HISTORY OF AIRLINE SERVICE AT VERO BEACH (KVRB)
Vero Beach Airport has a long history of airline service, dating back to 1935. Here's a look at the many airlines that served Vero Beach through the years.
Eastern Air Lines began using the airport as a refueling stop on June 1. 1932 and began full fledged passenger service in 1935. This postcard shows an Eastern Air Lines Douglas DC-2 at the terminal in the late 1930s.
Eastern Air Lines began using the airport as a refueling stop on June 1. 1932 and began full fledged passenger service in 1935. This postcard shows an Eastern Air Lines Douglas DC-2 at the terminal in the late 1930s.
The following photos from the LIFE archives were taken by Ralph Morse in June 1949 and show typical "day in the life" scenes of Eastern Air Lines DC-3 operations at Vero Beach. This first photo shows a cockpit view of DC-3 NC19963 on approach to runway 29 (now 29L).
A view of the terminal from inside the plane. The women on the ramp to the left of the wing can be seen serving refreshments to passengers.
Eastern Air Lines ticket counter at Vero Beach airport in 1949. The departure board at left shows two flights northbound and two south to Miami. The poster at far right shows the three aircraft types in operation at the time: The Lockheed Constellation, Douglas DC-4 and the Douglas DC-3, which was the type that served Vero Beach.
Welcome to Vero Beach!
A full view of NC19963, serial number 2260. Six weeks later, on July 20, 1949, this aircraft was destroyed in a mid-air collision with a US Navy Grumman Hellcat that was performing aerobatic maneuvers over Chesterfield, NJ.
This detail of an Eastern Air Lines route map from 1961 shows Vero Beach as one of many intermediate stops between Miami and Jacksonville. Eastern continued to serve the airport through 1972.
The old control tower and wooden terminal were showing their age in this 1962 photograph.
An aerial view from the early 1960s showing plans to extend 34th Avenue to the airport terminal.
An architectural rendering from 1964 depicting the modern new airport terminal at Vero Beach.
The next two photos were contributed by Jim O'Brien, who flew aboard an Eastern Air Lines Lockheed L-188 Electra from Miami to Tampa via Vero Beach on April 29, 1972. These photos are part of a fascinating trip report posted on Airliners.net. Jim wrote, "This trip was for one reason only: Fly one last time on an Electra. While EA had not announced any retirement date, we knew it would not be long." Indeed, as Eastern retired the turboprops in favor of pure-jet equipment, service was discontinued at smaller stations across their system. Eastern's last day at Vero Beach was January 12, 1973, less than 9 months after these photos were taken.
This is the view from the open door of Eastern's Electra during the brief stop at Vero Beach.
Eastern flight 640 only spent a few minutes on the ramp before departing for the short hop across Florida to Tampa. This aircraft, N5524, serial number 1036, was delivered to Eastern on February 26, 1959.
Jim's trip report mentions the number of passengers on each flight that day, providing a fairly clear illustration of why Eastern was so eager to leave VRB. On the Miami to Vero flight, only 25 of the 89 seats were filled; the Vero to Tampa flight carried 35 passengers. While these are respectable loads for a Convair twin or Martin 404, these routes were clearly unprofitable using the large Electras.
Jim's trip report mentions the number of passengers on each flight that day, providing a fairly clear illustration of why Eastern was so eager to leave VRB. On the Miami to Vero flight, only 25 of the 89 seats were filled; the Vero to Tampa flight carried 35 passengers. While these are respectable loads for a Convair twin or Martin 404, these routes were clearly unprofitable using the large Electras.
New Jersey based Monmouth Airlines formed a sister-company Vero Monmouth and took over Eastern's Vero Beach routes on January 13, 1973. The airline used DC-3s, a de Havilland Heron and Piper Aztecs on routes from Vero to Miami, Orlando, Tampa and Melbourne, Florida. This newspaper clip from the January 1, 1973 edition of Florida Today shows DC-3 N2VM being readied for service. The unusual nose was a modification that accommodated a large radar unit.
Here is Vero Monmouth's DC-3 N2VM on the ramp at Vero.
Vero Monmouth Airlines route map from Summer 1974 showing routes to Miami, Tampa and Orlando.
Vero Monmouth abruptly discontinued service on April 30, 1975 following disputes with city and airport officials and, probably more to the point, two years of low traffic figures. This newspaper clip from the May 1, 1975 edition of Florida Today shows VMA's abandoned ticket counter the day after service ended.
