Hypothetical question about Pan Am.

[Ari707]

If Pan Am happened to still be in business. What type of planes to you think they would be flying now? We know TWA had ordered A-330's. B717, to update their fleet.

What do we think Pan Am would have orderd? More Airbuses? 777? and 737's to replace the 727's??

[T-Bird76]

PanAm was in the crapper as early as 1980, their over dependence on the 747 and lack of domestic routes even after they took over National killed them. If however somehow they managed to stay alive past 1991 they would be flying all Airbus products now. PA was the launch customer for the A320 but never took delivery of them, they went to Braniff and then to HP.

[Alex T]

But did Braniff actually fly in those Airbus Colors or did it just go straight to America West?

Alex

[hiss srq]

PanAm would be an airbus company is my personal beleif at least as far as twin jets go I could see the 320 family and 330 supplimented by maybe 777's being their fleet. sigh.........

[cancidas]

sigh is right hiss, i too think they would have stuck to busses. shame though, the 777 and 744 would have looked great in thier colors.

[T-Bird76]

But did Braniff actually fly in those Airbus Colors or did it just go straight to America West?

Alex

They were painted and flew in Braniff's colors. Not for long though.

[Matt Molnar]

Here's one, they looked pretty nice.

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0423998/L/

[Ari707]

I remember seeing them flying out of LGA

[flyboy 28]

Here's one, they looked pretty nice.

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0423998/L/

Honestly, I'm not a fan. That big block lettering is uuugly. :roll:

[cancidas]

the block lettering could work, but it just has to be right...


http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1153464/L

[Ari707]

It's seems interesting that most of us agree that PA would be flying Airbus's if they were still flying so it seems that if Both were still in business the two unoffical US flag carriers PA & TW would have an Airbus long haul fleet.....

[Tom_Turner]

One thing that is often forgotten is the occasional floating of a Pan Am/TWA merger over the years. (never got very far of course...)

You can read about the first such discussion here in a Time Magazine story from 1962.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/artic ... 32,00.html

Now 1962 is the year of my birth. To give some perspective on the economics of Commercial Aviation in the USA, the story begins with this line....

<<The economically troubled U.S. aviation industry..... >>

Some things never change...

Tom

[T-Bird76]

It's seems interesting that most of us agree that PA would be flying Airbus's if they were still flying so it seems that if Both were still in business the two unoffical US flag carriers PA & TW would have an Airbus long haul fleet.....

Short haul to for PA, TWA would have had a combo 717s, 318s, 319s, and 320s. TWA's fleet today would have looked like the following... A330, A320, A319, A318, 757, 717, MD80s. The older MDs would have gone by the way side along with all the 767s and DC9s by now. Depending on what would have happened with TWA they had rights for STL to NRT. Their plan was to lease 777s for that route which would have become the flagship route for them. From what I understand they had planned for two 777-200ERs. That would have been a nice looking plane.

[hiss srq]

I would love ot see some glorious CFM powered TW buses floatingin and out of JFK and lGA. I used to dream of that and hoe good looking they would be in the new colors even though I think they would have went with the 2500's to be honest. It would have left a comonality in engine with the 717 and reduced some cost I would imagine.

[Ari707]

Imagin if TWA did a 777 reto jet....