Scheduled passenger services started in 1978 with the airline operating nonstop flights between Las Vegas and Grand Canyon National Park Airport with Cessna 402 twin prop aircraft.

[3] PW Express service terminated in July 2009 in the wake of Pacific Wings cutbacks following an incident with airport security in Kahului.

By the time the reports emerged, the airline had reduced its service to Honolulu, Kahului, Kona, and Molokai; having eliminated flights Hana, Kalaupapa, and Kamuela.

In January 2007, the airline applied for Essential Air Service subsidies to serve Clovis and Silver City, New Mexico from Albuquerque, competing with a bid from incumbent operator Great Lakes Aviation, and to serve Hobbs and Carlsbad, New Mexico, competing with a bid from incumbent operator Air Midwest.

[10] The United States Department of Transportation issued an order selecting Pacific Wings for the Hobbs and Carlsbad service on March 30, 2007.

[17] Eventually replacement carriers were procured (Cape Air in Owensboro and SeaPort Airlines in Jackson) and TennesseeSkies/KentuckySkies ceased operation in early 2012.

For the year 2013, Pacific Wings had received the EAS contract to serve Burlington, Iowa, Decatur, Illinois, and Jonesboro, Arkansas from St. Louis, Missouri replacing Air Choice One.

The flight was destined for the Grand Canyon, but after liftoff the pilot advised the air traffic controller that the baggage door was open and requested to return to the airport for landing.

The first known recorded incident reported in the media happened in October 2005, after the President of the airline and one of his employees were attacked by Wackenhut Security Manager "Butch" Tam Ho in an airport conference room during a meeting in which Pacific Wings requested to bring repeated incidents of harassment by Wackenhut personnel to the attention of airport management.

The airline President and his employee were then placed under citizen's arrest by Wackenhut personnel and held for hours without being Mirandized or allowed access to a telephone.

Neither the Pacific Wings President nor the employee were ever charged by prosecutors with any crime, and both arrest records were expunged six months after the incident.