WINNIPESAUKEE AIRLINES
Winnipesaukee Airlines, an established commuter airline based in New Hampshire, began service between Punta Gorda / Port Charlotte, Florida and Tampa on November 14, 1976 as a temporary replacement for Florida Airlines which dropped the route in August. The airline hoped to operate the Florida service as a way to balance the seasonal traffic fluctuations of its northern system, much in the same way PBA operated in Cape Cod and Florida. A new subsidiary named Coastal Airlines Inc. was planned to fly the route but the Florida Secretary of State's office rejected the idea when it learned that another group had applied for the same name a few days earlier. With no time to create an alternate proposal and despite having already applied Coastal Airlines titles to their Piper Navajo, the subsidiary took its parent's name and incorporated as Winnipesaukee (named after a lake in New Hampshire). "We believe the public will get used to the name," airline president Daniel Hayford told the Fort Myers News-Press.
A route map showing Winnipesaukee's 80 mile route between Tampa and Punta Gorda. Two daily round trips were flown using a 7-passenger Piper Navajo. The one way fare was $27. Map generated by the Great Circle Mapper - copyright © Karl L. Swartz.
Almost immediately after the service began, Winnipesaukee asked permission from the Public Service Commission to drop the route because it was unable to establish a joint-fare agreement with a major airline. Without such an agreement, Winnipesaukee flights did not appear in major reservations systems, lower connecting fares were not available, and the Punta Gorda service remained virtually unknown with planes often flying empty.
The airline's request was approved a few months later and the Tampa - Punta Gorda flights were discontinued on April 4, 1977.
The airline's request was approved a few months later and the Tampa - Punta Gorda flights were discontinued on April 4, 1977.
