\t\t\t7<\/i><\/p>\n
For almost 40 years, Pacific Southwest Airlines \u2013 better known simply as PSA \u2013 was one of the most distinctive airlines in America.<\/p>\n
Based in San Diego, PSA became almost an unofficial airline of California, shuttling passengers between Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and other cities with a succession of classic aircraft.<\/p>\n
Its famous slogan was \u201cThe World\u2019s Friendliest Airline\u201d, while its aircraft became known as \u201cGrinningbirds\u201d thanks to the smiles painted beneath their noses.<\/p>\n
But in 1988, PSA disappeared.<\/p>\n
So, what happened to Pacific Southwest Airlines? And why can you still find the PSA name \u2013 and even its famous livery \u2013 in the American Airlines family today?<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
From One DC-3 to California Favourite<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.airportspotting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/PSA-DC-3-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/p>\nPhoto: Ian Abbott<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\nPSA began flying on 6 May 1949, initially using a leased Douglas DC-3.\u00a0Its first route linked San Diego with Oakland via Burbank, operating just once per week.<\/p>\n
California was growing rapidly and its major cities were separated by distances which made air travel extremely attractive. PSA offered affordable fares and a relaxed approach to flying which contrasted with the more formal image of many established airlines.<\/p>\n
It proved popular and\u00a0San Francisco was added in 1951, and PSA steadily developed into a major force in California air travel.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
PSA\u2019s Classic Aircraft<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.airportspotting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/PSA-Lockheed-Electra-1024x574.jpg\")
<\/p>\nPhoto: Brave Heart<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\nPSA is particularly memorable because of the wonderful variety of aircraft it operated.<\/p>\n
The Douglas DC-3<\/strong> which started the airline was followed by larger Douglas DC-4s<\/strong>.<\/p>\nThen came one of the great American turboprops when PSA introduced the Lockheed L-188 Electra<\/strong>, which became an important aircraft on the busy routes linking San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco.<\/p>\nBy the middle of the 1960s, however, PSA was ready to enter the jet age. In 1965, it introduced five Boeing 727-100s<\/strong>.<\/p>\nThese sleek trijets transformed the airline and became closely associated with its operations during the following years.\u00a0Larger Boeing 727-200s<\/strong> would follow.<\/p>\nPSA also became an operator of the Boeing 737-200<\/strong>, giving the airline an efficient twin-engined jet for its intensive short-haul network.<\/p>\nWith frequent flights and relatively quick turnarounds, PSA was already demonstrating many of the principles which would later become associated with the low-cost airline model.\u00a0Indeed, PSA would become an important inspiration for another airline starting out in Texas \u2013 Southwest Airlines.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
PSA Even Flew the TriStar<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.airportspotting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Pacific_Southwest_Airlines_L-1011_N1079-1024x557.jpg\")
<\/p>\nPiergiuliano Chesi, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons<\/https:><\/p>\n<\/div>\nPerhaps the most surprising aircraft in the PSA story is the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar<\/strong>.<\/p>\nYes, the airline which made its name flying short hops around California briefly operated widebody aircraft!<\/p>\n
PSA introduced the TriStar during the 1970s in an attempt to add significantly more capacity to its busiest routes.\u00a0The aircraft looked fantastic in PSA\u2019s colourful livery, complete with that famous smile beneath the cockpit. But unfortunately, the economics didn\u2019t work.<\/p>\n
Putting a large three-engined widebody onto relatively short domestic sectors proved expensive, particularly during the fuel crisis of the period.\u00a0PSA consequently disposed of its TriStars after only a short spell.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Smiles in the Sky![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.airportspotting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/PSA-146-Smile-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/strong><\/h2>\nPSA was about much more than aircraft. The airline deliberately cultivated a fun and informal image.<\/p>\n
Its flight attendants became famous for their colourful uniforms \u2013 including miniskirts and, later, hot pants \u2013 while crews were encouraged to interact and joke with passengers.<\/p>\n
Most memorable of all were the aircraft themselves.\u00a0PSA painted a black smile beneath the nose of its airliners.<\/p>\n
Combined with the airline\u2019s colourful red, orange and pink liveries, these aircraft were almost impossible to mistake.<\/p>\n
