Historiography: Remembering Former Airlines

The airports are filling up again. That time of year where “over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house” becomes a reality for many. Before they even breach the river, they must contend with long lines on driveways and parked vehicles off- and on-loading loved ones and friends stacking up a few or more vehicles deep.

As I dropped off George at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport recently, it made me think of the old days. I know that I covered a “personal history of flight” earlier this year. However, I began to reminisce of airlines gone by. Airlines that once ruled the sky only to merge or fold into the dustbin of history.

Airlines that were once protected by the Civil Aeronautics Board against predatory competition. Airlines that were born out of necessity, including providing Essential Air Service to many communities across the country. Of airliners that became inefficient to fly with rising fuel costs, noise and air pollution standards. 

The adventure of climbing stairs from the tarmac on hot or cold days onto a plane with comfortable seats and true service in the air. They wanted us to catch their smile, become a “top banana,” or offering a glass of sparkling wine (clearly not from the Champagne region of France) to everyone on board as the “only way to fly.”

My first recollection of airlines past came in 1970. The West Coast had so many smaller airlines serving places near and far. San Diego-based Pacific Southwest Airlines, also known as PSA, had control of California’s skies. They connected airports large and small, eventually wearing a smile on the nose. The flight attendants wore bright colors and provided the best service possible. 

We caught them at Hollywood Burbank Airport en route to either San Francisco or Oakland. The dinky old terminal gave us a short walk to one of their jets – a Boeing 727 or a McDonnell-Douglas MD-80. They flew those small BAe 146-200s with the four jets below the high-mounted wings. They actually were great planes to fly up-and-down California. 

PSA was one of the first customers of the Lockheed L1011. It seemed like a natural fit as the three-engine widebody aircraft was built in California. In 1974, they had big dreams. One of those dreams was to increase passenger capacity on one of the busiest routes in the country: Los Angeles-San Francisco. That lasted about a year. However, the next decade would see more widebody aircraft service the same route by the country’s major airlines – namely TWA, Delta Air Lines, and Pan American Airlines. 

By 1987, PSA’s smiles were gone. Pittsburgh-based USAir (formerly Allegheny Airlines) merged PSA into the fold. It gave USAir a true national network, thanks to the previous merger with North Carolina-based Piedmont Airlines. They kept the network going for a few years, but nothing was left of any of the original West Coast routes by 2004. 

Up the coast in Orange County, Air California was flying around the state with a few different routings than PSA. One was to San Jose, which was seen as an untapped destination in the late 1960s. Airline deregulation saw Air California – later to known as AirCal – jump across state lines for greater opportunities to serve their passengers. This was also the route PSA took to grow their brand of smiling service. 

AirCal was seen as a second fiddle to PSA. Some would argue that AirCal provided better service than their competition from San Diego. Around the same time as PSA’s merger with USAir, American Airlines knocked on the door at John Wayne Airport. Before we knew it, AirCal was merged into AA. 

Mergers were the thing even before the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978. It was the only way small carriers could survive through both good and bad economic times. This was the story of Hughes Airwest – seen as Howard Hughes’ last act in the airline business. 

The San Francisco-based airline began in 1968 with the merger of three carriers: Bonanza Airlines, Pacific Air Lines, and West Coast Airlines, the combined AirWest network stretched from Montana to Arizona. The livery was modern to late 1960s standards. However, the arrival of Hughes and his investment firm created a new identity that shocked the transportation world. 

All of Hughes Airwest’s fleet were painted yellow. Hence why they were called the “Top Banana in The West.” While operating an extensive western USA network, Hughes Airwest changed their focus from flying shorter routes to stretching themselves halfway across the country. That put the airline in jeopardy of bankruptcy and collapse. 

In 1980, a Minneapolis-based airline came knocking to rescue the “top banana.” It was part of a three-way merger with North Central Airlines and Southern Airlines that would be called Republic Airlines. This would be first major merger since the Airline Deregulation Act became a standard business practice.  

Even with its merger, Republic always competed hard against Northwest Airlines. Rather, Northwest Orient. Its North Central network served more communities than Northwest in the Upper Midwest. Combined, Republic operated a large network that became less sustainable throughout the 1980s. Their woes would end when the two Twin Cities-based airlines merged together to become the dominant airline at MSP. 

The thing about Northwest was its dominance across the northern part of the USA, eventually linking with Asia before World War II. That would take off after the war by establishing Haneda Airport in Tokyo as their base of operations for the Asian network. As aircraft improved with more range – including jet aircraft – Northwest Orient promoted itself as an international airline with a solid domestic network. 

