L.A.B. Flying Service
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Founded | 1956 | ||||||
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Headquarters | Haines, Alaska, U.S. | ||||||
Website | http://www.labflying.com/ |
L.A.B. Flying Service is an American airline based in Haines, Alaska, U.S. It operates scheduled, charter and sightseeing flights in Southeast Alaska. Its main base is Haines Airport, with a hub at Juneau International Airport.[1]
According to its website, it temporarily suspended its flights.
History
The airline was established and started operations in 1956. It has 55 employees (at March 2007).[1] L.A.B. Flying Service, named for its founder (and President), Layton A. Bennett, is Alaska's oldest continuously-operating small passenger airline. Layton A. Bennett received the FAA's Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award for his work in operating the airline for over 50 years.[2]
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Layton A. Bennett
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Layton and part of the 1994 summer pilot crew
2008 Grounding
In July of 2008, APRN reported that the FAA had grounded LAB's entire fleet, because, in their words, "LAB Flying Service lacks the care, judgment and responsibility required to hold an air carrier certificate." One of the seven counts listed in the grounding order stated that LAB mechanics took an engine off of an airplane that had been destroyed in a fire with temperatures in excess of 2,000 degrees Farenheit and re-mounted it on another airplane, intending to put it back into service. LAB will not be able to apply for a new flight certificate until July 2009, unless they succesfully appeal the order before then.[3]
Destinations
L.A.B. serves the following destinations:[citation needed]
- Excursion Inlet: Juneau
- Gustavus: Juneau
- Haines*: Juneau, Skagway
- Juneau*: Excursion Inlet, Gustavus, Haines, Hoonah, Kake, Petersburg (via Kake), Skagway (via Haines)
- Kake: Juneau, Petersburg
- Ketchikan: Klawock/Craig
- Klawock/Craig: Ketchikan
- Petersburg: Kake, Juneau (via Kake)
- Skagway: Haines, Juneau
*Denotes a hub location
Charters
The airline also offers charters to, among other places, Glacier Bay National Park.
Fleet
The LAB Flying Service fleet includes the following aircraft[1] :
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PA-31Chieftain
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PA-32 Cherokee Six
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Haines line up for gas, summer tours 1994
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The work Horse of the fleet
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PA-34 Seneca
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Helio Courier
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Britten-Norman BN2A-26
External links
References
- ^ a b c "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-04-03. p. 103.
- ^ Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award list
- ^ | "FAA report details why LAB Flying Service was grounded" APRN's Rosemarie Alexander, KTOO - Juneau, Mon, July 28, 2008