United Airlines retired its Boeing 747 fleet in 2017 with a farewell flight. So BN decided to standardize the fleet on the 727, which at the time was more efficient than the 707/DC-8 . It began operating under the name Alaska Airlines in 1944 and was first known as a cargo carrier. Wore N467GB with Air California from delivery in October 1968, then with American Airlines, Braniff as seen here (mid-late 1989. 6 Nov 1989. At one time, it even operated a Concorde on a short-term lease! Our decal has been updated to include double-struck white ink. Name. [1], Braniff had been one of the first U.S. operators of the BAC One-Eleven (and the first U.S. airline to order the twin jet), but in 1965 Lawrence ordered twelve new Boeing 727-100s and cancelled most of the remaining One-Eleven orders. Long-range DC-8-62s replaced the earlier DC-8-30s and DC-8-50s acquired with Braniff's 1967 takeover of Pan American Grace Airways (Panagra), and one appeared in a modern, Alexander Calder-designed "Flying Colors of South America" paint scheme. By the mid-1970s Braniff's fleet of 727s showed the efficiencies that a single type of aircraft could produce. Braniff, also known as Braniff Airways and stylized BRANIFF is an American ultra-low cost airline that operates scheduled and charter flights. . Braniff. In 1971, Braniff sold the jets to British West Indies Airways (BWIA), an airline based in the Caribbean. Still today there are some ex-Braniff aircraft flying around the globe. Aviation Art. By this point, the airline dream that had started with one used plane now had a fleet of 75 aircraft, 400 pilots, and 4,000 employees. The aircraft, which was known as '747 Braniff Place' and 'The Most Exclusive Address In The Sky' became a flagship in Braniff Airways' fleet serving Dallas, Honolulu and later across the Atlantic to London. The next day, on May 12, Braniff Airways ceased air operations, ending 54 years of air service. Braniff International lauded the CAB's quick decision as the carrier had stated that because of its tenuous cash position that it might have to shut the routes down if an agreement was not approved. Braniff Airways fleet details. Due to the American noise regulations, Concorde was limited to Mach 0.95 yet flew at slightly above Mach 1.[1]. requires all airlines to honor tickets for Braniff flights sold by travel agents or by other airlines. The normally profitable South America system began losing money when fuel prices expanded in 1979, which made the legendary Douglas DC-8-62 four-engine long-range jets uneconomical. Consequently, this livery was not used on any Braniff aircraft. Braniff (1983-1990) Braniff Inc. was a US-based airline that operated flights from 1984 until 1989 and was partially formed from the assets of the original Braniff International Airways. Braniff International Airways (1928 - 1982), Braniff (1983 - 1989) For more details about an aircraft category, click on the corresponding number in the table below. Eventually, the Driskill was sold to the Lincoln Hotel Corporation in 1985. [1] The Douglas DC-8s were aging, and there was speculation whether new Boeing 757s, Boeing 767s or Airbus A300s would replace the long range DC-8-62s (which flew Braniff's South American routes including nonstops from Los Angeles and New York City to Bogota, Colombia and Lima, Peru as well as nonstops from Miami and New York City to Buenos Aires)[18] with McDonnell Douglas MD-80s possibly being introduced on shorter routes. Braniff International maintained that it was hemorrhaging cash and that it could not continue to operate the money losing South American system. [1][24][25] Although the expansion of 1978 was successful it did not stop losses from beginning in late 1979 as a result of unprecedented rises in fuel costs and credit card interest rates of 20 percent and higher, coupled with general economic unrest. Repaint by Paul Craig. [27], The main impediment to Braniff's expansion was fuel cost, which increased 94 percent during 1979, coupled with strong competition from larger carriers in both the Domestic and Asia/Pacific Systems. Considering the airline wasn't filling its existing 707s the advent of a massive fleet of new much larger 747s was ominous. [1] Besides standard model 747s, long range 747SPs were acquired as well for these new international flights with the 747 also being operated to South America. The route was called the Banana Run because Braniff's pilots made agreements with the banana producers in Panama to move their bananas to the United States to sell. A planned retirement of older aircraft in tandem with the addition of approximately eight to ten new jets per year was followed throughout the 1970s. Pan American Chairman, and former Braniff International President, Ed Acker had previously served as Chairman of Air Florida before taking the leadership position at Pan American. She was instrumental in calming the fears of Braniff's creditors, which became concerned especially after the losses incurred in 1953, quickly followed by the loss of Mr. Braniff. Repaint of Tom Ruth's Boeing 727 in Braniff International livery, renowned for there colorful fleet of aircraft. It caught fire and all 12 lives aboard were lost."