Blog 40: 6/23/23 A Brief History of the American Aviation Industry - The Legacy Carriers
Hi and welcome back to Brooke In The Air! My next trip and subsequent trip report is coming up, but I thought it would be informative and fun to go over the history of the Big Three, none other than the Legacy Carriers of the United States. I'm referring of course, to Delta Airlines, American Airlines, and United Airlines or more!
So let's get into it, shall we?!
BACKGROUND AMD DEFINITION OF A LEGACY CARRIER
Let us first define a Legacy Carrier (LC).
Now, in the United States, a legacy carrier is defined as “A legacy carrier is an airline that had established interstate routes before the beginning of the route liberalization permitted by the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 and so was directly affected by that Act. Legacy carriers are distinct from low-cost carriers (LCCs and ULCCs) which, in the United States, are generally new airlines and were started to compete in the newly deregulated industry.”
A typical characteristic of legacy carriers is that they usually provide higher quality services than a low-cost carrier; for example, a legacy carrier typically offers first class and business class seating, premium services, a frequent-flyer program, and exclusive airport lounges. Many legacy carriers are also members of an airline alliance through which they agree to provide those services to each other's passengers.
The term 'legacy carrier' has generally not been used outside the United States. Many other countries have long-established “flag carriers” that are or were historically owned by or often given preferential treatment by their national governments.
The national airlines occupy a position roughly equivalent to the American legacy carriers on quality of service and membership in international alliances compared to newer low-cost carriers. No American legacy carriers are official flag carriers in the United States, though United Airlines has become the unofficial flag carrier of the United States.
For clarified examples, Lufthansa is the official flag carrier of Germany and is a Star Alliance member, Air France is the official flag carrier of France, and is a One World alliance member, British Airways is the official flag carrier of the United Kingdom and is also a One World alliance member, and so on.
The United States has three major legacy carrier airlines, Delta Airlines, American Airlines, and the unofficial flag carrier, United Airlines. However by technical definition, this can fit legacy domestic carriers and legacy short haul international carriers. This extends the list, ultimately, to five existing airlines. Others have been bought out, merged, or driven out of business, such as Trans World Airways (TWA) which ultimately never recovered from the TWA flight 800 incident. Pan Am airways was on their way to becoming the official international flag carrier of the United States, but the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 crushed those hopes, and the Lockerbie Terrorist Bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland eventually plunged the airline into bankruptcy and Pan Am sold off its remaining assets by 1992/92.
These five legacy carriers are, in no particular order:
1. American Airlines
2. Alaska Airlines
3. Delta Airlines
4. Hawaiian Airlines
5. United Airlines
Now that we have clarified the term “Legacy Carrier” let's get into the nitty gritty of the subject.
We’ll start alphabetically with Alaska Airlines, the second-smallest of the five legacy carriers.
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Alaska Airlines’ official logo
ALASKA AIRLINES-
Base: Seattle (SeaTac international airport)
Hubs: 6- all on the West Coast
Locations: Anchorage, Alaska, Seattle (SeaTac), Washington, Los Angeles-LAX, California, Portland, Oregon, San Francisco-SFO, California
Fleet: 289 (main), consists of: a mix of Airbus A321-NEO aircraft inherited from Virgin America, and primarily Boeing 737-700,-800, -900, -900ER, and 737-MAX 9 aircraft.
Alliance: One World alliance
On order: MAX 8 and MAX 10 variants on order from Boeing.
The airline operates out of five hubs, with its primary hub and headquarters being at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SeaTac, IATA code: KSEA). Alaska Airlines is a member of Oneworld, the third-largest airline alliance in the world. As of 2020, the airline employs over 16,000 people, primarily in the US, and has been ranked by J. D. Power and Associates as having the highest customer satisfaction of the traditional airlines for twelve consecutive years, which is nearly unheard-of in the United States.
Alaska Airlines is the fifth largest airline in North America, when measured solely by scheduled passengers carried. Alaska, together with its regional partners Horizon Air and SkyWest Airlines (latter are both regional airlines owned by Alaska Airlines, as a parent company), operates a route network primarily focused on connecting cities along the West Coast of the United States to over one hundred destinations in the contiguous United States, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, and Mexico.
BIRTH/ORIGINS
The first McGee floatplane being delivered to Anchorage, Alaska.
McGee Airways, a precursor to Alaska Airlines, was established by Linious "Mac" McGee and flew its first service between Anchorage and Bristol Bay, both in Alaska. Service was unscheduled with flights taking off when there were passengers or a load of cargo or mail. The airline struggled financially during the Great Depression, as most companies and people did. The sad fact was, there were too many airlines in Anchorage at the time, and not enough demand to support them. As a result, airlines had to merge in order to survive in one shape or form.
The first of these mergers was in 1934, when McGee sold his namesake airline for US$50,000 (equivalent to $1,093,781 in 2022) to Star Air Service, an airline also located in Anchorage. This allowed McGee to enter the mining industry, and that would be the last we heard of McGee, or so we thought. With a fleet of fifteen aircraft, Star Air Service was undoubtedly a dominant airline in Alaska. But Star continued to struggle financially because of high maintenance costs for its wood and fabric planes especially in the midst of the Great Depression.
In 1937, McGee actually came back to the airline and opened a liquor store, and the airline began flying liquor to remote Alaskan communities. That year, Star Air Service purchased Alaska Interior Airlines and was incorporated as Star Air Lines. Star was again sold later that year to a group of miners. Are we seeing a pattern yet?
In 1938, federal regulation began when Congress created the early Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB). The CAB awarded the airline most of the routes that it wanted in Alaska, but the coveted route between Seattle and Anchorage was awarded to Pan American Airways (Pan Am).
WAR YEARS
In 1941, Star Air Service was purchased by Raymond Marshall, a businessman from New York. In 1942, the airline purchased three other airlines in Alaska, Lavery Air Service, Mirow Air Service, and Pollack Flying Service as well as a hangar at the still-growing Anchorage airport. That year, the airline's name was changed to Alaska Star Airlines. The name Alaska Airlines was adopted on May 2, 1944, having narrowly beaten a competitor who was also applying for the name. In the 1940s Alaska's headquarters were in Anchorage.
The war changed things. When the United States entered World War II in December of 1941, Alaska Airlines faced a shortage of pilots. During the war, the airline lacked funds and equipment, and pilots were often forced to buy fuel for their planes out of their own pockets. The company, which was frequently subjected to lawsuits, also went through many different presidents during this time. In 1943, Alaska Airlines purchased the Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar, its first multi-engine aircraft, behind nearly every other airline. That same year the company's stock was traded for the very first time on the New York Stock Exchange, becoming publicly traded.
Douglas C-47 SkyTrain, AKA “Gooney Bird” - the plane that delivered troops over Normandy in WWII. Derived from the DC-3 aircraft.
(Credit: By Airwolfhound - commons file, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69737419.)
In 1947, jockey James Wooten became president of the airline and he began to expand the airline greatly. Under his leadership, the company purchased many surplus military aircraft from the government that were used during World War II. The airline purchased Douglas DC-3s, Douglas DC-4s and Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commandos. Alaska Airlines was the first carrier certified to operate DC-3s on skis in frigid or otherwise frozen environments as the DC-3 was a proven military aircraft aqlso known as the Douglas C-47 Skytrain, or “Gooney Bird” in military service.
