Pacific Southwest Airlines

San Diego’s rich aviation history is like no other in American lore. Some of the greatest names in aviation — Consolidated, Convair, “The Spirit of St. Louis,” Reuben H. Fleet, the Atlas Missile Project, Naval Aviation, Northrop Grumman, General Atomics, John J. Montgomery, Bill Gibbs, to name a few – all trace their roots to San Diego. As does one of the most successful regional airlines in American history; Pacific Southwest Airlines. With its low fares and friendly service, and distinctive orange, red, and white planes complete with a beaming smile, PSA was immediately recognizable to those living on the West Coast. Kenny Friedkin, the founder of PSA, started in 1949 with one leased DC-3 and expanded his fleet to serve millions of passengers each year. Although PSA is no longer in operation, its successful business model of low-priced, efficient service was copied by other airlines and today is considered the norm… read more >