Early History
The company was founded by brothers Thomas and Joseph Caruso, as Bar Harbor Airways. They began flying charters and scenic flights from the Bar Harbor town dock. By 1950, they had established a base of operations at the Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport.
Bar Harbor Airlines started flying in 1971, using the Hancock County Airport as its hub. The airline's first route was to Boston.
The route proved so popular, especially among those from Maine who had daily jobs in Boston, that by 1972, the airline expanded its route system by 350 percent, including seven cities and becoming an international airline, with a flight from Boston to Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. It adopted the slogan, "Linking Maine With the World".
By 1974, the airline offered round-trip services between each city it served. Being a commuter airline made this easy, as each of its services consisted of short flights with quick turnaround times, and, with a large number of aircraft available, Bar Harbor had hubs in every city it served. During the 1970s, Bar Harbor Airlines primarily used Beechcraft Model 99 aircraft.
The airline also offered cargo service to the destinations it served. Bar Harbor's first crash, on August 16, 1976, was on a cargo flight from Bangor International Airport in Bangor, Maine, to Bar Harbor. The airplane carried only one person, the pilot, and he was not injured.
The airline's second accident proved to be tragic. On May 16, 1978. A flight carrying company founder Thomas Caruso, his son Gary Caruso(Vice President of the Company) and two other company pilots crashed during a storm near Bar Harbor Airport in Trenton, Maine. There were no survivors.
On August 25, 1985, a Beechcraft Model 99 operating as Flight 1808 crashed while landing in Auburn, Maine. Two crew members and six passengers, including Samantha Reed Smith, died in the crash.
Read more about this topic: Bar Harbor Airlines
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