The slogan \u201cCatch Our Smile\u201d<\/strong> became closely associated with the airline.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.airportspotting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Pacific_Southwest_Airlines_female_flight_attendants.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Deregulation Changes Everything<\/strong><\/h2>\nFor much of its existence, PSA had operated primarily as an intrastate airline, flying within California.\u00a0This gave it considerable freedom from the federal regulation which controlled many aspects of the wider US airline industry.<\/p>\n
But the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 changed the landscape dramatically.\u00a0PSA was now free to expand beyond California.<\/p>\n
The airline added destinations across the western United States and into Mexico, but it also suddenly faced much greater competition. The comfortable California market which had allowed PSA to thrive was changing.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
The MD-80 and BAe 146 Era<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"PSA](\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/11952341685_a469b3d672_b.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nPSA nevertheless continued modernising its fleet.\u00a0One of the most important additions was the McDonnell Douglas MD-80<\/strong>, or Super 80.<\/p>\nThe long, sleek twinjet became another classic PSA aircraft during the 1980s, eventually forming a large part of its fleet.<\/p>\n
PSA also became an early operator of the British Aerospace BAe 146<\/strong>.\u00a0With four small turbofan engines and excellent short-field performance, the BAe 146 allowed PSA to serve smaller airports and expand into thinner regional markets.<\/p>\nBy the end of 1986, PSA\u2019s fleet included 31 MD-80s, 20 BAe 146s and four DC-9-30s<\/strong>.<\/p>\nThat year the airline carried a record 10.7 million passengers.\u00a0But behind those impressive numbers, things were becoming difficult.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
USAir Buys PSA![\"PSA](\"https:\/\/www.airportspotting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/PSA-GeorgeHamlin-1024x681.jpg\")
<\/strong><\/h2>\nConsolidation was sweeping through the American airline industry.\u00a0American Airlines acquired PSA\u2019s California rival AirCal, while Delta took over Western Airlines and Northwest acquired Republic.<\/p>\n
PSA suddenly faced competitors backed by much larger national networks.<\/p>\n
Then came USAir.\u00a0The East Coast airline had approached PSA previously, but circumstances had changed.\u00a0In 1986 a deal was agreed for USAir to acquire PSA.<\/p>\n
On 29 May 1987, Pacific Southwest Airlines became a division of USAir.\u00a0For a while the familiar PSA aircraft continued flying, but gradually those colourful liveries and famous smiles began disappearing beneath USAir colours.<\/p>\n
The end finally arrived on 8 April 1988<\/strong>, when the last PSA flights operated.\u00a0After 39 years, Pacific Southwest Airlines was gone.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
What Happened to the Aircraft?<\/strong><\/h2>\nMany of PSA\u2019s aircraft continued flying after the airline disappeared.\u00a0The MD-80s were absorbed into USAir\u2019s operation and many were moved away from California.<\/p>\n
The BAe 146s initially remained particularly important on the West Coast, although USAir eventually reduced much of the network it had inherited from PSA.<\/p>\n
Other aircraft had already moved on to operators elsewhere around the world.\u00a0The individual histories of PSA\u2019s 727s, 737s, MD-80s and BAe 146s make interesting reading today, with some enjoying lengthy second careers after their time carrying the famous smile.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
There Is Still a PSA Airlines Today<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.airportspotting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/PSA-CRJ-American-Eagle-1024x634.jpg\")
<\/p>\nColdstreamer20, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons<\/https:><\/p>\n<\/div>\nConfusingly, PSA Airlines still exists.<\/p>\n
But it isn\u2019t the same airline.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s PSA Airlines traces its own history to Vee Neal Airlines, founded in 1979 and subsequently known as Jetstream International Airlines.\u00a0USAir eventually renamed the company PSA Airlines, helping it retain the rights to the famous name.<\/p>\n
Following the merger of US Airways and American Airlines, today\u2019s PSA became part of the American Airlines Group.\u00a0It now operates regional flights under the American Eagle brand using Bombardier CRJ aircraft.<\/p>\n
So, while the PSA name survives, you won\u2019t find smiling PSA aircraft shuttling passengers around California anymore.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
The PSA Retro Jet![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.airportspotting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/American-PSA-A321-retro-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/strong><\/h2>\nThere is, however, still a wonderful reminder of the original airline flying in the United States.<\/p>\n
