June 2004 - Issue 6

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The History of Commercial Aviation

Airlines

Manufacturers

TWA Airlines

TWA's long history began in 1930 when Transcontinental Air Transport and Western Air Express merged in a "shotgun wedding" at the strong urging of the U. S. Post Master General, Walter Folger Brown. The new airline would fulfill Brown's vision of providing one of several direct cross-country routes. Transcontinental Air Transport, or TAT, had been offering coast-to-coast service via train and plane for the previous year. But because of frequent flight cancellations, TAT's service came to be derisively known as "Take A Train."

In 1932, Transcontinental and Western Air led an aerial revolution by contracting with Douglas Aircraft to build the plane that became the legendary DC-3. The plane could fly faster, higher and farther than any other commercial aircraft. It instantly rendered all other commercial craft obsolete. When President Franklin Roosevelt cancelled commercial airmail contracts in 1934, TWA president Jack Frye piloted the last commercial mail delivery on the newly assembled DC-3 across the country in a record time of just over 13 hours.

Jack Frye’s request for a new commercial airliner in 1932 led to the development of the DC-3.

Known as the "pilots' airline," TWA continued to put to use the latest technology. In 1940, it introduced the Boeing 307 Stratocruiser on coast-to-coast flights. The Stratocruiser was the first pressurized airplane. It allowed smooth, high-altitude flight for the first time. When aviation enthusiast Howard Hughes became the principal shareholder of TWA in 1939, he personally directed a secret joint venture with Lockheed Aircraft. The resulting plane was the Lockheed Constellation, or Connie. With its sleek, graceful fuselage, the Connie was widely adored for its appearance, as well as for its record-breaking speeds.

TWA entered the jet age in the late 1950s by purchasing a fleet of Boeing 707s.

During World War II, TWA gained valuable international flying experience covering routes across the North and South Atlantic. TWA continued to fly its European routes after the war, despite bitter protests from Pan Am who sought to maintain its international monopoly. To signify its new status as an international carrier, Transcontinental and Western Air re-christened itself Trans World Airlines in 1950. Trans World customers benefited from a series of innovations designed to increase passenger comfort. By this time, TWA had already been first to introduce in-flight passenger audio by offering individual listening devices for commercial radio programs. In 1961, TWA would offer passengers the luxury of in-flight movies for the first time ever.

As Pan Am and other airlines began to embrace the jet age in the late 1950s, TWA followed suit by purchasing a fleet of Boeing 707s to fly domestically between New York and San Francisco, and internationally between New York and Europe. In 1970, TWA became the first airline to offer domestic 747 service when it inaugurated nonstop service between Los Angeles and New York.

A recession in the 1970s hit the airline industry especially hard, though. Skyrocketing fuel costs and an over-abundance of airline seats made it difficult for airlines to turn a profit. TWA was no exception. The airline would only face leaner times in the 1980s as airline deregulation led to increased competition. No-frills airlines began to spring up, offering drastically-reduced airfares. In order to remain competitive, many airlines began merging to stay ahead of the pack. Those which didn't merge left themselves open to bankruptcy or takeover attempts.

Operating a wide array of domestic and international routes, TWA proved an attractive target. In 1985, corporate raider Carl Icahn beat out Frank Lorenzo to win controlling interest in the airline. Icahn took the company private in 1988, a move which burdened the airline with $540 million in debt. To offset its financial troubles, Icahn began selling off TWA's routes to other airlines. The losses continued, though. In 1992, the airline filed for bankruptcy, but managed to continue to stay afloat. In early 2001, TWA - the airline which began life as Transcontinental Air Transport 71 years ago - was finally sold to American Airlines.