JANET: The Top-Secret Airline Transporting Government Officials to Area 51

Did you know that the United States military runs its own airline? This airline, operating from "Just Another Non-Existent Terminal," supposedly flies to some of the most mysterious and secretive locations in the United States, including (supposedly) Area 51. This is the captivating case of JANET Airlines, the carrier that flies to nowhere. 

 

 

The U.S. Air Force Needs an Airline

 

Throughout the Cold War, the U.S. Air Force needed better planes to compete with their Soviet adversaries. Be it a spy plane, better fighter jet, or stealth bomber, the demand for military and civilian contractors shot into the sky to build the Air Force's modern toys of war. From the 20th century through the modern day, most of the development and testing of top-secret military aircraft is done at remote locations on Test Ranges and military bases in the deserts of Nevada and California. 

 

For most civilian and DoD contractors typically based in and around the Southern Nevadan Metropolis of Las Vegas, commuting to work at top secret U.S. Military/Air Force bases was usually a hassle which involved driving one to three hours from their homes in and around Las Vegas to those top secret military bases. In 1973, the U.S. Air Force devised a solution to their employees' transportation problem with JANET Airlines. Founded in 1973, the airline aims to transport personnel safely and efficiently between Las Vegas and various U.S. Air Force and military bases around the Southwestern United States. 

 

JANET Airlines 

 

JANET, standing for "Joint Air Network for Employee Transportation," is based out of Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (LAS). Due to the heavy secrecy surrounding the airline, little is known about its actual operations besides the aircraft in use and the general flow of operations. On the ground in Las Vegas, commuter passengers on JANET fly out of a different terminal on the opposite side of the airport from the commercial passenger terminal. 

 

 

The JANET Airlines fleet currently consists of six modified USAF Boeing 737-600s, three Beechcraft 200Cs, and two Beechcraft 300Cs. During its first few years of operation, JANET's fleet consisted of one Douglass DC-6B and six modified USAF Boeing 737-200s. In recent years, the airline's presence has become rather apparent in and around Las Vegas through the internet and the JANET Airlines signature livery - white, unmarked planes with a single red stripe across them. 

 

While 737-600s are always a rare and cool spot for aviation geeks, what makes JANET Airlines so intriguing to both the aviation community and the general public are the "destinations" that the airline serves. The rise of commercially available ADSB receivers that civilians can use has allowed the use of flight trackers such as flightradar24 to track "secretive" military flights, such as U.S. military drones and JANET Airlines flights. 

 

JANET Airlines flies to multiple U.S. military destinations, with these destinations being served multiple times daily with the airline fleet: Palmdale (PMD), NAWS China Lake (NID), Edwards AFB (EDW), Homey Airport/"Area 51" (KXTA), Tonopah Test Range (XSD). 

 

Military airlines need flight attendants too!

 

In 2018, news broke that JANET Airlines was hiring flight attendants with few prerequisites needed. All a civilian wishing to be a flight attendant on JANET Airlines had to do if they were picked to be a part of the airline was to go through a U.S. government background and security check involving questions related to everything from their personal lives to loyalty to the United States. 

 

In November 2023, it was revealed that the United States Air Force was looking to replace its JANET service due to aging planes. The USAF is looking for a contracting airline that is "...FAR Part 121 certificated and be a member of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet..." Multiple U.S. airlines, large and small, are part of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF), giving the USAF a large pool to pick from. 

 

Who do you think will operate JANET Airlines in the future? Let us know in the comments below!