Air California was a regional airline serving different points in the state of California and some neighboring western U.S. states. It was founded by a partnership of Orange County businessmen inspired by the possibility of an alternative to using various other airlines and what was left of the state's passenger railroad system to do their necessary travels to different parts of the state. Their initial market of service as of their January 1967 debut was SNA-SFO which was previously an unserved routing
Using a variety of aircraft types, "Air Cal" was one of the last 20 carriers to use the four-prop LockheedL-188 Electra in regular service. After the late 1970s, its fleet was composed primarily of Boeing 737 jet aircraft, with some DC-9ss and BAe 146s as well.
One novel marketing program used by Air California in the early to mid 1970s was to offer school field trips to Sacramento at $25 USD a head, where school children would be taken on a tour of the State Capitol, Governor's Mansion, and Sutter's Fort.
Air California, along with its equipment, routes, and facilities, was eventually acquired piecemeal by American Airlines in 1986.
