Pan American Airways Essay

1958 Words4 Pages

Pan Am World Airways
Michael Darden
Southeastern Oklahoma State University
AVIA 3293

Abstract
Pan American World Airways was an airline that knew no boundaries. With a bet on a flight from Key West, Florida to the Havana, Cuba, Juan Trippe started what is remembered today a legendary airline. Pan American Airways opened up the world to new locations that would have been thought of only accessible to the noble, wealthy and famous. Juan Trippe’s vision was to offer luxurious travel for the everyday man (and woman). He was always looking into the future of the business and betting the farm in many risks some say were “reckless”. “Trippe had been a continuous innovator, but the sad irony is that he failed to re-invent his company for the leaner, far more competitive age he had done so much to shape: the age of travel for Everyman” (Branson, 1998, p. 3). Pan American World Airways
History
“In its day, its …show more content…

Airplanes and air travel had always fascinated Juan Trippe and with family inheritance, he gave the airline industry a shot. Pan Am started with a few unsuccessful business ventures by Trippe after World War 1. “In 1927, facing a Post Office deadline for the commencement of mail carriage, Pan Am had no working equipment for its sole airmail contract between Key West and Havana. Fortunately for Pan Am, a pilot with his Fairchild seaplane arrived at Key West and was willing to carry the mail to Cuba for the start up operation. It is fitting that Pan Am’s first flight would be over water, since the airline would pioneer overseas routes throughout its history” (Grace, 2011, para. 3). These small “air taxi” services were merged and formed what is new know as Pan American Airways. Trippe’s bet of starting an airline based off of utilizing the Air Mail Act of 1925 gave him the revenue to venture into passenger world-wide

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