HISTORY GUEST
9 Braniff ’ s current Chairman Ben Cass displays box 924 of Braniff international ’ s legal records from the company ’ s law firm of Arnold and Porter . The records , dating back to 1938 , were returned to Braniff during 2023 and feature a significant amount of the company ’ s history . // CHRIS SLOAN
10 A 1 / 25 scale Alexander Calder New Colors of South America floor model is one of many large original Braniff floor models in the company archives . // CHRIS SLOAN
Braniff Place , which combined beautiful grounds , high style , and modern efficiency . As Braniff memorably proudly boasted in its advertising slogan , “ When You Got It — Flaunt It .”
BRANIFF ENTERS A DEEP STALL
With the dawn of deregulation in 1978 , Southwest Airlines , American Airlines , and competing carriers began encroaching upon Braniff ’ s heartland franchise routes — most acutely in Texas , where American ( AA ) built a competing DFW hub and established its corporate headquarters . Southwest ( WN ) upped the ante on intra-state routes and , once deregulation allowed it to expand out of state , beginning in 1979 , it went after BN ’ s strongholds in the nation ’ s heartland , the 13 cities of which Braniff called ‘ The Braniff States of America ’.
9
“ The DFW-Houston hourly ‘ Rocket Shuttle ’ is an example of a market share that fell from 86 % in 1969 to 18 % in April 1982 ,” Cass notes . “ American and Braniff shared New York-Dallas for decades , with BI dominating . By 1980 , six airlines served the route , leaving Braniff with just a 30 % market share . It became a free-for-all as competing airlines invaded Braniff ’ s turf in the fast-growing mid-section and Southwest of America . BI was literally being pecked to death by ducks .”
10
Given |
the |
carrier ’ s |
less |
than |
5 % |
national |
market |
share , |
Harding |
Lawrence , |
who |
opposed |
deregulation , |
believed that Braniff had to |
grow quickly or die against the |
crush of competition from the |
‘ Big Five ’ mega-airlines of the |
time . In 1978 , BN embarked on |
68 AIRWAYS MAGAZINE JULY 2024 www . airwaysmag . com