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT-
Skipping ahead a bit, In 1949, the airline was a major participant in an effort by the newly established state of Israel to airlift Jews out of Yemen to Israel in what became known as Operation Magic Carpet. C-46 or DC-4 aircraft were used for the nearly 3,000-mile flight, made necessary to avoid overflying Arab nations. Planes flew from Eritrea to Aden, then along the Gulf of Aqaba to Tel Aviv. After unloading the refugees, crews then immediately continued to Cyprus, afraid to stay on the ground in Tel Aviv for fear of being bombed. Some 49,000 Yemenite Jews were airlifted by Alaska Airlines and other carriers without a single loss of life.
Alaska Airlines started the 1950s without its worldwide charter business, and operations restricted to the state of Alaska. In 1950, it purchased two smaller Alaskan airlines, Collins Air Service and Al Jones Airways. You might ask “who?” And you would be right, these airlines were small enough to be bought out before they could grow large enough to be missed. Yet they contributed greatly to expanding Alaska Airlines’ influence.
Though the airline had grown much under the ownership of Raymond Marshall, the CAB forced him out in 1951 due to continuing financial troubles, plus Marshall had owned Alaska Airlines with the intent of getting money for himself, and was not concerned about the long-term financial or commercial stability of the company.
Alaska Airlines’ first DC-3 in Anchorage. 1948.
In 1951, the CAB awarded Alaska Airlines with a temporary certificate allowing them to operate on routes from the Alaskan cities of Anchorage and Fairbanks to Seattle and Portland in the contiguous United States; this award would become permanent in 1957.
BEGINNING OF THE MODERN AGE
SERVICES-
In 1952, because of continued regulation, the CAB appointed Nelson David as president of Alaska Airlines, and he began to improve the financial stability of the airline. By 1957, with the carrier in a better financial situation, David left and Charles Willis, Jr. became the company's new president and CEO. A pilot during World War II, Willis introduced several marketing gimmicks that set the airline apart from other ones of the day. Under his leadership, Alaska Airlines became the first to show inflight movies. The company began service with the Douglas DC-6, the airline's first pressurized plane, enabling flights above clouds and weather disturbances. On these DC-6s, the airline introduced "Golden Nugget" service, which included an on-board saloon and piano. Yes, you read that right, an actual piano and saloon.
JET AGE-
Convair 880, Alaska Airlines’ Very First Jet Aircraft.
The Convair 880 was Alaska Airlines' first jet aircraft. In 1961, competitors began introducing jets on routes Alaska Airlines flew. To counter this competition, Willis negotiated with aircraft manufacturer Convair to purchase a Convair 880 jetliner with no money down for use on routes between Alaska and the contiguous United States. The company introduced the new jet aircraft the same year. In 1966 the company received its first Boeing 727-100 jets and removed the Convair 880 from the fleet as a financing condition by Boeing concerning the purchase of the 727 jetliners. Several of Alaska's first 727s were series 100C models which could be operated either as all cargo freighters, in an all passenger configuration or as mixed passenger/freight combi aircraft. In the spring of 1967, greatly increased passenger loads required quick addition of fleet aircraft and Alaska purchased a Convair 990 jetliner formerly operated by Brazilian air carrier Varig.
This aircraft remained in service along with an increased fleet of Boeing 727-100's which were then joined by stretched Boeing 727-200s which in turn became Alaska Airlines' signature aircraft for the next 25 years. It also became the first carrier to fly the Lockheed L-100 Hercules dubbed L-382 for Alaska Airlines use, the L-100 is the civilian version of the prolific and legendary military C-130 cargo turboprop, which was used by Alaska Airlines to transport oil drilling rigs to Alaska's North Slope and later to Ecuador. Alaska Airlines also owned Lockheed Constellation propliners including two Lockheed L-1649A Starliners from 1962 to 1968, and three L-1049's which were used for Military Air Transport Service operations under contract with the US Air Force.
The fleet was expanded with Catalina and Grumman amphibian seaplane aircraft, joining the fleet when the airline acquired local southeast Alaska operator Alaska Coastal Airlines in 1968. Again, patterns show themselves.
During this time of awkward growth, Alaska Airlines faced some tough competition from other airlines such as Northwest Airlines (later merging with Delta in 2008), Pan Am, and Pacific Northern Airlines, an Alaska-based air carrier operating Boeing 720 jetliners that was subsequently acquired by and merged into Western Airlines in 1967. Northwest and Pan Am at different times operated the famous Boeing 747 wide-body jetliners on their services to Alaska with Northwest flying Seattle–Anchorage nonstop with the jumbo jet and Pan Am flying Seattle–Fairbanks nonstop with the 747. To set itself apart from the competition, Alaska Air turned to some cheap but imaginative gimmicks such as having safety instructions read as rhymes, staging fashion shows in the aisles and having bingo games on board while en route. Gimmicks worthy of a sad laugh, really.
Throughout the roaring 1960s, the so-called Golden Age of air travel, Alaska Airlines worked to promote tourism to their isolated state of Alaska by offering charter flights to the continental United States. In an attempt to increase the state's appeal, Alaska Airlines conducted a promotional tour of Japan in 1963. In 1967, as the state of Alaska celebrated its centennial, Alaska Airlines introduced a promotional "Gay Nineties" theme with stewardesses dressed in Edwardian outfits, another gimmick.
That same year, Alaska Airlines expanded to southeast Alaska with the introduction of service to the Alaskan town of Sitka. This led to the purchase of two smaller airlines, Alaska Coastal Airlines and Cordova Airlines, in 1968.
HARDSHIP-
Very early Alaska Airlines’ livery and Boeing 727-100 on the tarmac at SeaTac.
In the beginning of the 1970s, Alaska Airlines began Boeing 707 charter flights to Siberia in the Soviet Union. This was the result of three years of secret negotiations between Alaska Airlines and Soviet authorities, in which the US Department of State reluctantly chose not to block the plan for fear of a potentially negative response from the Soviets that could potentially result in open war at worst. The airline gained permission from the Soviets to fly more than two dozen flights in 1970, 1971, and 1972. Alaska Airlines was also operating Boeing 707, Boeing 720, and 720B jetliners. Though the airline was not in good shape at all, financially.
Like much of the airline industry, Alaska Airlines was hit with rising fuel and operating costs and was on the verge of bankruptcy. Revenues were significantly reduced when work on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System was delayed. The airline's cargo aircraft had played a key role in building the pipeline but now sat idle. The airline took another blow on September 4, 1971, when a Boeing 727-100 jetliner crashed on landing in Juneau, killing 111 people and resulting in America's worst single-plane crash at the time. Because the airline was struggling financially, the airline's board ousted the president and CEO Charles Willis. Former board member Ronald Cosgrave succeeded him. The airline was US$22 million in debt when Cosgrave took over, so Cosgrave began to make major cuts. Some of these cuts would backfire on the company.
The logo was changed to an image of a smiling Eskimo, which remains today. Many of the gimmicks were also dropped completely. As a cumulative result of many of these efforts, the airline made a profit in 1973 and continued to be profitable thereafter.
