Perhaps a forbearer of what the 80s would bring was the airline pilot strike of 1980 which lasted 52 days. Although settled in a relatively quick period, the strike perhaps indicated that the airline had outgrown its roots as a small organization where everyone works together and sacrifices.

Yet revenue continued to grow for the first years of the 1980s and with the introduction of new DC-9 Super 80 aircraft and the BAE 146-200, the number or total passengers served rose as well.

Although the airplanes have changed, the signature smile did not in the 1980s.

Even more routes came online, including destinations in Oregon and Washington State. PSA even had flights to Mexico, making it an international carrier.

In the 1980s PSA had a strong foot hold in the West.

By the 1980s, the PSA uniforms were a far cry from the miniskirt era!

However, 1983 proved to be a very bad year for PSA, as the airline lost money. It soon became apparent that the trend of airlines merging and increased competition might be too much for PSA to overcome. The era when an airline could offer low cost fares and still provide friendly service had come and gone. As the decade drew to a close, the airline was sold to US Air and the last PSA flight took off on April 8, 1988.

However, the story of Pacific Southwest Airlines did not end there. The memories of those who worked for and flew on the smiling PSA Jets live on. Each year past employees still gather and recollect about the times they had at this unique company, which truly was a family. In addition, many individuals credit PSA as being the inspiration for successful airlines which operate today, such as Southwest, who offers discount fares and relatively friendly service. 

If you would like more, we have thousands of PSA Images on Flickr.