Putting It Into Drive

Mike Faust Airlines, fondly known as MFA, was founded by Mike Faust on October 31, 2014, in the parking lot of Parliament Hall at Florida Atlantic University, serving as an airline-themed lift for Mike’s friends to our Catholic Newman Club Halloween party.

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Throughout Mike’s college year, the fake airline shuttled his friends across the FAU campus, to Mass at St. Joan of Arc, to midnight hangs on the beach, and far across our first town of operations, Boca Raton. As Mike started to make more money off Cruise Currents ad revenue, the airline introduced passenger amenities, including bottled water and bags of goldfish – though the goldfish were soon replaced with pretzels following a harrowing snack attack by a passenger on the crew of a midnight-beach bound flight.

 

The airline truly took off in 2015 with the introduction of custom, branded pillows, bringing a professional and cozy touch to the fleet’s original Mazda 3 aircar, nicknamed Navigator of the Streets.

 

Long Haul Launch

MFA began long haul operations in 2016 on our inaugural trip to The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, with a scheduled stopover at Disney Springs and Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar. The first long haul also featured our first foray into indrive dining, offering our Business Class guest, Gina, a full breakfast service, including a breakfast sandwich, yogurt & granola, and fresh fruit. Gina said it was okay.

 

The Orlando Years

MFA was on the move again in 2017, closing operations at our first hub, CAM – Camden Boca Raton, and relocating to BWH – Baldwin Park. The relocation also debuted the airline’s new aircar, the 2017 Mazda3 “Mikeliner”. A new hub and car also brought about the most radical rebranding in the airline’s history, trading in the ocean blues of Boca for the distinguished purples and blacks that for some reason made Mike think of Orlando.

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The Orlando years also saw MFA’s expansion to Florida’s western and northern coasts, introducing service to some of our favorite weekend getaway spots, such as St. Augustine, Amelia Island, and Captiva.

MFA’s indrive magazine Wander published its first edition in 2019, offering passengers crew recommendations for their Orlando must-visits, as well as some song recs, cocktail recipes, and travel info.

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Soon, the world came to a halt, and our aircar sat still on Jake Street, gathering dust, acorns, and pollen. The pandemic forced a rethinking of how to share the fun energy of MFA while in lockdown…and I say we figured it out.

 

Back Down 95

After a yearlong suspension of operations due to the Covid-19, MFA rolled up its sleeves, grabbed a double dose of Pfizer, and resumed operations following another relocation from BWH – Baldwin Harbor, back down I95 to our beloved South Florida, opening our new home hub at OLA – Las Olas. The airline debuted with a refreshed logo and brand, notably similar (it’s the same) to the logo used during our Boca years. Our crew received new uniforms, Wander published its newest edition years after the previous edition, and our aircars debuted new interior cabins, including an update to our most well-known amenity - the branded pillows.

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Today, MFA employs a strong workforce of 1 and serves more than 25 destinations around the beautiful Sunshine State. Our on-time record remains respectable, always arriving close to when we say we will. Passengers continue to rave about the thoughtful amenities, the delicious snacks from Publix, and the often over the top service from our crew.

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And why shouldn’t it be over the top? Our driving goal is to go to the ends of the earth for our passengers, offering a special and fun touch of radical hospitality to the simple act of taking a ride in a car – it’s our way of saying we love you and we’re glad you’re along for the ride.

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Thank you for being part of this 8-year long joke, let’s keep it going for many miles to come.