DEREGULATION-
Alaska Airlines was one of only three US carriers that supported the 1978 Airline Deregulation Act, knowing that it would reap significant growth and other benefits from deregulation. After deregulation, the company's real-estate division was spun off into its own company, with Cosgrave becoming its chairman. Leadership of the airline was passed to Bruce Kennedy, a close associate of Cosgrave. Cosgrave made an alliance with Alaska Airlines to purchase competitor Wien Air Alaska, but this ultimately failed and resulted in fines for Alaska Air and its leaders for improprieties during the attempted acquisition.
At the time of deregulation, Alaska Airlines served ten cities in Alaska and one in the contiguous US—the city of Seattle—and it had only ten planes in its fleet. Immediately after deregulation, the airline began to expand, adding the cities of Portland and San Francisco to its network. Soon later, the airline resumed services to the Alaskan cities Nome and Kotzebue, and it also introduced service to Palm Springs, California. Burbank and Ontario were added in 1981. In 1979, Alaska also studied the possibility of acquiring and merging with Hughes Air West, a reasonably successful regionsl airline founded by billionaire Howard Hughes. However, this merger never came to fruition.
In mid-1985, the company had a three-month-long strike with its machinists. By June of the same year, it was able to end the strike by promising to reduce labor costs and maintain peace with unions.
In November 1985, the airline introduced a daily air-freight service called Gold Streak with service to and from Alaska and Seattle in sm effort to improve profit margins.
In the 1980s, Alaska Airlines began acquiring McDonnell-Douglas MD-80s to replace its aging Boeing 727s. Alaska was the launch customer for the MD-83, taking delivery of its first MD-80s in 1985 after the machinist strike.
Later that year, the Alaska Air Group (AAG) was formed as a holding company for Alaska Airlines. In 1986 Alaska Air Group acquired regional airline Horizon Air, which remained a separate brand from Alaska Airlines; since then, both airlines have been subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group. In 1987, Alaska Airlines purchased Jet America Airlines. Alaska initially operated Jet America as a separate airline, but this proved economically unviable and Jet America's operations were merged into Alaska's. Alaska also discontinued all flights to the Midwest and the East coast formerly operated by Jet America. Alaska Airlines remained confined to the West Coast of North America.
INTO THE MODERN ERA, END OF NOSTALGIA
Boeing 737-800 of Alaska Airlines with their new “Pacific Pride” livery in late 2016, seen her taking off from their base at SeaTac.
The airline began the 1990s with plans to lease 24 Boeing 737-400s from International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC). The first aircraft was delivered in April 1992.
In 1991, Alaska Airlines added several routes. In the Russian Far East, it added the cities of Magadan and Khabarovsk, as well as service to Toronto, its first Canadian city and the first city east of the Rocky Mountains. However, Toronto was later dropped in 1992 due to simple unprofitable msrgindy. The Russian destinations were ultimately dropped in 1998 - a result of the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, and the turbulent wake of the Russian Federation's geopolitical instability.
Old-style livery on an older-model approaching 737-400
As the airline marked its 19th consecutive year of profits in a turbulent industry and racked up many awards for customer service, Bruce Kennedy retired in May 1991 and was succeeded by Raymond J. Vecci.
Alaska Airlines also faced increased competition from low-cost carriers. One carrier that competed with Alaska was MarkAir. Since it began operating in 1984, competition had been reduced because it had worked out feeder agreements with Alaska Airlines. However, after Alaska Air declined to buy the airline in the fall of 1991, it intensified competition with Alaska. Mark Air offered low-cost service on the Anchorage-Seattle route and other routes in Alaska, where Alaska Airlines earned almost one-third of its revenues. This hurt Alaska Airlines; for the first time in 20 years, it posted a loss of $121 million USD. To save money, the airline canceled two proposed maintenance facilities and deferred a large aircraft purchase worth US$2 billion. It was able to increase utilization on its existing planes, though. The airline also cut labor costs, but this ended up making relations with labor unions tense.
Mr. Vecci was dismissed in 1995 and replaced with John Kelly, the former Horizon Air CEO. The airline soon expanded West Coast routes to take advantage of an "open skies" agreement between the US and Canada SD Alaska Airlines competed with Southwest Airlines who had expanded into the Pacific Northwest.
The late 1990s also saw the carrier recording much profitability. The airline added new training and maintenance facilities. Also, the airline began buying new 737s, ordering three Boeing 737-700s and becoming the launch customer for the Boeing 737-900 when it placed an order for ten of the jets in November 1997.
THE 2000S-
Embraer E170 regional E-jet of SkyWest operating for Alaska Airlines
With the delivery of Boeing 737 Next Generation (737-NG Series) aircraft starting in 1999, Alaska began launching more medium-haul flights. In 2000, Alaska started service between Anchorage and Chicago.
On May 15, 2001, the airline took delivery of its first 737-900. In 2001, the airline was granted slot exemptions by the Department of Transportation to operate a nonstop flight from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Seattle, but it was halted after only a week due to the September 11 attacks. The airline resumed service to Reagan Airport on December 4, of 2001, three months after the attacks, to meet the demand.
In January 2002, William Ayer was named CEO of Alaska Airlines. Ayer had been serving as president under Kelly since 1997, having come to Alaska from Horizon two years earlier after spending 13 years with the smaller airline. Ayer took over as chairman and CEO of the Alaska in 2002 upon Kelly's retirement. He led the company through a transformation called Alaska 2010 that was intended to insulate the airline from the traditional boom-bust cycle of the airline industry.
In 2002, flights to Newark, New Jersey, were launched and in 2003, services to Orlando and Boston began.
Later in 2003, Alaska Airlines won the Technology Leadership Award from Air Transport World magazine for its pioneering of new technologies both in the airport and within the airplane itself.
Sadly, in 2005, Alaska Airlines contracted out many of its jobs, including ground crew positions, to a third-party contractor, Menzies Aviation. In some cases, this resulted in an almost 40% decline in wages. This agreement was found to be a violation of union agreements in 2008 and the new ground crews caused enough damage to aircraft in the first year to make the savings negligible. In addition, Menzies contractors gained a reputation of stealing from checked bags after a few incidents reported by the media in 2007. These incidents gave the airline a terrible reputation that is has only now, in 2023, started to escape from. New cargo aircraft were also added with routes to accompany them. This was especially prevalent in Combi or “combination” aircraft models.
On September 9, 2007, Alaska Airlines introduced daily nonstop service between Portland, Oregon, to Boston, Massachusetts. Soon after, the airline began service to Hawaii with a flight to Honolulu from Seattle. Seattle–Kauai began soon and Anchorage–Honolulu service began on December 6, 2007 and quickly following, Alaska launched service from Seattle to Minneapolis-Saint Paul. Later, service from Seattle to Austin, Texas, began. This was followed by service from Seattle to Houston, Texas, close to Southwest Airlines’ home, and Seattle to Atlanta, Georgia flights quickly followed.
