Early Years

In 1989, two colleagues named Oliver Greene and Noah Wilde founded an airline with a small loan from Noah's parents (who are millionaires) After acquiring 2 E120s from a local aircraft leasing company; they soon started operations out of Vancouver to several smaller cities in British Columbia and the Yukon. After a few years of profitable operations, they secured more funding and acquired 8 more E120s. And in June of 1996 they ordered 20 more E120s for expansion from Toronto and Calgary and connect the eastern cities in Canada. They also started flights to the US to Washington State and Oregon.

But all of this fanfare and success would not last. On December 29, 1996 a snowstorm blew into British Columbia, it buried the city of Victoria in over 2 feet of snow!!! As flight 382 was flying its daily flight from Portland back to Vancouver was caught in the whiteout. The pilot desperately tried to get the plane through the storm and they were able to receive emergency permission to land at the Victoria airport. But as the aircraft came into the final descent to the airport, the aircraft's wings had frozen up in the storm causing the aircraft to undershoot the runway crashing into a nearby field. In all, about 4 people perished in the crash. (2 passengers and both pilots) The families of both the pilots and the passengers filed lawsuits against the airline for neglecting the weather conditions of that region. Luckily the airline won the case but the damage had been done.

Even after the crash and the lawsuits the young airline faced more backlash for the incident from several customers who questioned the safety of the airline and were maddened by the families who didn't win the case. Quarterly losses were by a 0.14% margin, and many believed that the airline wouldn't last much longer. In a desperate attempt to save the airline, the founders agreed to the demands and gave the families of the victims each about 500,000 Canadian dollars (or about $400,000 USD) for their loss. And it worked! at least it sort of worked. Many people started to drop their accusations and forgave the airline. The airline later erected a memorial for those who died in the crash on that fateful night at the Victoria Airport.

About 1 year after the crash the airline started to recover, the owners then believed that the worst had passed.... So after some negotiations they created the ultimate deal with Airbus that would shape the future for this young airline.