Mackey Airlines was founded by former stunt pilot and United States Air Force Colonel Joseph C. Mackey on September 30, 1946. The airline merged with Eastern Airlines in 1967 (resulting in a name change to Mackey International Airlines). In 1977, Mackey's headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida was the target of a bombing attributed to Cuban anti-Castro activity in the United States. Mackey Airlines ceased operations in 1981.