Southern Airways was a local service carrier, a scheduled airline in the United States that operated from 1949 until 1979, when it merged with North Central Airlines to become Republic Airlines. Southern's corporate headquarters were in Atlanta, with operations headquartered at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, near Atlanta.
Following a merger with North Central Airlines in 1979, Southern became Republic Airlines, which in turn was merged into Northwest Airlines in 1986. Northwest Airlines was then merged into Delta Air Lines in 2008.
Southern Airways was founded by Frank Hulse and Ike Jones in 1944, followed by its first flight in 1949. As a local service carrier, Southern Airways covered the south-central U.S. In 1955, their network spanned from Memphis south to New Orleans and east to Charlotte and Jacksonville. In August 1953, Southern flew to 29 airports and in August 1967 to 50.
Like other local-service airlines, Southern was subsidized; in 1962, its operating "revenues" of $14.0 million included $5.35 million "Pub. serv. rev."
In May 1968, Southern's routes extended from Tri-Cities in Tennessee south to New Orleans and Jacksonville, and east from Baton Rouge and Monroe, Louisiana, to the coast at Myrtle Beach and Charleston. Later in 1968, a route sprouted northward: three weekday Douglas DC-9-10s from Columbus, Georgia (CSG) nonstop to Washington Dulles and on to New York LaGuardia. These flights originated at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida (VPS) and also stopped at Dothan, Alabama.
Like most local-service airlines, Southern flew only Douglas DC-3s for the first few years. In 1961, they began adding 22 40-passenger, secondhand Martin 4-0-4s acquired from Eastern Air Lines, newer aircraft that were pressurised and had a rear ventral stairway. The last scheduled DC-3 flight was in 1967.
Southern's first 65–75-passenger Douglas DC-9 series 10s arrived in 1967 followed by 85–95-passenger McDonnell Douglas DC-9 series 30s in 1969. The last scheduled flight by a Martin was on 20 April 1978 from Atlanta to Gadsden, Alabama, and back.
Some DC-9s were bought new and some used; the used jets included DC-9-14s from Delta Air Lines and Eastern Air Lines. Both airlines had purchased these aircraft new from Douglas. Unlike other local-service airlines, Southern did not operate turboprops (such as the Convair 580 and Fairchild F-27 used by other local-service airlines) during the 1960s and 1970s, but by the time of the merger with North Central, Southern had replaced their Martin 4-0-4s with several 19-passenger Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner "Metro II" commuter propjets.
By 1971, Southern was flying to New York City and Chicago and south to Orlando and Miami. U.S. government regulation did not allow Southern to fly nonstop from New York or Washington, DC, to Atlanta, so Southern had nonstops to Columbus, Georgia, then on to Dothan, Alabama; Mobile, Alabama; Panama City, Florida, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida; and/or Gulfport/Biloxi, Mississippi. Many flights made five or six intermediate stops en route.
With more DC-9s, many routes once served with propeller aircraft were served with jets that linked small cities to Atlanta and Memphis:
Columbus, Georgia, to Washington, DC continuing to New York City.
Meridian, Mississippi, to Birmingham, Alabama; Columbus, Mississippi; and Laurel/Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to Atlanta, Georgia, and Columbus, Mississippi
Muscle Shoals/Florence, Alabama, to Memphis, Tennessee, and Huntsville/Decatur, Alabama, with continuing eastbound service to Atlanta
Greenville, Mississippi, to Memphis and Monroe, Louisiana, with continuing southbound service to Baton Rouge and New Orleans
Columbia, South Carolina, to Greenville/Spartanburg and Charleston, South Carolina
Albany, Georgia, to Atlanta, Georgia; Valdosta, Georgia; Dothan, Alabama; and Columbus, Georgia
One DC-9-14 aircraft operated a "milk run" multistop routing from Miami to Orlando, Tallahassee, Panama City, Eglin AFB, Mobile, Gulfport, New Orleans, Birmingham, Atlanta, Huntsville, Memphis, St Louis, and Chicago Midway. Time en route was 14 hours and 32 minutes.