2011 brought a major change for the Alaska Air Group; starting at the beginning of the year, Horizon Air would no longer operate as a separate regional airline. Instead, it transitioned to a capacity purchase agreement (CPA) business model, which had by that time become the regional airline industry standard. Under the CPA, Horizon operates and maintains its aircraft, while Alaska Airlines is responsible for scheduling, marketing and pricing all flights. As part of the change to the new business model, the Horizon Air brand was retired and all Horizon planes were repainted with a co-branded "Alaska-Horizon" livery.
LATE 2010S
On January 25, 2016, for the first time in 25 years, Alaska Airlines unveiled a major update to its brand, which included a new logo and livery. In the new design, the Alaska wordmark was streamlined and the design of the Eskimo logo was simplified and the ruffs on the parka were made more colorful. It utilized the NFLs Seattle Seahawk's colors (blue and green) to identify Alaska Airlines as the official airline of the Pacific Northwest.
Transitional livery “More to Love” during the Alaska-Virgin America merge and takeover - Airbus A321-NEO shown here.
On April 4, 2016, Alaska Air Group announced it would acquire Virgin America, an airline based out of the San Francisco Bay Area. With Virgin America operating hubs in San Francisco and Los Angeles, the merger greatly expanded the presence of Alaska Airlines in California and the West Coast.
After the acquisition was announced, billionaire Richard Branson, the head of the Virgin Group and one of the founders of Virgin America, described himself as "sad" and disappointed. Despite the protest from its most high-profile shareholder, the majority of Virgin America's shareholders voted to approve the sale to Alaska Air Group. Alaska Air Group purchased Virgin America for $57 per share, a total valuation of $2.6 billion USD, with additional expenses bringing the cost to approximately $4 billion USD. The acquisition was completed on December 14, 2016. The last Virgin America aircraft was repainted on June 2, 2019 and the US Department of Transportation issued a single operating certificate to the “new” airline.
COVID Pandemic-
DeHavilland “Dash 8” Q-400 Turboprop, a common sight on regional routes. Sporting old livery, combining Horizon and Alaska logos.
In April 2020, in response to route suspensions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, Alaska grounded 19 inherited Airbus Virgin America aircraft (mostly A320s), with 12 permanently retired and the other 7 still unlikely to return to service; the airline is using pandemic-related flight reductions as an opportunity to retrain many Airbus pilots to fly the Boeing 737 family instead.
2020s AND BEYOND
Due to the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Alaska Airlines announced that it will be reducing its number of employees by 30%. By the end of 2020, the airline cut around 7,000 job positions.
In February 2020, Alaska Airlines announced its intention to join the One World airline alliance. On March 31, 2021, Alaska Airlines officially joined the One World alliance, adding seven new airline partners, including Iberia, Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines, and SriLankan Airlines.
As of August 2022, Alaska Airlines was reported by the Wall Street Journal to be an investor in Twelve, a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) start up and chemical technology company based in Berkeley, California. Further, Alaska Airlines announced an agreement with Boeing to purchase 52 additional Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, the airline's largest aircraft order thus far.
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AMERICAN AIRLINES-
Special note: this will not be as long or comprehensive as Alaska’s history. There just isn't as much information freely available on a week’s notice.
American’s emblem is not displayed as it is copyright protected.
Base: Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex, Texas
Hubs: 10
Locations: Charlotte, Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas Int’l Airport, Miami, Los Angeles-LAX, Phoenix-Sky Harbor, Philadelphia, Washington-Reagan National, New York-JFK, New York-LaGuardia
Fleet size: 942 (main), consists of: a mix of Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 family narrow-body aircraft. Narrow-bodies make up 80%of American’s fleet. Wide-body longhaul make up the remaining 20% of American’s fleet and are all Boeing, a mix of 10% 787 Dreamliners and 777-200 and 10% 777-300 aircraft.
Alliance: One World alliance
American Airlines is the largest airline in the world when measured by scheduled passengers carried and revenue-passenger mile. American, together with its regional partners and affiliates, operates an extensive international and domestic network with almost 6,800 flights per day to nearly 350 destinations in 48 countries. American Airlines is a founding member of the Northeast Alliance, and also a member of the One World alliance. Regional service is operated by independent and subsidiary carriers under the brand name American Eagle.
Lately, as of late 2022, American Airlines passed ANA (All Nippon Airways of Japan) as the world's largest Boeing 787-8 operator. Relatedly, American Airlines became the world's largest operator of the smallest variant of Boeing's Dreamliner aircraft on May 19, 2023.
BIRTH & ORIGIN
Passengers departing a Lockheed L-1011 Tristar at Dallas Airport
American Airlines was started in 1930 via a union of more than eighty small airlines. Two primary aircraft corporations that evolved into American Airlines were Robertson Aircraft Corporation and Colonial Air Transport. The former was first created in Missouri in 1921, with both being merged in 1929 into the registered holding company The Aviation Corporation. This, in turn, was made in 1930 into an operating company and rebranded as American Airways. In 1934, when new laws and attrition of mail contracts forced many airlines to reorganize, the corporation redid its routes into a connected system and was renamed American Airlines. The airline fully developed its international business between 1970 and 2000. It purchased Trans World Airlines in 2001.
DEVELOPMENT
C-47 SkyTrain derived from the DC-3 airliner
American had a direct role in the development of the Douglas DC-3, (better known by its military derivative the C-47 Skytrain, AKA
The Gooney Bird, as it was nicknamed by allied troops, see above and right) which resulted from a marathon telephone call from American Airlines CEO C. R. Smith to Douglas Aircraft Company (of military aviation fame, though that would come later) founder Donald Wills Douglas Sr., when Smith persuaded a reluctant Douglas to design a sleeper aircraft based on the DC-2 to replace American's Curtiss Condor II biplanes.
Douglas agreed to go ahead with development only after Smith informed him of American's intention to purchase 20 aircraft; as either everything, money talks. The prototype first flew on December 17, 1935, the 32nd anniversary of the Wright Brothers' flight at Kitty Hawk. Its cabin was 92 inches wide, and a version with 21 seats instead of the 14–16 sleeping berths of the DST was given the designation DC-3.
Interestingly, there was no prototype DC-3; the first DC-3 built followed seven DSTs -so-called Douglas Sleeper Transports - off the production line and was delivered straight to American Airlines. American Airlines inaugurated passenger service on June 26, 1936, with simultaneous flights from Newark, New Jersey, and Chicago, Illinois from their Dallas hub and base.
CONTINUED BELOW—
Stewardess Advertisement of American Airlines
circa 1967, during the Golden Age of Aviation
American Airlines’ McDonnell Douglas DC-10 in old-style “steel” livery
GROWTH & PROGRESS
American also had a direct role in the development of the DC-10, which resulted from a specification from American Airlines to manufacturers in 1966 to offer a widebody aircraft that was smaller than the Boeing 747, but capable of flying similar long-range routes from airports with shorter runways. McDonnell Douglas responded with the DC-10 trijet shortly after the two companies' merger. On February 19, 1968, the then-president of American Airlines, George A. Spater, and James S. McDonnell of McDonnell Douglas announced American's intention to acquire the DC-10. American Airlines ordered 25 DC-10s in its first order. The DC-10 made its first flight on August 29, 1970, and received its type certificate from the FAA on July 29, 1971. On August 5, 1971, the DC-10 entered commercial service with American Airlines on a round trip flight between Los Angeles and Chicago.
