Central Airlines
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Central Airlines was a
local service carrier Local service carriers, or local service airlines, originally known as feeder carriers or feeder airlines, were a category of US domestic airline created/regulated by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), the now-defunct federal agency that tightly ...
, a scheduled passenger airline operating in
Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...
,
Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
,
Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
,
Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
,
Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
, and
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
from 1949 to 1967. It was founded by Keith Kahle in 1944 to operate charter and fixed base services in Oklahoma, but was not granted an air operator's certificate until 1946 and did not begin scheduled flights until , just before the certificate expired. Central was then headquartered at Meacham Field in
Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...
. The airline was eventually acquired by and merged into the original
Frontier Airlines Frontier Airlines, Inc. is a major American ultra low-cost airline headquartered in Denver, Colorado. It operates flights to over 120 destinations in the United States, Caribbean, Mexico and Central America, and employs more than 5,000 staff. ...
which continued and expanded its network.


History

Early backers and members of the board of directors included Fort Worth oilman F. Kirk Johnson, former City Councilman R.E. Harding, Jr., Don Earhart, and actor
James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military aviator. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morali ...
; Stewart remained on the board for many years. Lamar Muse was president before going to Universal Airlines,
Southwest Airlines Southwest Airlines Co., or simply Southwest, is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States that formerly operated on a low-cost carrier model. It is headquartered in the Love Field, Dallas, Love Field neighborhood ...
, and then founding Muse Air. On , the CAB awarded Central Airlines an operating certificate for commercial service in Oklahoma and Texas. Despite this, flights still had not started in March 1949, and the CAB gave the airline until July 1 of that year to start service or lose its certificate. On 10 August, Kahle announced that Central had purchased eight Beechcraft Bonanzas, and that service would start soon. The airline's inaugural flight finally occurred on 15 September 1949 from Fort Worth to
Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...
with intermediate stops in
Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
and Gainesville. By the end of its first year of service, Central had carried 8,122 passengers. In November 1950, Central began operating three
Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper ...
s, and announced that its fleet of eleven Bonanzas would be phased out as more DC-3s were acquired. Convair CV-240s were added in the 1960s; beginning in 1965 the CV-240s were converted to Convair CV-600s, their piston engines being replaced with Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop engines. In August 1953 Central scheduled flights to 19 airports. Central's 1955 network blanketed Oklahoma and extended to Amarillo, Dallas-Fort Worth, Little Rock and Kansas City; in April 1957 it served 29 airports. When the airline merged into Frontier in October 1967, Central routes served 40 cities from
Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
to
Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...
and
St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...
and south to Oklahoma City,
Tulsa Tulsa ( ) is the second-most-populous city in the state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tul ...
, Dallas and Fort Worth. In 1961 the head office moved to Amon Carter Field (later renamed
Greater Southwest International Airport Greater Southwest International Airport , originally Amon Carter Field (ACF), was a commercial airport serving Fort Worth, Texas, from 1953 until 1974. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) opened in 1974 a few miles north to replace Gr ...
) in Fort Worth. That same year, Central carried its millionth passenger; in 1962, Central was operating six Convairs and eighteen DC-3s, and carrying about 24,000 passengers a month. Like other "local service" airlines regulated by the federal CAB, Central was subsidized; in 1963, its operating revenues of million (equivalent to million in ) included a million federal subsidy (equivalent to million in ). On 20 September 1966, Central filed a petition with the CAB to merge with Ozark Air Lines, which would have created one of the largest local service carriers in the United States. Central cited financial difficulties as the reason for seeking a merger. The merged company would use the Ozark name. However, on 9 November 1966, the two airlines announced that merger talks had ended by mutual consent due to financial difficulties. When it was acquired by and merged into the original Frontier Airlines on October 1, 1967, Central was operating a fleet of Convair CV-600 turboprops as well as sixteen Douglas piston-powered DC-3s. Central was planning to introduce new Douglas DC-9-10 jets with the airline running a print ad in the
Official Airline Guide OAG is a global travel data provider with headquarters in the UK. The company was founded in 1929 and operates in the United States, Singapore, Japan, Lithuania and China. It has a large network of flight information data including schedules, ...
announcing this upcoming DC-9 service; however, the DC-9s were never delivered due to the merger. Frontier continued to operate the Convair CV-600s for a time but then retired them in favor of Convair CV-580 turboprops which were the backbone of Frontier's fleet in the late 1960s. Frontier would eventually introduce Boeing 737-200 jet service to smaller cities previously served by Central including Fort Smith, AR; Joplin, MO; Lawton, OK; Manhattan, KS; Pueblo, CO; Salina, KS; and Topeka, KS. In 1986 Frontier Airlines (1950-1986) was merged into
Continental Airlines Continental Airlines (simply known as Continental) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1934 until it merged with United Airlines in 2012. It had ownership interests and brand partnerships with several carriers. Continen ...
. In 2010 Continental was merged into
United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six ...
. Central Airlines received four consecutive
National Safety Council The National Safety Council (NSC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, public service organization promoting health and safety in the United States. Headquartered in Itasca, Illinois, NSC is a member organization, founded in 1913 and granted a congress ...
aviation safety awards from 1950 to 1953 for operating without a single accident or injury to passengers or crew.
National Transportation Safety Board The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and inci ...
(NTSB) records indicate that no passenger was ever seriously injured or killed aboard a Central Airlines flight from 1962 to 1968.