US Airways introduced a series of heritage liveries celebrating airlines which had become part of its family tree, including Allegheny, Piedmont and PSA.\u00a0An Airbus A319 initially carried the PSA heritage colours.<\/p>\n
After the US Airways-American Airlines merger, the tradition continued under American.\u00a0More recently, the PSA scheme has been transferred to an American Airlines Airbus A321, reproducing the classic pink, orange and red colours \u2013 and, importantly, the famous smile beneath the nose.<\/p>\n
It is one of American\u2019s most attractive heritage liveries and a fantastic tribute to the original California airline.<\/p>\n
So, if you\u2019re lucky enough to see it today, you\u2019re looking at a reminder of an airline which disappeared almost four decades ago.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Did you ever fly with Pacific Southwest Airlines or photograph one of its famous \u201cGrinningbirds\u201d? Let us know your memories in the comments below.<\/strong><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Title image: Aero Icarus<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\nPhoto: Ian Abbott<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n PSA began flying on 6 May 1949, initially using a leased Douglas DC-3.\u00a0Its first route linked San Diego with Oakland via Burbank, operating just once per week.<\/p>\n California was growing rapidly and its major cities were separated by distances which made air travel extremely attractive. PSA offered affordable fares and a relaxed approach to flying which contrasted with the more formal image of many established airlines.<\/p>\n It proved popular and\u00a0San Francisco was added in 1951, and PSA steadily developed into a major force in California air travel.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Photo: Brave Heart<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n PSA is particularly memorable because of the wonderful variety of aircraft it operated.<\/p>\n The Douglas DC-3<\/strong> which started the airline was followed by larger Douglas DC-4s<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Then came one of the great American turboprops when PSA introduced the Lockheed L-188 Electra<\/strong>, which became an important aircraft on the busy routes linking San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco.<\/p>\n By the middle of the 1960s, however, PSA was ready to enter the jet age. In 1965, it introduced five Boeing 727-100s<\/strong>.<\/p>\n These sleek trijets transformed the airline and became closely associated with its operations during the following years.\u00a0Larger Boeing 727-200s<\/strong> would follow.<\/p>\n PSA also became an operator of the Boeing 737-200<\/strong>, giving the airline an efficient twin-engined jet for its intensive short-haul network.<\/p>\n With frequent flights and relatively quick turnarounds, PSA was already demonstrating many of the principles which would later become associated with the low-cost airline model.\u00a0Indeed, PSA would become an important inspiration for another airline starting out in Texas \u2013 Southwest Airlines.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Piergiuliano Chesi, CC BY-SA 3.0 Perhaps the most surprising aircraft in the PSA story is the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Yes, the airline which made its name flying short hops around California briefly operated widebody aircraft!<\/p>\n PSA introduced the TriStar during the 1970s in an attempt to add significantly more capacity to its busiest routes.\u00a0The aircraft looked fantastic in PSA\u2019s colourful livery, complete with that famous smile beneath the cockpit. But unfortunately, the economics didn\u2019t work.<\/p>\n Putting a large three-engined widebody onto relatively short domestic sectors proved expensive, particularly during the fuel crisis of the period.\u00a0PSA consequently disposed of its TriStars after only a short spell.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n PSA was about much more than aircraft. The airline deliberately cultivated a fun and informal image.<\/p>\n Its flight attendants became famous for their colourful uniforms \u2013 including miniskirts and, later, hot pants \u2013 while crews were encouraged to interact and joke with passengers.<\/p>\n Most memorable of all were the aircraft themselves.\u00a0PSA painted a black smile beneath the nose of its airliners.<\/p>\n Combined with the airline\u2019s colourful red, orange and pink liveries, these aircraft were almost impossible to mistake.<\/p>\n The slogan \u201cCatch Our Smile\u201d<\/strong> became closely associated with the airline.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n For much of its existence, PSA had operated primarily as an intrastate airline, flying within California.\u00a0This gave it considerable freedom from the federal regulation which controlled many aspects of the wider US airline industry.<\/p>\n But the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 changed the landscape dramatically.\u00a0PSA was now free to expand beyond California.