#DefunctThursday 🧵
Founded in 1931, Swissair was founded through the merger of Ad Astra Aero and Balair and was the flag carrier of Switzerland. Swissair served destinations throughout Europe during the 1930s. #AvGeekThis tweet was posted on November 17, 2022.
A fleet of stretched & updated DC-8 types, the Super 60 Series, was operated by #Braniff in the 1970s. Artist Alexander Calder conceived the colorful livery scheme for one of these aircraft, which was colorful christened “Flying Colors of South America.” #DefunctThursday#AvGeekThis tweet was posted on February 10, 2022.
Adverse publicity from an ill-planned ad campaign, along with stiff competition on the California corridor from other airlines ultimately led Pacific to seek out a merger with Bonanza Air Lines and West Coast Airlines to form Air West in 1968.
#DefunctThursday#PacificAirlinesThis tweet was posted on July 14, 2022.
After China’s civil war (1945-1949), CAT relocated to the island of Taiwan in 1950, and evolved from a relief cargo airline to a government contractor and commercial carrier. In 1953, the airline formally became the flag carrier of the Republic of China. #CAT#DefunctThursdayThis tweet was posted on April 28, 2022.
After the Allied victory in August 1945, the airline secured a system of eight primary routes throughout China all the while struggling against a backdrop of increasing civil war. #DefunctThursday#CNACThis tweet was posted on April 07, 2022.
Air California was formed in 1965 by a group of Orange County businessmen who recognized a great need to serve the rapidly expanding business communities and population centers of the region with intrastate air service from their local Orange County Airport (later renamed John Wayne Airport).
This image was posted on January 20, 2022.
#defunctthursday#avgeek#aircal#aircalifornia
Air West was branded with an ultramodern service mark in bright interchangeable color combinations of lime green, royal blue, orange, pink, and bronze. #DefunctThursday#AirWestThis tweet was posted on March 24, 2022.
Air West’s stewardesses were outfitted in futuristic, slim-cut, high-fashion ensembles created by Oleg Cassini and reminiscent of uniforms worn in the original Star Trek television series, which was popular at the time. #DefunctThursday#AirWestThis tweet was posted on March 24, 2022.
Along with skyrocketing oil prices, the once profitable routes National operated became unprofitable under Pan Am, which flew its last flight on December 4, 1991.
#PanAm#DefunctThursday#AvGeekThis tweet was posted on August 25, 2022.
Although Pan American World Airways experienced unprecedented success in the 1960s and 70s, by the end of the 1980s the company was struggling. #PanAm#DefunctThursday#AvGeekThis tweet was posted on August 25, 2022.
An overaggressive acquisition strategy of smaller airlines led Swissair to declare bankruptcy in 2002. Crossair subsequently took over the name Swiss International Air Lines and became Switzerland's flag carrier. #DefunctThursday#AvGeekThis tweet was posted on November 17, 2022.
Around the same time, in 1962, TWA opened their iconic terminal, the Trans World Flight Center, designed by Eero Saarinen, at New York International Airport, later renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport. #DefunctThursday#AvGeek#TWAThis tweet was posted on December 15, 2022.
As Japan waged war on China in 1937, CNAC evacuated Shanghai, its original headquarters and home base in August and relocated to Chongqing. In trying to avoid Japanese detection, the airline pioneered the routes over the Himalayas. #DefunctThursday#CNACThis tweet was posted on April 07, 2022.
As Pan American was not licensed to operate domestic routes within in the United States, the company purchased National Airlines in 1980. This did not prove be a good financial takeover as the company would have liked. #PanAm#DefunctThursday#AvGeekThis tweet was posted on August 25, 2022.
As with many airline companies, airline deregulation created cutthroat competitive conditions and in 1989, the Flying Tiger Line merged with Federal Express.
#DefunctThursday#FlyingTigersThis tweet was posted on May 12, 2022.
BEA inaugurated Comet 4B jetliner service to numerous destinations in Europe in April 1960. In 1974, BEA merged back with British Overseas Airways Corporation to form British Airways, the current flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. #DefunctThursday#BEA#BOAC#AvGeekThis tweet was posted on February 24, 2022.
Based in San Francisco, the 3,800-employee carrier served numerous destinations up & down the California corridor, from San Diego to Crescent City, along with cities throughout the Southwest and Northwest, and even several tourist destinations in Mexico. #DefunctThursday#AirWestThis tweet was posted on March 17, 2022.
Braniff International Airways, which operated from 1930 to 1982, has the distinction of being one the very few airlines named eponymously for its owner.
This image was posted on February 10, 2022.
#defunctthursday#avgeek#braniff
By 1962, Piedmont's service extended to Atlanta, Georgia, and Washington, D.C. Their entry into the jet age was powered by a Boeing 727 in 1967. Piedmont started to operate Boeing 737s the next year. #DefunctThursday#Piedmont#AvGeekThis tweet was posted on September 29, 2022.
By 1978, the airline had expanded its service to San Francisco, recorded a decade of annual profits and attained a reputation for quality and reliable service. In 1981, the airline introduced the wide-body Douglas DC-10-15 on its high-density routes. #DefunctThursday#MexicanaThis tweet was posted on May 19, 2022.
By the end of 1949, with the proclamation of the new People’s Republic of China by Communist Party leader Mao Zedong, many of CNAC’s assets were absorbed by the new government.
#DefunctThursday#CNACThis tweet was posted on April 07, 2022.
By the end of 1962, the service grew to 100 flights a day. In 1963, the company received the first permanent certificate issued by the C.A.B to any helicopter carrier. #DefunctThursday#SFOHelicopter#AvGeekThis tweet was posted on November 10, 2022.
By the end of 1969, the carrier had gained a large customer base and charted over 800,000 bookings for the year. In the 1980s, the carrier was rebranded as #AirCal with a fresh look and color palette for its airliner liveries and flight crews. #DefunctThursdayThis tweet was posted on January 20, 2022.
By the end of the 1950s, the airline had rapidly expanded into 35 cities. In 1966, Ozark entered the jet age and purchased several Douglas DC-9 aircraft, and added destinations all over the country. #DefunctThursday#Ozark#AvGeekThis tweet was posted on July 07, 2022.
By the mid-1960s, PSA had grown substantially and was flying record numbers of passengers. It added the turbojet Boeing 727 and McDonnell Douglas DC-9 to its fleet and expanded its routes to include Sacramento, San Jose, and Ontario.
#DefunctThursday#PacificSouthwestAirlinesThis tweet was posted on October 07, 2022.
By the mid-1980s, Flying Tigers became the world’s largest air cargo carrier, operating scheduled cargo service to six continents and served 58 countries. #DefunctThursday#FlyingTigersThis tweet was posted on May 12, 2022.
China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC) was Asia’s first sustained commercial airline. Scheduled service began on October 21, 1929, along a 525-mile route from Shanghai to Hankou with two passengers and one pound of mail. #DefunctThursday#CNACThis tweet was posted on April 07, 2022.