Pioneering Airlines of the USA

From the earliest days of powered flight the United

States has been a pioneer in air travel both for the

purpose of transporting passengers and cargo.

Beginning with the air mail industry, new companies

started in every region to bid for contracts to carry

mail. Many of these would grow into household

names such as Northwest, Pan Am, TWA and Braniff.

In this presentation we look at some of the pioneering

airlines of the USA which are no longer with us.

Pan American World Airways

Known as Pan Am, this was one of the most

recognisable names in the airline industry. It started

operations in 1927 and expanded by operating flying

boats, nicknamed Clippers, to South and Central

America.

It grew with the jet age, becoming the first to operate

the Boeing 707 and 747, and had bases around the

world. But the worldwide recession and first Gulf War

had a hard impact and the airline ceased flying in

1991 having sold many of its parts to rivals.

Northwest AirlinesNorthwest started life as a mail carrier from Minneapolis in

1926. By 1927 it had branched out to carrying passengers

and quickly expanded its network.

In the 1940s and 50s the airline added luxurious piston

airliners and expanded its network from coast-to-coast,

and even to the Far East, with the new name Northwest

Orient.

It purchased Republic Airlines in 1986 and formed a

strategic partnership with KLM in 1993. In 2008 Northwest

merged with Delta Air Lines and the name was lost by 2010.

BraniffBraniff was one of America’s more colourful airlines and has a fond place in the memories of those who flew in the 1960s and 70s.

Formed in 1930, it expanded with early aircraft types and in 1965 invented a new corporate identity. This saw its new jet aircraft (Boeing 727s and Douglas DC-8s) each painted a different colour.

Braniff established a strong network to South America and Europe, and was an early pioneer of low-cost travel. It sadly went bankrupt in May 1982 when costs became too high to sustain.

Continental AirlinesContinental was founded as Varney Speed Lines in 1932 with Lockheed Vega aircraft flying passengers and mail from Texas to California and Mexico.

In 1958 the first jets entered the fleet, replacing older piston airliners. Widebody Boeing 747s and McDonnell Douglas DC-10s started flying on trunk routes, and to Hawaii, Europe and Asia from the 1970s.

Continental formed a feeder carrier to operate from its main hubs at Houston and Newark. A large network of European destinations was added in the 2000s using narrowbody Boeing 757s.

Talks with United Airlines in 2008 led to the airlines eventually merging. The United name was retained, but Continental’s livery is now used across the fleet.

Trans World Airlines (TWA)

Like Pan Am, TWA was another name known around the world, and was at times a major force in the industry.

TWA was a pioneer in new aircraft, including the Douglas DC-1, DC-2 and DC-3 designs, as well as the Lockheed Constellation, under the guidance of its eccentric Hollywood star owner, Howard Hughes. It would fight bitterly with Pan Am over market share and tactics.

Round-the-world connections were completed by 1969 and TWA went on to operate a fleet of widebody aircraft, as well as smaller jets on its domestic network.

In 2001 the iconic name was lost as the struggling airline was swallowed up by American Airlines.

Piedmont AirlinesPiedmont had become a major airline by the time of

its merger with USAir in 1989, with over 20,000 staff, 123

destinations (including Europe) and a large fleet.

It had started operations in 1948 from its bases in

Winston-Salem and Charlotte/Douglas. It entered the

jet era with Boeing 727s in 1967, and even operated

the Japanese NAMC YS-11 turboprop.

Today the name lives on as a feeder carrier for US

Airways (now American Airlines).

America WestA relative newcomer to the low-cost market. Formed

in 1981 with a base in Phoenix, America West

operated Boeing 737s and later added 757s and

Airbus A320s on a large network spreading across the

country. It even flirted with Boeing 747 operations to

Hawaii briefly.

America West initially sought a purchase of US Airways

in 2005. However, the east coast airline performed a

reverse takeover. Although America West went on to

manage US Airways, the name was lost for good.

Western AirlinesWestern Air Express was founded in 1925 and merged with Transcontinental Air Transport to form TWA. However, Western de-merged in 1934, becoming Western Air Lines in 1941.

Through the 1960s and 70s Western’s wings truly spread as it expanded across the country and even the Atlantic. It operated a mixed fleet of jet aircraft, including the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and modern Boeing 737-300s.

In 1986 Delta Air Lines made a swoop for the carrier is it sought to expand in the West Coast market. The name had disappeared by the next year.

Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA)

Credited with being the inspiration for the mighty Southwest Airlines, PSA was a pioneer of low-cost airline travel. It started flying with a Douglas DC-3 between Burbank and Oakland in 1949 and quickly spread its network across California.

After operating the Lockheed Electra and even the TriStar, its fleet settled on the Boeing 727 and 737, and later the British Aerospace 146.

Its success made it a target for greedy legacy airlines wanting a bigger cut of the California market. In April 1988 USAir made a successful bit and swallowed up PSA.

Eastern Air Lines

Eastern Air LinesBased in Miami, Eastern started life in 1926 as Pitcairn Airlines flying mail routes. It quickly saw how lucrative tourism from the northeast to the southern states could be and started carrying passengers.

Eastern grew, through the piston era, into a significant airline. In 1960 its first jet, a Douglas DC-8, joined the fleet. Widebody Airbus A300s, Boeing 747s and Lockheed TriStarsjoined in the 1970s and the network expanded to cover South America.

Between 1989 and 1991 the airline suffered heavy losses and eventually ceased flying.

From the early beginnings through the mergers,

bankruptcies and the rise of the low cost and

charter carriers, this book uncovers the stories of

America’s best-known airlines. With details of

their fleets, bases and route networks. Find out

why once giants carriers such as Pan Am and

TWA no longer grace our skies, and how airlines

like Southwest and PSA inspired a new breed of

travel that would take the world by storm.

Airlines of the USA

Available here:

Matt Falcus

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