Provincetown-Boston Airlines
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| Founded | November 30, 1949 Provincetown, Massachusetts |
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| Commenced operations | 1949 | ||||||
| Ceased operations | 1989 | ||||||
| Hubs | See Hubs, routes, and destinations below | ||||||
| Fleet size | See Fleet below | ||||||
| Destinations | See Hubs, routes, and destinations below | ||||||
| Parent company | People Express (after 1986) | ||||||
| Headquarters | Provincetown, Massachusetts | ||||||
| Key people | John C. Van Arsdale(Founder) | ||||||
Provincetown-Boston Airlines (IATA: PT, ICAO: PBA, Call sign: PBA) was an airline that operated between 1949 and 1989. The airline operated a route network in New England, New York, Pennsylvania, and Florida, and at one time was the largest commuter airline in the United States before its purchase by People Express Airlines and then eventual consolidation with other commuter airlines into Continental Express, now United Express after its merger.
On November 30, 1949, PBA was founded by John C. Van Arsdale in Provincetown, Massachusetts, and its first route was operated between Provincetown and Boston; hence its name. It was the successor to the Cape Cod Flying Service. Van Arsdale learned how to fly from his father at a young age, and loved flying. He became the manager of the Provincetown Airport, and started giving local residents rides to Boston in his airplane. Soon, Van Arsdale learned that people liked the idea of taking a 20-minute flight across the bay, and started the airline. He did the flying, while his wife Betty worked at the airport taking reservations. The aircraft of choice to start operations was the Cessna Bobcat.
By 1953, PBA expanded with more airplanes and pilots. PBA acquired the Lockheed Model 10 Electra and used it on the Provincetown route, and then expanded service to include Cape Cod Airfield in Marstons Mills (later moved to Hyannis). Since demand for travel to Provincetown and Hyannis falls off during the winter months, in 1957 a cooperation arrangement with Naples Airlines of Naples, Florida was started, allowing the PBA aircraft to be used in Florida during the winter months. By 1958, PBA had taken over Naples Airlines and merged the two airlines together.
In the following years, the route network in Florida and New England was expanded, and in 1968 a Douglas DC-3 was bought at $50,000 and refurbished at a cost of $150,000 to fill the demand. In 1975, a Martin 4-0-4 was added, and in 1980, PBA had a fleet of twelve DC-3s and four Martin 4-0-4s as well as a small number of smaller Cessnas and Pipers.
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