scale) Traditionally, a shot glass was a small, thick glass designed to measure one ounce of liquid, usually liquor, to be either drunk straight, or poured into a mixed drink. ...

By the late 1970s, Southern Airways had begun to experience difficulties. Two fatal accidents blighted the airline's otherwise excellent safety record. Improved highways and an increasing willingness among airline passengers to drive to airports farther away for more convenient flights made many of Southern's routes obsolete. With dramatic increases in the price of jet fuel in the 1970s, operation of many of Southern's routes was no longer cost-effective. Mitchell Freeway in Perth, Western Australia For other uses, see Highway (disambiguation). ...

On 1 August 1979, Southern merged with North Central Airlines to form Republic Airlines and the "Route of the Aristocrats" came to an end. Jump to: navigation, search August 1 is the 213th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (214th in leap years), with 152 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search This page refers to the year 1979. ...