MODERN AGE
In 2011, due to a downturn in the airline industry, American Airlines' parent company, the AMR Corporation, filed for bankruptcy protection. In 2013, American Airlines merged with US Airways but kept the American Airlines name, as it was the better-recognized brand internationally; the combination of the two airlines resulted in the creation of the largest airline in the United States, and ultimately the world.
Modern American Airlines’ crew and ground staff uniforms - 2023
Only American's widebody planes and its specially-configured Airbus A321T feature seatback entertainment. All other A321 and all Boeing 737 planes were retrofitted with their "Oasis" configuration. While this configuration adds larger overhead bins, it also added more seats, reduced legroom and seat padding, and removed seatback entertainment, which has drawn ire from some travelers.
Flagship First is branded as American's international and transcontinental first class product. It is offered only on Boeing 777-300ERs and select Airbus A321s which American designates "A321T". The seats are fully lie-flat and offer direct aisle access with only one on each side of the aisle in each row. As with the airline's other premium cabins, Flagship First offers wider food and beverage options, larger seats, and lounge access at certain airports. American offers domestic Flagship First service on transcontinental routes between New York–JFK and Los Angeles, New York–JFK and San Francisco-SFO, New York-JFK and Santa Ana, Boston and Los Angeles, and Miami and Los Angeles, as well as on the standard domestic route between New York-JFK and Boston.
The airline will debut new Flagship Suite® premium seats and a revamped aircraft interior for its long-haul fleet with fresh deliveries of its Airbus A321XLR (Extra Long Range) and Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, beginning in 2024.
Flagship Business is American's international and transcontinental business class product. It is offered on all Boeing 777-200ERs, Boeing 777-300ERs, Boeing 787-8s, and Boeing 787-9s, as well as select Airbus A321s. All Flagship Business seats are fully lie-flat, as most airlines’ business class products are around the world.
CONFIGURATIONS
Domestic first class
Traditional American Airlines’ Domestic First also used as Business Class on international flights
First class is offered on all domestically configured aircraft. Seats range from 19–21 inches in width and have 37–42 inches of pitch. Dining options include complementary alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages on all flights as well as standard economy snack offerings, enhanced snack basket selections on flights over 500 miles, and meals on flights 1,400 km or longer.
Premium Economy
Premium Economy is American's economy plus product. It is offered on all widebody aircraft. The cabin debuted on the airline's Boeing 787-9s Dreamliners in late 2016 and is also available on Boeing 777-200s and -300s, and Boeing 787-8s smaller Dreamliners. Premium Economy seats are wider than seats in the main cabin (American's economy cabin) and provide more amenities: Premium Economy customers get two free checked bags, priority boarding, and enhanced food and drink service including free alcohol. This product made American Airlines the first U.S. carrier to offer a temporarily unique four-cabin aircraft.
Main Cabin Extra
Main Cabin Extra is American's enhanced economy product. It is available on all of the mainline fleet and American Eagle aircraft. Main Cabin Extra seats include greater pitch than is available in main cabin, along with free alcoholic beverages and boarding one group ahead of main cabin. American retained Main Cabin Extra when the new Premium Economy product entered service in late 2016.
Main Cabin
The dregs, also known as Main Cabin (economy class), is American's basic economy product and is found on all mainline and regional aircraft in its fleet. Seats range from 43–47 cm in width and have 76–81 cm of pitch. American markets a number of rows within the main cabin immediately behind Main Cabin Extra as "Main Cabin Preferred", which require an extra charge to select for those without status. Money, as always, is everything.
REWARDS PROGRAM
AAdvantage is the frequent flyer program for American Airlines. It was launched on May 1, 1981, and it remains the largest frequent flyer program with over 115 million members as of 2021. Miles accumulated in the program allow members to redeem tickets, upgrade service class, or obtain free or discounted car rentals, hotel stays, merchandise, or other products and services through partners. The most active members, based on the amount and price of travel booked, are designated AAdvantage Gold, AAdvantage Platinum, AAdvantage Platinum Pro, and AAdvantage Executive Platinum elite members, with privileges such as separate check-in, priority upgrade, and standby processing, or free upgrades. They also receive similar privileges from AA's partner airlines, particularly those in the One World alliance.
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Delta Airlines’ official logo
DELTA AIRLINES-
Base: IATA: KATL.
Atlanta Georgia and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Hubs: 9
Locations: Atlanta (Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International), Boston-Logan International Airport, Los Angeles-LAX, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, New York-JFK, New York-LaGuardia, Salt Lake City International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SeaTac), Detroit Metropolitan International Airport
Fleet: 915 - main fleet, Delta operates s mix of Airbus and Boeing aircraft including the ancient Boeing 717, Boeing 757, and widebody 767, and narrow-body Airbus A220, accompanied by widebody A330, the largest Airbus A350 fleet of any US airline, though that isn't saying terribly much.
Alliance: SkyTeam (founding member)
BIRTH AND ORIGIN
One of the world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta Airlines earliest history began with the world's first aerial crop dusting operation called Huff-Daland Dusters, Inc. The company was founded on March 2, 1925, in Macon, Georgia, before moving to Monroe, Louisiana, in the mid-summer of 1925. It flew a Huff-Daland Duster, the first true crop duster, designed to combat the boll weevil infestation of cotton crops. C.E. Woolman, general manager and later Delta's first CEO, led a group of local investors to acquire the company's assets. Delta Air Service was incorporated on December 3, 1928, and was named after the Mississippi Delta region.
Passenger operations began on June 17, 1929, from Dallas, Texas, to Jackson, Mississippi, with stops at Shreveport and Monroe, Louisiana. By June 1930, service had extended east to Atlanta and west to Fort Worth, Texas.
DEVELOPMENT
Unfortunately, passenger service was shuttered in October 1930 when the airmail contract for the route Delta had pioneered was awarded to another airline, which purchased the assets of Delta Air Service. Local banker Travis Oliver, acting as a trustee, C.E. Woolman, and other local investors purchased back the crop-dusting assets of Delta Air Service and incorporated as Delta Air Corporation on New Year's Eve, December 31, 1930, just barely a year after the Great Depression began.
Delta Air Corporation secured an air mail contract in 1934, and began doing business as Delta Air Lines over Mail Route 24, stretching from Fort Worth, Texas, to Charleston, South Carolina. Delta moved its headquarters from Monroe, Louisiana, to its current location in Atlanta in 1941 as the United States. The company name officially became Delta Air Lines in 1945. In 1946, the company commenced regularly scheduled freight transport. In 1949, the company launched the first discounted fares between Chicago, IL, and Miami, FL.
GROWTH
In 1953, the company launched its first international routes after the acquisition of Chicago and Southern Air Lines, as with other airlines, it was a game of mergers and acquisitions. In 1959, it was the first airline to fly the Douglas DC-8. In 1960, it was the first airline to fly Convair 880 jets. In late 1964, it launched their trademarked Deltamatic (ha ha) reservation systems using computers in the IBM 7070 series. In 1965, Delta was the first airline to fly the then-brand new McDonnell Douglas DC-9.
