California Pacific Airlines (Carlsbad) by late this year or early 2011 will be transporting business and leisure travelers from Carlsbad Palomar Airport (north San Diego County) nonstop to and from five Western cities, and in the near future, to resort destinations in Mexico according to its website.

The business plan resembles the point-to-point concept developed from San Diego by Pacific Southwest Airlines-PSA, which ceased operations on April 8, 1988 when it was merged into USAir (now US Airways).

The initial schedule is proposed to serve Sacramento, San Jose, Oakland, Las Vegas, and Phoenix. Within a short time after operations begin, California Pacific Airlines’ routes will be extended to weekend flights to Cabo San Lucas.

The new California Pacific Airlines is the long-held dream of North County entrepreneur, Ted Vallas, who began his business career in the 1950s and operated Air Resorts Airlines.

In 1980, Vallas received air carrier permits and approvals from the FAA to operate a scheduled airline from Carlsbad to a number of cities in California, Arizona and Mexico.

The Olympic Resort was designed to service Vallas’ Air Resorts Airlines, a scheduled and charter airline, which operated out of San Diego’s Lindbergh Field for 17 years.

California Pacific Airlines (“CP Air”) will begin with five 70-seat Embraer ERJ 170s. According to Vallas, “We will be acquiring three new twin-jet Embraer 170s and to get us on an earlier start, we are acquiring two nearly-new Embraer 170s.”

The ERJ 170 has a 1,550-mile range, and the planned CPA passenger configuration will have 6 First Class, 20 Business Class, and 44 Economy seats. According to the airline, with a 2×2 configuration, the aircraft will have no middle seats and more leg room.