<\/p>\n The airline added destinations across the western United States and into Mexico, but it also suddenly faced much greater competition. The comfortable California market which had allowed PSA to thrive was changing.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n PSA nevertheless continued modernising its fleet.\u00a0One of the most important additions was the McDonnell Douglas MD-80<\/strong>, or Super 80.<\/p>\n The long, sleek twinjet became another classic PSA aircraft during the 1980s, eventually forming a large part of its fleet.<\/p>\n PSA also became an early operator of the British Aerospace BAe 146<\/strong>.\u00a0With four small turbofan engines and excellent short-field performance, the BAe 146 allowed PSA to serve smaller airports and expand into thinner regional markets.<\/p>\n By the end of 1986, PSA\u2019s fleet included 31 MD-80s, 20 BAe 146s and four DC-9-30s<\/strong>.<\/p>\n That year the airline carried a record 10.7 million passengers.\u00a0But behind those impressive numbers, things were becoming difficult.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Consolidation was sweeping through the American airline industry.\u00a0American Airlines acquired PSA\u2019s California rival AirCal, while Delta took over Western Airlines and Northwest acquired Republic.<\/p>\n PSA suddenly faced competitors backed by much larger national networks.<\/p>\n Then came USAir.\u00a0The East Coast airline had approached PSA previously, but circumstances had changed.\u00a0In 1986 a deal was agreed for USAir to acquire PSA.<\/p>\n On 29 May 1987, Pacific Southwest Airlines became a division of USAir.\u00a0For a while the familiar PSA aircraft continued flying, but gradually those colourful liveries and famous smiles began disappearing beneath USAir colours.<\/p>\n The end finally arrived on 8 April 1988<\/strong>, when the last PSA flights operated.\u00a0After 39 years, Pacific Southwest Airlines was gone.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Many of PSA\u2019s aircraft continued flying after the airline disappeared.\u00a0The MD-80s were absorbed into USAir\u2019s operation and many were moved away from California.<\/p>\n The BAe 146s initially remained particularly important on the West Coast, although USAir eventually reduced much of the network it had inherited from PSA.<\/p>\n Other aircraft had already moved on to operators elsewhere around the world.\u00a0The individual histories of PSA\u2019s 727s, 737s, MD-80s and BAe 146s make interesting reading today, with some enjoying lengthy second careers after their time carrying the famous smile.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Coldstreamer20, CC BY-SA 4.0 Confusingly, PSA Airlines still exists.<\/p>\n But it isn\u2019t the same airline.<\/p>\n Today\u2019s PSA Airlines traces its own history to Vee Neal Airlines, founded in 1979 and subsequently known as Jetstream International Airlines.\u00a0USAir eventually renamed the company PSA Airlines, helping it retain the rights to the famous name.<\/p>\n Following the merger of US Airways and American Airlines, today\u2019s PSA became part of the American Airlines Group.\u00a0It now operates regional flights under the American Eagle brand using Bombardier CRJ aircraft.<\/p>\n So, while the PSA name survives, you won\u2019t find smiling PSA aircraft shuttling passengers around California anymore.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n There is, however, still a wonderful reminder of the original airline flying in the United States.<\/p>\n US Airways introduced a series of heritage liveries celebrating airlines which had become part of its family tree, including Allegheny, Piedmont and PSA.\u00a0An Airbus A319 initially carried the PSA heritage colours.<\/p>\n After the US Airways-American Airlines merger, the tradition continued under American.\u00a0More recently, the PSA scheme has been transferred to an American Airlines Airbus A321, reproducing the classic pink, orange and red colours \u2013 and, importantly, the famous smile beneath the nose.<\/p>\n It is one of American\u2019s most attractive heritage liveries and a fantastic tribute to the original California airline.<\/p>\n So, if you\u2019re lucky enough to see it today, you\u2019re looking at a reminder of an airline which disappeared almost four decades ago.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Did you ever fly with Pacific Southwest Airlines or photograph one of its famous \u201cGrinningbirds\u201d? Let us know your memories in the comments below.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Title image: Aero Icarus<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nPSA\u2019s Classic Aircraft<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/p>\nPSA Even Flew the TriStar<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/p>\nSmiles in the Sky
<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/p>\nDeregulation Changes Everything<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The MD-80 and BAe 146 Era<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nUSAir Buys PSA
<\/strong><\/h2>\nWhat Happened to the Aircraft?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
There Is Still a PSA Airlines Today<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/p>\nThe PSA Retro Jet
<\/strong><\/h2>\n