20 Defunct U.S. Airlines

Above, yours truly about to board a PSA jet in San Jose in 1974. Photo by Max Bettman.

Remember when air travel was like an event?  During those days, passengers dressed up, enjoyed meals and cocktails and had great service.

Nowadays, air travel is more like being herded like cattle and not being treated better than cattle.

Above, Max Bettman and I inside a PSA jet in 1974. Photo by Mitch Geriminsky.

Many airlines have gone out of business or have merged with others. Daily Passport has listed 20 defunct U.S. airlines. There's two on the list that I had flown with: Western Airlines and Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA). I had been inside a TWA Boeing 747, but never flown with them. Since I used to live near LAX, friends and I went to TWA's maintenance yard there one night in 1970 and we were allowed to tour inside one of their new Boeing 747s.

The article begins with: 

The U.S. airline industry is more consolidated than ever before. The so-called “Big Four” airlines — American, Delta, Southwest, and United — now control nearly three-quarters of the U.S. market. But that wasn’t always the case. After the federal government deregulated airlines in 1978, a rainbow of airplane tail colors could be seen at airports across the country. Over the years, many of these airlines merged with larger carriers, while over 100 airlines went bankrupt. Take a trip down memory lane and learn more about 20 defunct U.S. airlines you might remember flying at some point.

To read the full article, go here.