Trans World Airlines

TWA is one of a handful of airlines that have been around in one form or another since the beginning, and to this day is probably one of the best-known names in the business. Still, the Trans World name has maybe a year left in it, if even.

TWA came into being on October 1, 1930, when the year-old Transcontinental Air Transport merged with five-year-old Western Air Express to form Transcontinental and Western Air. Soon the airline was running regular coast-to-cast passenger and freight service.

In 1939, reclusive millionaire Howard Hughes purchased a controlling stake in the airline. In the next decade, the airline would be the first to break the 7-hour barrier in coast-to-coast flights, and would inaugurate service to seven major European cities.

By 1967, TWA had the world's only all-jet commercial fleet, and had introduced such air travel firsts as fresh in-flight coffee, and onboard movies. Its 1962 Eero Saarinen-designed terminal at New York's JFK International Airport was a sweeping monument to the jet age.

	The St. Louis Rams recently changed the name of their home from the TWA Dome to The Dome at America's Center after the airline went bankrupt and was bought by AMR Corp., the parent of American Airlines, this year.

But airline deregulation arrived in 1979, and with it came market forces for the industry to contend with. TWA began a roller-coaster ride through the 1980s and 1900s, headed much of the time by financier Carl Icahn, and plunged into bankruptcy by 1992. After selling off most of its European routes, TWA managed to continue through the 90s on a smaller scale, focusing on rebuilding its fleet and service.

But it was too late. In a global market, even a big player like TWA is too small to compete. TWA was absorbed by American Airlines in 2000. By mid-2002, the TWA logo and name will have vanished from public view.

back | top | next