HISTORY GUEST Braniff
11 Box 0 of the Braniff International public relations archives contains the original transparencies from the End of the Plain Plane campaign . // CHRIS SLOAN
12 Braniff ’ s archives are also on display through a partnership with Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas . The Braniff International Experience Center invites guest to enjoy Braniff ’ s unique history . Braniff ’ s current COO Collin Ice volunteers at the Braniff exhibit . // CHRIS SLOAN
11 12
an unprecedented , massive expansion — opening 32 routes to new cities on December 15 alone and spreading its wings far afield to new cities in Europe and Asia .
13 Two 1 / 100 scale Boeing 747-127 models were presented to Braniff when the company ordered two new 747s in 1968 . This is the orange model that sat on chairman Harding l . Lawrence ’ s desk . // CHRIS SLOAN
“ Braniff ’ s national market share grew the highest it had ever grown since the 1940s , from 3.5 % in 1978 to 6.5 % in 1979 . The expansion worked . It was working initially but , at the same time , our system was rotting from the core ,” says Cass . “ We were this little-bitty airline kicking some rear for 15 years , and we were just simply caught in the middle now that regulation protection was gone . All these big airlines started moving in on our territory .”
On top of the extreme competitive pressure , the airline faced a perfect storm of doubling fuel prices , soaring inflation , sky-high interest rates , a severe economic downturn , spiraling labor cost increases , and a strike
13
by Air Traffic Controllers . The beleaguered airline entered a death spiral : the public was shaken , travel agencies started booking passengers away , and bondholders refused to loan any more money , downgrading Braniff ’ s superb AAA credit rating to BBB — causing it to miss its loan covenants .
On May 12 , 1982 , the Flying Colors faded to black . Braniff International became the first major US airline to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and shut down . The heartbreaking sight of all the brightly colored Braniff jets sitting forlornly at DFW following the cessation of operations is a haunting memory .
www . airwaysmag . com AIRWAYS MAGAZINE JULY 2024 71