In early 1976, Shawnee Airlines / Florida Airlines opened a route between Vero Beach and Tampa. This excerpt from the March 1, 1976 timetable shows 2 daily flights which were operated with a combination of DC-3s and Cessna 402s. Shawnee's service to Vero Beach was discontinued a few months later, leaving the airport without scheduled airline service for the next two and a half years.
Chautauqua Airlines, operating as Allegheny Commuter, began flights to Vero Beach on February 22, 1979 using 15-passenger Beechcraft B-99s. The service proved successful and continued for 12 years, ending in early 1991.
Beechcraft B-99 N99GH of Chautauqua / Allegheny Commuter.
Slocum Air served Vero Beach for a few months during late 1981 and early 1982 using Britten-Norman Islanders on a Vero - Miami - Ft. Lauderdale route.
On December 15, 1984, Trans Air inaugurated a short-lived Vero Beach - Melbourne - Orlando - Panama City route.
Chautauqua's Beech 99s, in USAir Express colors, pictured at Vero Beach, Florida, circa 1989-90. Service between Vero Beach and Orlando continued into March of 1991, with the last revenue flight taking place on March 31, 1991. The Beech 99s were ferried to Canton-Akron (OH) airport for disposal. The last Chautauqua Beech 99 departed Vero Beach on April 2, 1991. Courtesy Todd Scher.
Another view of Chautauqua's Beech 99s at Vero Beach. Photo courtesy of Todd Scher.
After the departure of Chautauqua Airlines in 1991, Gulfstream International Airlines took over the Vero Beach - Orlando route using Cessna 402s, but passenger totals were disappointing and the carrier left in early 1992. Photo courtesy of Todd Scher.
Within a few months, Mesa Airlines subsidiary Florida Gulf, operating as USAir Express, began flying between Vero and Orlando with most of the flights making an intermediate stop in Melbourne. Mesa used Beechcraft 1900s on the routes. Again, passenger totals were low and Mesa ended the flights in late 1993. It would be another two years until the city would receive airline service. Here's a look at USAir Express service from July 1993. MCO is the airport code for Orlando and MLB is Melbourne.
Florida Gulf / Mesa Airlines Beechcraft 1900 in USAir Express colors at Vero Beach circa 1992-1993. Photo courtesy of Todd Scher.
In late 1995, American Eagle initiated service from Vero Beach to Miami using Shorts 360 aircraft. This operation ceased after about 6 months when the American Eagle carrier Executive Airlines decided to park their Shorts 360 aircraft, and the other aircraft in their fleet at the time (SAAB 340 and ATR-42) were considered too large to serve the Vero Beach Market. Vero Beach had no scheduled airline service for nearly 2 decades. Photo and information courtesy of Todd Scher.
On December 10, 2015, Elite Airways began direct non-stop service from Vero Beach to Newark using CRJ-200 aircraft. It was the first jet airline service at Vero Beach and the first to an out of the state destination. Elite concentrated on markets ignored by major airlines. Other destinations included Naples, FL, Branson, MO, Rockford, IL and Bar Harbor, ME.
The Elite Airways service was initially well received, with most flights operating at or near 100% capacity through the winter season and consistently in the 80-90% range during the typically slow summer season.
A printed Elite Airways timetable effective February 2018 sent in by Arthur Na. Arthur picked this up while visiting Vero Beach on February 4, 2018.
The Covid pandemic in 2020 proved to be particularly challenging for Elite Airways and service at Vero Beach suffered as a result. Sporadic service and frequent cancellations became the norm. By late 2022, the airline was no longer operating.
In October 2022, Breeze Airways, a Utah-based low-cost airline formed in 2021, announced plans for passenger flights at Vero Beach using brand new Airbus 220s. Service began on February 2, 2023 with non-stops to White Plains, NY, Norfolk, VA and Hartford, CT. The 126-passenger 220s are a major upgrade from Elite's 25 year old Regional Jets and the unpressurised turboprops of earlier decades. Todd Scher sent this photo of Breeze's first arrival at VRB, an Airbus 220 from Hartford.
Passengers from Hartford, CT deplaning from a Breeze Airbus, while the Breeze Embraer in the background is on takeoff roll headed for White Plains, NY. Photo courtesy of Todd Scher.
Breeze's Vero Beach service has been an amazing success with over 11,000 passengers carried in the first two months, more than the previous 24 months combined.
