Boutique Air, Inc. is a commuter airline based in San Francisco, California. The airline offers charter services as well as scheduled passenger services subsidized under the Essential Air Service (EAS) program. Boutique operates the second largest PC-12 fleet in the United States with 26 aircraft. In 2019, Boutique transported over 180,000 passengers.
History
The company was founded in 2007 by Shawn Simpson, an early employee of Google. It was originally an aviation technology company before launching charter and passenger airline services.
In 2013, it received commuter air carrier authority from the United States Department of Transportation. Its first scheduled service was operated in 2013-2014 between Hawthorne Municipal Airport near Los Angeles and McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. During that time, the company began submitting proposals to provide scheduled service to rural communities and regions under contract as part of the Essential Air Service program and began its first flights between Clovis Municipal Airport in New Mexico and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in July 2014. The company continues airline service to several cities and offers charter services throughout the United States.
Corporate affairs
The headquarters are at Suite 925 of 5 3rd Street, San Francisco.
The headquarters were previously at 340 Pine Street, and later in the Flatiron Building.
Destinations
Airline agreements
Interline and codeshare agreements
United Airlines
Boutique Air announced a new codeshare agreement with United Airlines on May 23, 2018. Customers can book their entire itinerary under a single reservation for through ticketing and baggage transfer to their final destination. MileagePlus members can earn miles on eligible Boutique Air flights. Since Boutique has a codeshare with United Airlines, passengers with United Club memberships can access the lounge even if they are not flying with United.
American Airlines
In December 2018, Boutique launched a new interline agreement with American Airlines. Similar to the codeshare with United, customers can book all flights under a single reservation for flow through ticketing and baggage transfers to their final destination.
Boutique Car
In 2017, Boutique started a new rental car service called 'Boutique Car'. This service provides ground transportation options for communities that have no other options and complements Boutique's EAS proposals. Two locations currently utilize this service:
Carlsbad, New Mexico
Pendleton, Oregon
Fleet
Boutique Air operates the following fleet:
Accidents and incidents
On April 23, 2020, Boutique Flight 902, a non-revenue positioning flight of a Pilatus PC-12, aircraft registration N477SS, departed from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and the pilot, who was the only one on board, reported an engine problem and diverted to Mesquite Metro Airport. The engine lost power on approach and the aircraft crashed short of the runway while executing a turn. The pilot suffered serious injuries and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. A mis-rigged cable likely caused a reduction in thrust.