Some of us can remember a time when any number of US airlines graced the skies, both near and far. Most dated back to the early days of commercial aviation but every single one of them had a loyal fan base. Several were permanently grounded as a result of severe financial difficulties that no amount of bankruptcy restructuring could fix. Others were absorbed in complicated mergers that left only one carrier as the surviving airline. Whatever the reason, all of them are missed. That’s why I thought it’d be fun to take a look back at these bygone airlines; how they started, how they grew and what contributions they made to the world of aviation. This is the first installment in a multi-part series. If you’re lucky enough to remember flying just one of these carriers, I hope you enjoy your trip down memory lane. If not, I'm betting you'll appreciate learning more about what made each airline special and the role they played in the evolution of the industry. First up - Braniff Airways.
The year was 1928 and two brothers named Braniff joined forces to create what would eventually become one of the world’s leading airlines. From very humble beginnings as an Aero Club in Oklahoma City, their initial venture grew to become a multinational corporation with routes spanning the United States, Canada, Mexico and beyond to South America as well as destinations across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The brothers were aviator Paul Revere Braniff and businessman Thomas Elmer Braniff. In the spring of 1928 the new airline took to the skies on its maiden voyage with a single-engine 5 passenger Stinson Detroiter. The startup carrier flew oil company executives 118 miles between Oklahoma City and Tulsa, then the heart of the Oklahoma oil boom. The new airline was completely dependent upon passenger fares for its very existence and, running into financial difficulties, was soon purchased by a large aviation holding company. But that didn’t deter the Braniff brothers. They created a new entity in 1930 in the midst of the Great Depression flying similar routes, this time using Lockheed Vega airplanes. Close to collapse in 1934, Braniff was rescued by the award of a government airmail contract between Oklahoma City and Chicago.
Enjoying steady growth in the ensuing years, Braniff upgraded its fleet and by 1940 was flying the famous Douglas DC-3 twin-engine aircraft. Two years later they moved company headquarters to Dallas Love Field. That airport had become the central terminus of its core operations which by then linked the Great Lakes with Texas. Their growth was slowed during the war years but company fortunes greatly improved after its conclusion when they received approval to operate between the US and Central America, Cuba and deep into the South American Continent. Much larger, 4-engine Douglas DC-4 and DC-6 airplanes were soon added to the fleet, specifically purchased for the carrier’s operations over its 7,000-mile route system south of the border. Formerly little Braniff Airways was now recognized as an international airline!
In mid-1952 following months of negotiations, Braniff acquired Mid-Continent Airlines. Although a smaller Kansas City-based trunk line, Mid-Continent had valuable north-south routes and added a number of new and important midwestern cities to the carrier’s growing system. Following that acquisition, Braniff operated 75 aircraft and claimed over 4,000 employees, including 400 pilots. In 1955 they were ranked as the 9th largest US airline by domestic passenger miles and 10th largest US airline by overall passenger miles. The company flew into the jet age in 1959 with the introduction of the Lockheed L-188 Electra 4-engine turboprop followed by the all-jet Boeing 707. Braniff further expanded its operations across the Eastern US into Newark and Washington, DC and, thanks to an arrangement with Eastern Airlines, through Miami which now served as another gateway to feed the company's South American system. After changing hands several times in the early 1960s, Braniff was sold to the Greatamerica Insurance Company in 1964. Their executives saw in Braniff a well-run and stable concern with a highly underutilized operation that could, with an overhaul, become a world-class airline that just might span the globe. The Greatamerica management team was right and, in less than 2 years, Braniff became the talk of the town in aviation circles and the envy of all others with their carefully crafted and wildly-successful promotions.
A man named Harding Luther Lawrence was largely responsible for this stellar achievement. Formerly a Continental Airlines Executive Vice President, at age 44 he became one of the youngest men to head an airline in America. Immediately after assuming the Braniff Presidency in1965, he visited every area of company operations. Lawrence soon decided a new promotion and advertising program was needed to catapult Braniff into the world spotlight. He wasted no time in hiring the New York firm of Jack Tinker and Partners, employer of Mary Wells who had made a name for herself on Madison Avenue. Wells created a campaign that revolutionized the manner in which airlines presented themselves to the public. Every aspect of the company was redesigned which included over 17,000 elements - from their livery to blankets and even sachets of sugar! Don’t forget, most airplanes back then were white and gray and airports resembled nondescript milItary hangars. There existed no broad market for air travel and there were also no differentiating features between carriers. Braniff change everything! Their entire fleet was soon painted in a palette of soft pastels and bright primary colors while seats and carpets were upholstered in signature textiles. Their uniform designs also proved revolutionary. Braniff introduced “air hostesses” dressed in uniforms that reflected then-contemporary fashion trends. “The End of the Plain Plane” campaign was born and made Braniff the go-to airline during the “Come Fly With Me” era.
The public took notice and flying on Braniff was considered stylish and exciting. The rest of the industry scrambled to follow suit. With this, the airline began a non-stop period of record growth in traffic and profits for the next 14 years! They started flying to Hawaii in 1969, justifying the need for a new Boeing 747 that was delivered in early 1971 with a bright orange livery. It became the flagship of the fleet and would fly Braniff’s inaugural flight to London in 1978 - the airline’s 50th anniversary year. That fall, the Airline Deregulation Act was signed into law. While new and aggressive airline startups were formed, few existing carriers had any strategy for competing in a non-regulated environment. Braniff’s management believed the only way forward was to grow because, according to their thinking, only a small number of then-legacy carriers would survive. They went on a buying spree for new jetliners and put them to work flying new routes to new cities. Many of the international routes they had applied for years earlier were now being awarded. The airline began expanding their European service in 1979 to include Amsterdam, Paris, Brussels and Frankfurt. That same year saw new, orange Braniff 747 aircraft crossing the Pacific to Guam, Hong Kong, Seoul and Singapore. It was a heady time!
When the new Dallas-Fort Worth Regional Airport opened for scheduled operations on January 13, 1974, Braniff was there, having moved its flights from Love Field. They were the leading carrier at the new airport by a large margin. In that first year alone, the airline’s daily arrivals and departures numbered approximately 250. By December 1980, just six years later, the fast-growing airline was operating nearly 400 flights per day at what had become their premier airport. To further solidify its presence, Braniff Place World Headquarters was opened in December 1978 on the northwest corner of the DFW Airport. The modern Mediterranean villa-styled complex was designed by Welton Beckett Associates Architects as the first corporate headquarters where employees could work, play and stay.
Unfortunately, by 1979 Braniff was flying into a storm that no-one had forecast. A fundamentalist revolution in Iran precipitated a crisis causing oil prices to explode and supplies to dwindle. At the same time, changes in the US Federal Reserve’s monetary policy saw interest rates rise to double-digit levels just as Braniff’s new aircraft were rolling off Boeing’s assembly lines. To make matters worse, a severe US recession began in 1981 which was followed by a crippling strike by the nation’s air traffic controllers. It was a perfect storm they couldn’t weather, most of their own making. They expanded routes at a time of soaring fuel costs and cutthroat fare wars. Expenses rose while revenues sank. The airline has already accumulated a debt of nearly $1 billion, owed to 26 banks, 11 insurance companies and various aircraft makers. Braniff simply ran out of cash, couldn't meet payroll and ceased air carrier operations in May 1982. They’re fondly remembered for being a key partner in the planning of the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport as well as being among the first carriers to adopt and refine airline computerized reservations systems. Undoubtedly, they’re best well known for their hugely successful advertising and promotional campaigns which paved the way for airline differentiation in the marketplace and encouraged the growth of leisure travel.
Until next time…stay safe.