By 1970, Delta had an all-jet fleet, and in 1972 it acquired Northeast Airlines. Trans-Atlantic service began in 1978 with the first nonstop flights from Atlanta to London. In 1981, Delta launched a frequent-flyer program. In 1987, it acquired Western Airlines, and that same year Delta began trans-Pacific service (Atlanta-Portland, Oregon-Tokyo). In 1990, Delta was the first airline in the United States to fly McDonnell Douglas MD-11 jets. In 1991, it acquired substantially all of Pan Am's trans-Atlantic routes and the Pan Am Shuttle, rebranded as the Delta Shuttle. Delta was now the leading airline across the Atlantic.
In 1997, Delta was the first airline to board more than 100 million passengers in a calendar year. Also that year, Delta began an expansion of its international routes into Latin America. In 2003, the company launched Song, a low-cost carrier. This low-cost venture didn't last long though.
Delta Airlines McDonnell-Douglas MD-90 on-approach to McCarran International Airport, North Las Vegas, Nevada, now Harry Reid International Airport.
(Credit: By Eddie Maloney from North Las Vegas, Nevada. McCarran Int’l Airport
CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31881653.)
BANKRUPTCY, ACQUISITION, AND (RE)-ASCENDENCY
On September 14, 2005, the company filed for bankruptcy, citing rising fuel costs. It emerged from bankruptcy in April 2007 after fending off a hostile takeover from US Airways and its shares were re-listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Delta Airlines’ Boeing 737-800, Reg. No. N377DA, on approach.
The acquisition of Northwest Airlines (NWA) was announced April 14, 2008. It was approved and consummated on October 29, 2008. Northwest continued to operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta until December 31, 2009, when the Northwest Airlines operating certificate was merged into that of Delta. Delta completed integration with Northwest on January 31, 2010, when their computer reservations system and websites were combined, and the Northwest Airlines brand was officially retired.
Delta and its worldwide alliance partners operate more than 15,000 flights per day. Delta is the only U.S. carrier that flies to Dakar and Copenhagen, and along with competitor United Airlines, are the only two U.S. carriers that fly to Stockholm.
In March 2020, Delta suspended all flights to continental Europe for 30 days, and cut 40% of its capacity. In 2023, this largely rebounded.
Hawaiian Airlines’ official logo
HAWAIIAN AIRLINES
Hub and base: Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, Honolulu, Hawaii
Hubs: 2
Locations: Daniel K. Inouye Honolulu International Airport, Kahului International Airport, both in Hawaii
Fleet: 61 aircraft, smallest of the legacy carriers, an all narrow-body mostly Boeing 717-200, and Airbus A321-NEO narrow-body aircraft. 787 Dreamliner aircraft serviced for long haul routes.
Alliance: none
ORIGINS
Inter-Island Airways (Hawaiian: Hui Mokulele Piliʻāina), the forerunner of the airline which is now known as Hawaiian Airlines, was incorporated on January 30, 1929. Inter-Island Airways, a subsidiary of Inter-Island Steam Navigation Company, began operations on October 6, 1929, with a Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker, providing short sightseeing flights over Oʻahu. Scheduled service began a month later on November 11 using Sikorsky S-38s with a flight from Honolulu to Hilo, via intermediary stops on Molokaʻi and Maui.
On October 1, 1941, the name was changed to Hawaiian Airlines when the company phased out the older Sikorsky S-38 and Sikorsky S-43 flying boats. The first Douglas DC-3s were added to the fleet in August 1941, some examples remaining in operation until final retirement in November 1968.
EVOLUTION
Modern pressurized equipment was introduced from 1952 in the form of the Convair 340. Further Convair 440s were added in 1959–60, most of the Convairs being converted to turbine propeller power in 1965–67. The last were sold in 1974.
Hawaiian Airlines started to offer jet service in 1966 with the acquisition of Douglas DC-9-10 aircraft, which cut travel times in half on most of its routes.
EXPANSION
Hawaiian Airlines began to expand its footprint throughout the 1980s, as the result of intense competition on inter-island routes created by the entrance of Mid-Pacific Air into the market. In 1985, the company began its first foray outside the inter-island market through charter services to the South Pacific and then throughout the rest of the Pacific using Douglas DC-8 aircraft.
Despite the early successes of this new business, Hawaiian was forced to curtail its charter services when the US Federal Government banned all DC-8 and B707 aircraft without hush kits from operating within the US. Hawaiian did, however, manage to gain a short exemption for its South Pacific services.
Simply put, a hush kit is an aerodynamic device used to help reduce the noise produced by older aircraft jet engines. These devices are typically installed on older turbojet and low-bypass turbofan engines, as they are much louder than later high-bypass turbofan engines.
Later in early 1985, the company received the first two of its leased Lockheed L-1011 TriStars. One aircraft was used to launch Hawaiian's first scheduled operation out of Hawaiʻi, daily Honolulu-Los Angeles services. This new service put Hawaiian in direct competition with the major US air carriers for the first time in its history. Throughout 1985 and 1986, Hawaiian Airlines added additional L-1011s to its fleet and used them to open up services to other West Coast gateway cities such as San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Las Vegas, and Anchorage, which placed Hawaiian in further competition against the major US airlines.
Meanwhile, Hawaiian Airlines also entered the new international markets of Australia and New Zealand in 1986 with one-stop services through Pago Pago International Airport. Hawaiian also aggressively grew its international charter business and pursued military transport contracts. This led to a large growth in the company's revenues and caused its inter-island service's share of revenues to shrink to just about a third of the company's total.
During the 1980s, Hawaiian also embarked on the development and construction of Kapalua Airport on west side of Maui. Opened in 1987, the airport was designed with a 3,000-foot runway, which constrained its ability to handle large aircraft. As a result, when the airport first opened, Hawaiian Airlines was the only inter-island carrier with aircraft capable of serving the airport. With its De Havilland Canada DHC-7 Dash 7 turboprops, Hawaiian had a distinct competitive advantage in the Maui market.
ALL JET GROWTH
Heading into the 1990s, Hawaiian Airlines faced financial difficulties, racking up millions of dollars in losses throughout the previous three years. Due to the airline's increasingly unprofitable operations, it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September 1993. During this time, the company reduced many of its costs: reorganizing its debt, wrestling concessions from employees, cutting overcapacity, and streamlining its fleet by disposing many of the planes it had added to its fleet just a few years earlier.
As part of Hawaiian's restructuring, it sold Kapalua Airport to the State of Hawaii in 1993. Hawaiian soon after discontinued service to the airport as it retired its Dash 7 fleet. The retirement of the Dash 7 in 1994 also resulted in the airline operating a more streamlined all-jet fleet as it exited bankruptcy in September 1994.