[1]. Braniff International Airways. Putnam accepted the offer, but he required that his own financial manager from Southwest Airlines, Philip Guthrie, be allowed to follow him to Braniff. However, in spite of the service's less than stellar performance, the cost to Braniff was negligible thanks mainly to the agreements that Braniff negotiated with both British Airways and Air France. I'm Richard Stretton an aviation enthusiast and major collector of 400 scale models. Airline: Braniff International Airways. Subseries 2. includes a narrative history of Mid-Continent Airlines and Panagra Airlines. PAINTER. The expansion was successful operationally and financially. Starting out with Lockheed Vegas and Douglas DC-2s and DC-3s, the airline carved out a niche in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, and after WW2, won a South American route award that terminated in Buenos Aires. In late 1978 Braniff moved to a sprawling new headquarters, Braniff Place, just inside the western grounds of the airport. David Rawlins. The airline began marketing itself simply as Braniff International, or BI. Aviation history was made at Mach .95 on Friday January 12, 1979 as two Concordes, belonging to Air France and British Airways, flew in from the east and lined up to land on parallel runways at Dallas DFW. Braniff Airways, Inc., operated as Braniff International Airways from 1948 until 1965, and then Braniff International from 1965 until air operations ceased, was an airline in the United States that once flew air carrier operations from 1928 until 1982 and continues today as a retailer, hotelier, travel service and branding and licensing company, administering the former airline's employee pass program and other airline administrative duties. The airline had debts of over $1 billion and the $270 . Braniff was the only airline to order the 707-227 because their low density and powerful engines were perfectly suited to Braniff's thin and high routes from the US Mainland to South America. The airline would occupy the facility until the late 1980s, with the Braniff, Inc. (Braniff II) holding company, Dalfort, remaining there until 2001. Braniff International Hotels, Inc., also continued in operation, which primarily operated the world famous Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas. 1967. In the late 1970s it expanded to Asia and Europe. [34], In the following days Braniff jets at Dallas-Fort Worth sat idle on the apron by Terminal 2W. At Washington Dulles, the cockpit and cabin crews were replaced by ones from Air France and British Airways for the continued flight to Europe, and the temporary Braniff registration stickers were removed. The DC-3 had just entered the fleet in December 1939. In 1955 Braniff underwent a major expansion of routes and upgrade of equipment. Former Airlines' Historical Sites. August 03, 1978. The expense of the new equipment and the costs associated with the new service and hubs increased Braniff's debt substantially although it was still manageable. The Civil Aeronautics Board awarded Braniff a 7719 statute mile route from Dallas to Houston to Havana, Balboa, C.Z., Panama, Guayaquil, Lima, La Paz, Asuncion, and finally Buenos Aires, Argentina, and from Asuncion to Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Paul, Sioux City, and Sioux Falls in the North; Des Moines, Omaha, and St. Louis in the Midwest; and Tulsa, Shreveport, and New Orleans in the South. [1] The last Braniff MAC charter associated with the Vietnam War was flown in 1975. For the footwear, Beth Levine created plastic boots and designed two-tone calfskin boots and shoes. Many of the color schemes were applied to aircraft interiors, gate lounges, ticket offices, and even the corporate headquarters. The fare included ground transportation from both airports to the downtown areas of each city, which was provided by Yellow Cab Company. The Boeing 727 became the backbone of the Braniff fleet. After the merger Braniff operated 75 aircraft and over 4000 employees, including 400 pilots. DENTON It's been more than three decades since Braniff International Airways grounded its fleet of 62 brightly colored aircrafts, bringing a sudden end to a Dallas icon and upending the lives of its 9,000 employees. Callsign. It operated a fleet of Boeing 727-200s and McDonnell Douglas DC-10s until 2001 when it filed for bankruptcy. Box 610646 2200 W. Braniff Boulevard (West Airfield Drive), Fleet was retired in 1972 but one aircraft was converted for executive charter work until 1977, Only four were delivered. Braniff entered into negotiations with Eastern Airlines to lease the routes to the Miami-based carrier for US$18 million effective June 1, 1982, for one year. Paul Braniff, the sole pilot, flew the investors to their meetings, which included Frank Phillips, founder of Phillips Petroleum, E. E. Westervelt, Manager of Southwest Bell Telephone, Fred Jones, Ford dealership owner, Virgil Browne of Coca Cola Company, and Walter A. Lybrand, an Oklahoma City attorney. In February 1957, Braniff moved into a new headquarters located temporarily in the new Exchange Bank Building at Exchange Park, a high-rise office development within sight of Dallas Love Field. In 1975 Braniff had one 747, 11 DC-8s, and 70 727s. It was before American Airlines bought up the gems of Braniff's 727 fleet at a half-price discount, and before Braniff stock plummeted from 19 to 4. Braniff Airways Cofounder and President Thomas Elmer Braniff called the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938, the Magna Carta of Aviation because it revolutionized the entire industry into a cohesive whole that gave prominence to the air carriers in the United States. An ex-Braniff and Alaska Airlines 727, which joined the Aces fleet in 1992. [6][7], During the war, Braniff remanded all of its Douglas DC-2 fleet and a substantial number of its new 21-passenger Douglas DC-3 fleet to the United States Army Air Force. The airline is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. The trijet was the key aircraft in the 1971 Fleet Standardization Plan that called for three aircraft types: the Boeing 727 primarily operated on domestic services, the Boeing 747 for Hawaii, and the Douglas DC-8 for South America. This allowed Braniff to begin late-night cargo service, while the aircraft carried passengers during the day in August 1966. VIP Classic Wings 98: Volume 2 was released later the same year as a special edition mail-order only product. In the fall of 1930, Tom and Paul Braniff once again founded a new airline called Braniff Airways, Inc., which was organized on November 3, 1930, and began service on November 13, 1930, between Oklahoma City and Tulsa and Oklahoma City and Wichita Falls Texas. 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