Bonanza Air Lines

Bonanza Air Lines was an international and domestic local service regional airline that operated from 1945 to 1968, with routes in the Western United States and Mexico. Its headquarters was initially located in Las Vegas, Nevada and then moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1966.

The airline began scheduled operations in 1945 with a single-engine Cessna, with service between the Nevada communities of Las Vegas, Reno, Tonopah and Hawthorne. During the 1950s and early 1960s the airline expanded into Arizona, Southern California and Utah, including Las Vegas, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. At one point, Bonanza was the only certificated airline to fly from Las Vegas to Reno. The carrier became an international airline just months before it merged into Air West with flights to the Mexican cities of La Paz, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta. Bonanza served these Mexican destinations with Douglas DC-9 jetliner service from Phoenix and Tucson.