To replace its retired DC-8s and L-1011s, Hawaiian Airlines leased six DC-10s from American Airlines, who continued to provide maintenance on the aircraft. An agreement with American also included participation in American's SABRE reservation system and participation in American Airlines' AAdvantage frequent flyer program. The DC-10s were subsequently retired between 2002 and 2003. The company replaced these leased DC-10s with 14 leased Boeing 767 aircraft during a fleet modernization program that also replaced its DC-9s with new Boeing 717 aircraft. The Boeing aircraft featured an updated rendition of the company's "Pualani" tail art, which had appeared on its Douglas aircraft since the 1970s. A new design was updated by a local artist Mauriel Morejon. Pualani, which means “flower of the sky,” the key icon of Hawaiian's brand for more than four decades, continues to feature on the tail of the aircraft; beneath her, a silver maile lei with woven pakalana flowers wraps around the fuselage. This made for the most colorful planes in the US.
RESURGENCE
In March 2003, Hawaiian Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time in its history. The airline continued its normal operations, and at the time was overdue for $4.5 million worth of payments to the pilots' pension plan. Within the company, it was suggested that the plan be terminated. As of May 2005, Hawaiian Airlines had received court approval of its reorganization plan. The company emerged from bankruptcy protection on June 2, 2005, with reduced operating costs through renegotiated contracts with its union work groups; restructured aircraft leases; and investment from RC Aviation, a unit of San Diego-based Ranch Capital firm, which bought a majority share in parent company Hawaiian Holdings Inc in 2004.
In 2005, Hawaiian Airlines began nonstop daily flights from Honolulu to San Jose, California. This made San Jose the fifth gateway city in California to be serviced by Hawaiian; the others were Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, and San Francisco.
In 2006, Hawaiian Airlines expanded service between the US mainland and Hawaii in anticipation of the induction of four additional Boeing 767-300 aircraft, primarily focused on expanding non-stop service to Kahului Airport from San Diego, Seattle, and Portland. Additional flights were also added between Honolulu and the cities of Sacramento, Seattle, and Los Angeles. In 2006, Hawaiian Airlines was rated as the best carrier serving Hawaii by Travel + Leisure, Zagat and Condé Nast Traveler.
ADVANCEMENT WITH HELP
In March 2008, the airline launched nonstop flights to Manila, capital of Philippines, in the airline's first major international expansion since it emerged from bankruptcy protection in June 2005. In response to the closure of ATA Airlines and Aloha Airlines, the airline began flights to Oakland on May 1, 2008.
In February of 2010, Hawaiian Airlines sought approval from the United States Department of Transportation to begin nonstop flights from its hub at Honolulu to Tokyo-Haneda sometime in 2010. The airline was one of five US carriers — the others being Delta Air Lines, Continental Airlines, United Airlines and American Airlines — seeking approval to serve Haneda as part of the U.S.-Japan OpenSkies agreement. Approval was granted from USDOT to begin nonstop service to Haneda, Japan. The flight began service on November 18, 2010. In addition, the airline is planning to establish a codeshare agreement with All Nippon Airways.
PRESENT DAY
In 2013, the airline announced a new venture in the turboprop interisland business, "ʻOhana by Hawaiian." Service is operated by Empire Airlines using ATR 42-500 turboprop airplanes. Service began on March 11, 2014, to Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi. The airline expanded more "ʻOhana by Hawaiian" routes between Kahului, Kailua-Kona and Hilo during the summer of 2014.
Later in 2013, the airline announced its first destination in China, with service to Beijing expected to start on April 16, 2014, pending government approval. At the same time, the airline announced that it would end service to Manila capital of Philippines on July 31, 2013. On July 11, 2013, the airline signed a codeshare agreement with China Airlines.
On April 25, 2022, Hawaiian Airlines announced they will become the first major air carrier to offer the SpaceX Starlink service on all Transpacific flights. The service will be offered free to passengers beginning in 2023.
On May 15, 2023, Hawaiian Airlines has introduced the new "Leihōkū Suites" on their Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. These suites offer a space with fully lie-flat seating, an 18-inch in-flight entertainment screen, personal outlets, wireless charging, and direct aisle access. The design elements are said to be evoking Hawaiʻi's natural world.
Hawaiian Airlines has an interline agreement with South African Airways. It also has a cargo interline agreement with Southwest Airlines.
Hawaiian Airlines operates flights to Asia, American Samoa, Australia, French Polynesia, Hawaii, New Zealand, and the United States mainland. Hawaiian Airlines is owned by Hawaiian Holdings, Inc.
Fun fact: Hawaiian is the oldest American carrier that has never had a fatal accident or a hull loss throughout its history, and frequently tops the on-time carrier list in the United States, as well as the fewest cancellations, oversales, and baggage handling issues.
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UNITED AIRLINES-
Official United Airlines’ logo
Copyright 2023 United Airlines Holdings
Hub and base: Chicago, Chicago O'Hare international airport
Hubs: 8
Locations: Chicago O'Hare international airport, Illinois, Los Angeles-LAX, California, San Francisco-SFO, California, Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport, Hagana, Guam, George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston, Texas, Dulles International Airport, Washington DC, Newark Liberty International Airport, Newark, New Jersey, Denver International Airport, Denver, Colorado
Fleet: 891 (main)
A healthy mix of Airbus and Boeing aircraft short-moderate flights, and all Boeing wide-body jetliners, notably 767s and 787 Dreamliners for long-range flights.
Alliance: Star Alliance (founding member)
BIRTH AND ROOTS
United traces its roots to Varney Air Lines (VAL), which Walter Varney founded in 1926 in Boise, Idaho. Continental Airlines is the successor to Speed Lines, which Varney had founded by 1932 and whose name changed to Varney Speed Lines in 1934. VAL flew the first privately contracted air mail flight in the U.S. on April 6, 1926.
In 1927, William Boeing founded Boeing Air Transport to operate air mail routes under contract with the United States Post Office Department. In 1929, Boeing merged his company with Pratt & Whitney to form the United Aircraft and Transport Corporation (UATC) which then set about buying, in the space of just 28 months, Pacific Air Transport, Stout Air Services, VAL, and National Air Transport, as well as numerous equipment manufacturers at the same time. On March 28, 1931, UATC formed United Air Lines, Inc., as a holding company for its airline subsidiaries.
BANKRUPTCY AND REEMERGENCE
United Airlines’ Boeing 757-200 in “2000s” livery.
(Credit: By wbaiv - https://www.flickr.com/photos/wbaiv/4393389713/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9963276)
In December of 2002, due largely to the post-9/11 dropoff in air travel, as well as to poor relations between the corporation and one of its key labor unions, the International Association of Machinists, United Airlines filed for bankruptcy.
The airline remained under court protection for more than three years. This enabled it to cut costs ruthlessly. Finally, in early 2006, it emerged from court protection and resumed normal operations.
MERGERS
As of late 2006, Continental Airlines and United had preliminary merger discussions. On April 16, 2010, those discussions resumed. The board of directors of Continental and UAL Corporation agreed on May 2, 2010, to combine operations, contingent upon shareholder and regulatory approval. On October 1, 2010, the UAL Corporation changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc. The carriers planned to begin merging their operations in 2011. The merged airline began operating under a single air operator's certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration on November 30, 2011. On March 3, 2012, United and Continental merged their passenger service systems, frequent-flier programs, and websites, which virtually eliminated the Continental brand with the exception of its logo. On June 27, 2019, the parent company's name changed from United Continental Holdings to United Airlines Holdings.