They were a very strong airline indeed. By adding Republic’s network and hubs, Northwest also promoted its regional service brand, Airlink. They would comprise of a series of smaller airlines flying with Northwest’s colors through the Essential Air Service program. The idea was to take a passenger from Bemidji to Newark – or from Fargo to Manilla – on a familiar carrier, even if it meant a few transfers en route. 

Northwest was seen as the least likely airline to merge into another one. Bankruptcy proceedings in 2005 simply challenged the airline by putting itself on the auction block. They escaped financial peril two years later by being a stronger, more focused airline. That was until the announced merger with Delta in 2008. Before we knew it, our Twin Cities gateway to the world would soon be controlled by a few folks in Atlanta. 

You know, it actually worked out quite well for us in the Twin Cities.

Delta had always been involved with merging smaller airlines in their fold well before the Deregulation Act. One of my favorite carriers that would merge into Delta was Western Airlines. Going back to the 1960s, Western would market itself through a cartoon bird propping itself against the tail of an airliner sipping a glass of sparkling wine. That big white cartoon bird proclaimed the Western was “the only way to fly.” 

That bird was right. Western flights were enjoyable and fun in the 1980s. Its Salt Lake City hub augmented its Los Angeles headquarters, as Western served you that beverage for free in coach – even on an hour-long hop from LAX to Phoenix. 

They made their mark in elevating service to Mexico and Hawai’i. The McDonnell-Douglas DC-10 was their mainline aircraft for those key flights. More sparkling wine was served across the Pacific or down across the neighbor to the south. They were a solid airline that should’ve been given a chance.

Airline deregulation changed that. By 1987, Western was fully merged in Delta. The Atlanta-based airline now had hubs in Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. They also had a smaller hub in San Francisco at one time. 

Delta was not the only one playing deregulation “Pac-Man.” American had been merging airlines even before it swallowed AirCal. Two of which were solid carriers at key parts in my life.

I should pick up the story of USAir along the timeline. With the merger of PSA, USAir became US Airways – a more button-down airline that was serious about flying wherever they landed. As I moved from California to DC, US Airways became one of five air carriers I relied on for air service (the other three were Delta, TWA, Continental, and Northwest). 

At one time, US Airways wanted to play in Southwest Airlines’ sandbox by offering lower fares and one-class service. The existence of Metrojet was an interesting adventure, concentrating on equally interesting routings. The planes were painted red with US Airways’ tail. They had a different boarding procedure than Southwest’s. Yet, they got you there. If flying from Dulles Airport to Cleveland was “there.”

What crippled US Airways were the events of September 11, 2001. All air service was affected. More so with US Airways dominance in the Washington, DC market. This would eventually lead to a merger with Phoenix-based America West Airlines in 2007. The merger also prompted the airline to consolidate operations in the Valley of The Sun, while maintaining their network across the East Coast. 

After some rollercoaster years, US Airways connected with American for a merger. By 2017, the former became history. 

Which leaves me with one more former airline to lament. Howard Hughes’ earlier adventure into airline ownership was Trans World Airlines. This was an air carrier that matched Hughes’ style and chutzpah. TWA was the airline of the stars, thanks to Hughes’ personality and connections. 

That glamour translated onto its service. They were trying to be the airline to compete with Pan Am across the Atlantic. Even from their base in Kansas City, TWA gave passengers a level of style and flash that contrasted to Pan Am’s offerings. 

During the 1980s, TWA was seen as a reflection of the time. While a bit more sedate, they offered high-powered clients the chance to fly widebodies from LAX to practically everywhere. You can catch an L-1011 to SFO or San Diego, after it flew across the country – or, from London-Heathrow. You had the option of flying in Ambassador Class for about a few dollars more. 

TWA would be one of a few airlines I had the chance to fly on both coasts. That list included Delta, American, US Airways, and America West. As years went by, the airline soldiered on until it was merged into American by 2001. 

These airlines – along with Pan Am, Continental, and Midwest – have left behind memories of flights of fancy. While I never experienced the legendary service on a Pan Am flight, Continental and Midwest provided some interesting experiences in the air. In fact, I flew both of those airlines for my only international destination – Toronto. 

All of these airlines have been preserved in many ways. YouTube is a great place to relive the magic these carriers’ provided passengers in their heyday. Some museums actually house the history of these airlines for future generations to discover. 

Then, there’s the memories themselves. Just walking into MSP or LAX and recalling what it was like the first time I flew in or out of there. How much has changed since I flew into there? What has the airport retained over time? Coupled with the memories of airlines that once flew the skies. 

Only the memories last as we remember them. 

Cover photo by Randy Stern