Pan Am
Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways[2] and more commonly known as Pan Am, was an airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States for much of the 20th century. It was the first airline to fly worldwide and pioneered numerous innovations of the modern airline industry, such as jumbo jets and computerized reservation systems.[3][4] Until its dissolution on December 4, 1991, Pan Am "epitomized the luxury and glamour of intercontinental travel",[5] and it remains a cultural icon of the 20th century, identified by its blue globe logo ("The Blue Meatball"),[6] the use of the word "Clipper" in its aircraft names and call signs, and the white uniform caps of its pilots.
This article is about Pan American World Airways. For later airlines using the name, see Pan American Airways (1996–1998) and Pan American Airways (1998–2004).IATA
March 14, 1927
(as Pan American Airways)
October 19, 1927 in Key West, Florida, U.S.
December 4, 1991
- Berlin–Tegel (1975–1990)
- Berlin–Tempelhof (1950–1975)
- Frankfurt (1950–1991)
- London–Heathrow (1946–1991)
- Miami (1980–1991)
- New York–JFK (1980–1991)
- Tokyo–Haneda (1947–1978)
- Tokyo–Narita (1978–1986)
- Hong Kong–Kai Tak (before 1986)
- Houston–Intercontinental (1980–1986)
- Los Angeles (before 1986)
- San Francisco (before 1986)
- Washington–Dulles (before 1990)
WorldPass
- SAHSA (40%) (1945–1970)
- Pan Am Express (1987–1991)
- Pan Am Shuttle (1986–1991)
- Panagra (50%) (1928–1967)
226
86 countries on six continents at its peak in 1968[1]
Pan Am Corporation
- Juan Trippe (CEO, 1927–1968)
- Harold E. Gray (CEO, 1968–1969)
- Najeeb Halaby (CEO, 1969–1971)
- William Seawell (CEO, 1971–1981)
- Ed Acker (CEO, 1981–1988)
- Thomas G. Plaskett (CEO, 1988–1991)
- Russell L. Ray Jr. (CEO, 1991)
Founded in 1927 by two U.S. Army Air Corps majors, Pan Am began as a scheduled airmail and passenger service flying between Key West, Florida, and Havana, Cuba. In the 1930s, under the leadership of American entrepreneur Juan Trippe, the airline purchased a fleet of flying boats and focused its route network on Central and South America, gradually adding transatlantic and transpacific destinations.[7] By the mid-20th century, Pan Am enjoyed a near monopoly on international routes.[8] It led the aircraft industry into the Jet Age by acquiring new jetliners such as the Boeing 707 and Boeing 747. Pan Am's modern fleet allowed it to fly larger numbers of passengers, at a longer range, and with fewer stops than rivals.[9] Its primary hub and flagship terminal was the Worldport at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.[4]
During its peak between the late 1950s and early 1970s, Pan Am was known for its advanced fleet, highly trained staff, and amenities.[3] In 1970, it flew 11 million passengers to 86 countries, with destinations in every continent except Antarctica. In an era dominated by flag carriers that were wholly or majority-owned by governments, Pan Am became the unofficial national carrier of the United States. It was a founding member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the global airline industry association.[10]
Beginning in the mid-1970s, Pan Am began facing a series of challenges both internal and external, along with rising competition from the deregulation of the airline industry in 1978. After several attempts at financial restructuring and rebranding throughout the 1980s, Pan Am gradually sold off its assets before declaring bankruptcy in 1991. By the time it ceased operations, the airline's trademark was the second most recognized worldwide,[3] and its loss was felt among travelers and many Americans as signifying the end of the golden age of air travel.[11] Its brand, iconography, and contributions to the industry remain well known in the 21st century.[3] The airline's name and imagery were purchased in 1998 by railroad holding company Guilford Transportation Industries, which changed its name to Pan Am Systems and adopted Pan Am's logo.
Record-setting flights[edit]
At the outbreak of the war in the Pacific in December 1941, the Pacific Clipper was en route to New Zealand from San Francisco. Rather than risk flying back to Honolulu and being shot down by Japanese fighters, it was directed to fly west to New York. Starting on December 8, 1941, at Auckland, New Zealand, the Pacific Clipper covered over 31,500 miles (50,694 km) via such exotic locales as Surabaya, Karachi, Bahrain, Khartoum and Leopoldville. The Pacific Clipper landed at Pan American's LaGuardia Field seaplane base at 7:12 on the morning of January 6, 1942, completing the first commercial plane flight to circumnavigate the world.[154]
During the mid-1970s, Pan Am set two round-the-world records. Liberty Bell Express, a Boeing 747SP-21 named Clipper Liberty Bell, broke the commercial round-the-world record set by a Flying Tiger Line Boeing 707 with a new record of 46 hours, 50 seconds. The flight left New York-JFK on May 1, 1976, and returned on May 3. The flight stopped only in New Delhi and Tokyo, where a strike among the airport workers delayed it two hours. The flight beat the Flying Tiger Line's record by 16 hours 24 minutes.[155]
In 1977, to commemorate its 50th birthday, Pan Am organized Flight 50, a round-the-world flight from San Francisco to San Francisco, this time over the North Pole and the South Pole with stops in London Heathrow, Cape Town Airport and Auckland Airport. 747SP-21 Clipper New Horizons was the former Liberty Bell, making the plane the only one to go around the globe over the Equator and the poles. The flight made it in 54 hours, 7 minutes, and 12 seconds, creating seven new world records certified by the FAI. Captain Walter H. Mullikin, who commanded this flight, also commanded the Liberty Bell Express flight.[156]
Corporate affairs[edit]
For much of its history the corporate headquarters were the Pan Am Building in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.
When Juan Trippe had the company offices relocated to New York City, he rented space in a building on 42nd Street. This facility was across from the Grand Central Terminal. From a period in the 1930s until 1963, the airline headquarters were in the Chrysler Building[157] on 135 East 42nd Street, also in Midtown Manhattan.[158]
In September 1960 Trippe and developer Erwin Wolfson signed a $115.5 million (equivalent to $911.7 million in 2023)[15] lease agreement for the airline to occupy 613,000-square-foot (56,900 m2) worth of space for the headquarters, totaling about 15 floors, and a new main ticket office at the intersection of 45th Street and Vanderbilt Avenue. At the time, the 30-year lease in the Chrysler Building was nearing the end of its life. The new lease was scheduled for 25 years.[157]