CURRENT OPERATIONS
United operates flights to 238 domestic destinations and 118 international destinations in 48 countries or regions across five continents. By spring 2021, United will once again fly regularly to all 6 inhabited continents following the reinstatement of scheduled year-round flights to Africa.
Boeing 767-300 of United’s transitional livery, circa 2008-2010 between the United-Continental merger.
(Credit: By Mr. Allen Watkin from London, UK - United B777, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32038792 )
As part of its hub-and-spoke business model, United currently operates eight hubs with Chicago being the largest by all metrics.
United operates flights to 238 domestic destinations and 118 international destinations in 48 countries or regions across five continents. By spring 2021, United will once again fly regularly to all 6 inhabited continents following the reinstatement of scheduled year-round flights to Africa.
Alliance and codeshare agreements
United Airlines is a member of the Star Alliance and has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:
Aer Lingus (Irish flag carrier)
Air Canada (Canadian flag carrier)
Air China (flag carrier of the People’s Republic of China)
Air India (flag carrier of India)
Air Dolomiti (Italian regional carrier, wholly owned subsidiary of Lufthansa)
Air New Zealand (flag carrier of New Zealand)
All Nippon Airways (Zen Nippon Kūyu, one of Japan’s two primary airlines)
Asiana Airlines (Asiana Hanggong, one of South Korea’s two major airlines)
Austrian Airlines (flag carrier of Austria)
Avianca (flag carrier of Colombia)
Azul Brazilian Airlines (Brazilian low-cost regional airline)
Boutique Air (regional charter airline based in San Francisco)
Brussels Airlines (flag carrier of Belgium)
Cape Air (operates as Hyannis Air Service Inc. regional airline focused in the Northeast US and strangely, Eastern Montana)
Copa Airlines (flag carrier of Panama)
Croatia Airlines (flag carrier of Croatia)
EgyptAir (flag carrier of Egypt)
Emirates (Ṭayarān Al-Imārāt; the United Arab Emirates has two flag carriers, both state-owned - Abu Dhabi-based Emirates and Dubai-based Etihad)
Ethiopian Airlines (flag carrier of Ethiopia)
Eurowings (regional low-cost German carrier, headquartered in Dusseldorf, owned by Lufthansa group)
EVA Air (one of Taiwan’s two largest carriers)
Hawaiian Airlines (smallest Legacy Carrier of the United States)
LOT Polish Airlines (flag carrier of Poland)
Lufthansa (flag carrier of Germany)
Scandinavian Airlines (S.A.S. joint-flag carrier of Denmark, Norway, Sweden)
Silver Airways (U.S.-based regional low-cost airline)
Singapore Airlines (flag carrier of Singapore, ratee best airline in the world for 7-years running)
South African Airways (flag carrier of South Africa)
Swiss International Air Lines (flag carrier of Switzerland)
TAP Air Portugal (flag carrier of Portugal)
Thai Airways (flag carrier of the Kingdom of Thailand)
Turkish Airlines (flag carrier of Turkey)
Vistara (Indian-Singapore joint-owned full-service airline)
Virgin Australia (Australian airline, founded and co-owned by billionaire Richard Branson, Australia’s largest airline by fleet size, though NOT their flag carrier - that is Qantas)
United has more codeshare agreements than nearly any other airline.
OVERALL STRATEGY
United 787-8 Dreamliner c. 2019
United became the first American airline to take delivery of Boeing 787 aircraft. United is also the North American launch customer for the Boeing 787-9 and 787-10 aircraft, which are stretched versions of the base 787-8 model, delivered at launch.
In May 2018, United planned to replace its 51 Boeing 767s in a deal potentially worth $14 billion at list prices, and was in talks with both Airbus and Boeing, for their A330neo and 787. United operates 128 757s and 767s (77 B757s and 51 B767s), the second-largest combined fleet after Delta Air Lines with 206 (127 757s and 79 767s). Both have to replace them; they could be replaced by 737 MAX 10s, A321neos, Boeing NMAs, 787-8s or A330-800s.
On June 3, 2021, United announced that a deal had been confirmed with Boom Supersonic to purchase at least 15 of their Overture supersonic airliners & potentially up to 50 in total. These aircraft will be flown on 100% sustainable fuels. The aircraft are intended to enter service with United in 2029 & are expected to be the first supersonic airliners to fly domestically for an airline since the Concorde was retired with British Airways & Air France in 2003.
On June 29, 2021, United announced an order for 270 aircraft valued at around $15 billion: 150 737 MAX 10 aircraft, 50 737 MAX 8 aircraft, and 70 A321neo aircraft. As new aircraft arrive, the airline also announced these will include AVOD (Audio and Video On Demand) screens on every seat, as well as the retrofit of all mainline aircraft to include AVOD screens by 2025. United has also announced the retirement of older mainline aircraft and at least 200 single-class regional aircraft. The 737 MAX 8 aircraft debuts with the airline this summer while 737 MAX 10 and A321neo aircraft start delivery in 2023. United also expects to create 25,000 union jobs, mostly in United States hubs locations, by 2026. The order would be valued at $35.4 billion based on the listed price of the jets.
United Polaris Business
Early United Polaris Business seat with amenities by Sax Fifth Avenue on the Boeing 777-300ER
Credit: By Dmarr1 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61468355
Polaris is United's international business class product. Like other airlines, United is getting rid of any true first class and introducing Polaris. The Polaris seat converts into a 6' 6" flatbed, and boasts multiple storage areas, mood lighting, multiple charging ports, lumbar support, and improved dining and amenity services.
The modern Polaris seats can be found on all Boeing 767-300ERs, Boeing 777-300ERs, and Boeing 787 Dreamliners, and internationally configured Boeing 777-200ERs, and are being rolled out on the Boeing 767-400ER. On these aircraft, the cabins are configured to provide aisle access to every passenger, with 767s featuring a 1-1-1 seat configuration while 777s and 787s have a 1-2-1 seat configuration. Boeing 757-200s and most 767-400ERs feature United's older BusinessFirst seats (which United inherited from Continental) with Polaris branding, with a 2-2 seat configuration on the 757s and 2-1-2 configuration on the 767-400ERs.
Polaris passengers check in at separate counters and can use priority security screening where available. In-flight services include pre-departure beverages, table linens and multi-course meals designed in partnership with Charlie Trotter-affiliated chefs via the airline's partnership with the Trotter Project. The Trotter Project, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization created by family, co-workers and friends, Trotter's mother, his brothers Scott and Tom, and his son Dylan, in memory of the chef. Passengers are also given priority with boarding and baggage handling and access to the United Polaris Lounge where available, as well as the United Club and partner airline lounges.
All Polaris Business seats recline 180 degrees into a full flatbed, all seats face forward.
United Airlines’ Premium Economy product featured on the 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
Other domestic routes, especially hub-to-hub service and certain non "United p.s." (premium service) transcontinental flights, may see internationally configured aircraft with Polaris seating for operational reasons (such as transferring international aircraft from one hub to another or high demand). While the physical seats and entertainment are the same as on international flights, the service, catering and other amenities are the same as in domestic first class. Unlike routes marketed as United Business, these flights are eligible for Complimentary Premier Upgrades. (CPUs)