Destinations

On inauguration of service in late 1949 and early 1950, Central served the following destinations: * Ada, OK * Amarillo, TX * Ardmore, OK * Arkansas City, KS * Bartlesville, OK *
Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
, TX -
Dallas Love Field Dallas Love Field is a city-owned public airport in the neighborhood of Love Field, Dallas, Love Field, northwest of downtown Dallas, Texas., effective April 17, 2025. It was Dallas' main airport until 1974 when Dallas Fort Worth Internation ...
* Durant, OK * Enid, OK *
Fort Worth Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...
, TX - Meacham Field * Gainesville, TX * Greenville, TX * Holdenville, OK *
Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...
, OK * Okmulgee, OK *
Pampa The Pampas (; from Quechuan languages, Quechua 'plain'), also known as the Pampas Plain, are fertile South American low grasslands that cover more than and include the Argentina, Argentine Provinces of Argentina, provinces of Buenos Aires Pro ...
, TX *
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, TX * Ponca City, OK *
Shawnee The Shawnee ( ) are a Native American people of the Northeastern Woodlands. Their language, Shawnee, is an Algonquian language. Their precontact homeland was likely centered in southern Ohio. In the 17th century, they dispersed through Ohi ...
, OK * Sherman, TX - Sherman Municipal Airport * Texarkana, AR/TX *
Tulsa Tulsa ( ) is the second-most-populous city in the state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tul ...
, OK * Wichita, KS * Woodward, OK According to its July 1, 1967 timetable, Central was serving the following destinations shortly before the merger with Frontier: * Ada, OK * Amarillo, TX * Bartlesville, OK * Borger, TX * Colorado Springs, CO * Dallas, TX -
Dallas Love Field Dallas Love Field is a city-owned public airport in the neighborhood of Love Field, Dallas, Love Field, northwest of downtown Dallas, Texas., effective April 17, 2025. It was Dallas' main airport until 1974 when Dallas Fort Worth Internation ...
(DAL) * Denver, CO * Dodge City, KS * Duncan, OK * Enid, OK * Fayetteville, AR * Fort Leonard Wood, MO * Fort Smith, AR * Fort Worth, TX -
Greater Southwest International Airport Greater Southwest International Airport , originally Amon Carter Field (ACF), was a commercial airport serving Fort Worth, Texas, from 1953 until 1974. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) opened in 1974 a few miles north to replace Gr ...
(GSW) - no longer in existence * Garden City, KS * Goodland, KS * Great Bend, KS * Guymon, OK * Harrison, AR * Hays, KS * Hot Springs, AR * Hutchinson, KS * Joplin, MO * Kansas City - Kansas City Municipal Airport (MKC) * Lamar, CO * Lawton, OK * Liberal, KS * Little Rock, AR * Manhattan, KS * McAlester, OK * Muskogee, OK * Paris, TX * Parsons, KS * Ponca City, OK * Pueblo, CO * St. Louis, MO * Salina, KS * Stillwater, OK * Topeka, KS * Tulsa, OK * Wichita Falls, TX The timetable states that Central was operating Convair 600s and
Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper ...
s at this time.


Fleet

Central Airlines operated the following: * Beechcraft Bonanza (model A35) *
Convair 240 The Convair CV-240 is an American airliner that Convair manufactured from 1947 to 1954, initially as a possible replacement for the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. Featuring a more modern design with cabin pressurization, the 240 series made some inroa ...
* Convair 600 (Convair 240 converted to Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop engines) *
Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper ...
The airline announced it was planning to operate Douglas DC-9-10 jets, but none were delivered before the merger with Frontier.


Accidents and incidents

* 20 July 1964: A flight attendant on a scheduled passenger flight suffered serious injuries when she was thrown against the cabin structure in a Douglas DC-3, registration number ''N91003'', due to clear-air
turbulence In fluid dynamics, turbulence or turbulent flow is fluid motion characterized by chaotic changes in pressure and flow velocity. It is in contrast to laminar flow, which occurs when a fluid flows in parallel layers with no disruption between ...
over
Pueblo, Colorado Pueblo ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality that is the county seat of and the List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous municipality in Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The ...
. Eleven passengers and two pilots suffered minor or no injuries and the aircraft was not damaged. * 8 January 1965: The pilots of Flight 168 to
Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeastern Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2020 cen ...
, a Convair CV-240, registration number ''N74850'', diverted to
Tulsa International Airport Tulsa International Airport is a civil-military airport five miles (8 km) northeast of Downtown Tulsa, in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States. It was named Tulsa Municipal Airport when the city acquired it in 1929 ...
and performed an intentional belly landing after several unsuccessful attempts to lower the jammed
landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for taxiing, takeoff or landing. For aircraft, it is generally needed for all three of these. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, s ...
. The aircraft was substantially damaged but the nine passengers and three crew were not significantly injured. * 27 June 1966: Pilots in a Convair CV-600, registration number ''N74856'', had to perform evasive maneuvers near
Hot Springs, Arkansas Hot Springs is a resort city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Garland County, Arkansas, Garland County. The city is located in the Ouachita Mountains among the U.S. Interior Highlands, and is set among several natural hot springs ...
to avoid a
mid-air collision In aviation, a mid-air collision is an aviation accident, accident in which two or more aircraft come into unplanned contact during flight. The potential for a mid-air collision is increased by Aviation communication, miscommunication, mistrus ...
with an unidentified light aircraft. One crew member suffered serious injuries while two crew and fourteen passengers suffered minor or no injuries; the Convair was not damaged.


See also

* List of defunct airlines of the United States


References


External links


Central Airlines website







Old Frontier Airlines
a website about the history of the old Frontier Airlines and its predecessor airlines.

{{Airlines of the United States, state=collapsed Defunct airlines of the United States Airlines established in 1949 Airlines disestablished in 1967 Companies based in Fort Worth, Texas Defunct companies based in Texas American companies established in 1949 Airlines based in Texas