AIRWAYS HISTORY Mackey Airlines
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Palm Beach in Florida , and West End on Grand Bahama Island . Of course , Pan American fought the award — not because Pan Am wanted the route , but because the megacarrier did not want any other company invading its turf , which included anywhere outside of the US .
Mackey appealed the CAB ’ s decision , stating that tourists wishing to travel in the morning from West Palm Beach or Fort Lauderdale to Nassau for a day of shopping and recreation , then return the same evening , were being prevented from doing so because of the time required to travel to Miami in order to catch a flight to Nassau . The only service between West Palm Beach and Nassau , offered by Bahamas Airways , was not timed suitably for a one-day jaunt .
In a surprise reversal of their earlier decision , all five members of the Board agreed with Mackey and issued the company a temporary certificate to provide scheduled international service between the co-terminal points of Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach in the US , and Nassau in the Bahamas . The order was approved by President Harry S . Truman on June 6 , 1952 . Despite objections filed by Pan American and by Eastern Air Lines , Mackey was now a US-certificated scheduled international airline , and service was inaugurated on January 2 , 1953 .
MIDET AVIATION AND BUTLIN ’ S VACATION VILLAGE
Billy Butlin was known as England ’ s holiday camp king . Butlin had established several resorts ( or camps ) in the UK that offered lodging , meals , recreation and entertainment for the nation ’ s
4 Passengers board a Mackey DC-3 for a day ’ s outing to Nassau . The CAB awarded Mackey authority to fly from Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach to Nassau so that day trippers could travel there and back on the same day . Pan American opposed the award , but to no avail . // HISTORY FORT LAUDERDALE
5 A Mackey promotional brochure featuring DC-4 N88863 . Service to Havana was discontinued in 1960 . // DAVID H . STRINGER COLLECTION
6 Mackey timetable effective January 1 , 1958 . The company ’ s slogan was ‘ The Sunshine Airline ’. // DAVID H . STRINGER COLLECTION
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working class . Because England ’ s factory workers were guaranteed one week ’ s paid vacation each year , Butlin advertised the advantages of a holiday at one of his camps as “ a week ’ s play for a week ’ s pay .”
After World War II , Butlin had expanded his holiday empire by establishing more luxurious resorts in other parts of the British Commonwealth . He had purchased and upgraded the Princess Hotel in Bermuda and the Fort Montagu Beach Hotel in Nassau . But his dream was to build a lavish resort to be called Butlin ’ s Vacation Village . As the site for his dream destination , Butlin chose West End
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