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 10 defunct U.S. airlines you might remember flying at some point.
Braniff International Airways
Before deregulation, the federal government set airfares and decided which airlines were allowed to fly which routes. When deregulation went into effect in 1978, a wave of new carriers cropped up, eager to attract new customers to the skies with low fares. Not all of the existing carriers could easily adapt to the new competitive environment — along with the surging fuel prices and economic pressures of the era — and Braniff International Airways was one of the first major casualties.
The airline was founded in 1928 but ceased operations in 1982. A second iteration of the airline, formed partly from the assets of the original, flew from 1984 to 1989, and today the brand lives through retail and licensing agreements. At the time it went out of business, the original Braniff had a fleet of over 100 aircraft. The airline’s largest hub was at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport — today one of the busiest airports in the world — and it had a major presence in the southwestern U.S., the Midwest, and Latin America.
Continental Airlines
Continental traces its roots back to 1934. By the 1960s, the company, then headquartered in Los Angeles, was known for its elevated service offerings and a route network that extended into Asia and the South Pacific. However, like Braniff, Continental saw its finances decline in the 1970s and especially post-deregulation.
In 1981, Continental was acquired by Texas International Airlines, who chose to keep the Continental brand and move the airline’s headquarters to Houston. The combined airline expanded its route map and grew into one of the country’s largest carriers. It merged in 2012 with United Airlines, and the Continental brand flew into the sunset.
Eastern Airlines
Eastern was founded in 1926, and like many airlines of that era, began by transporting airmail. During the following decades, Eastern became one of the “Big Four” airlines of the regulated era in U.S. aviation. The airline dominated the Florida-to-New York market during this time and was also the first to introduce shuttle service between Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C.
In the 1980s, the airline struggled with high costs and labor disputes, ending in liquidation in 1991. American Airlines acquired Eastern’s former operation at Miami, which is now one of American’s largest hubs, and Delta acquired many of Eastern’s assets at Atlanta International Airport.
Midwest Express
Midwest Express (later Midwest Airlines) was a beloved regional carrier headquartered in Wisconsin, known for its slogan “The Best Care in the Air.” The airline fitted its fleet with plush, roomy leather seats and offered all passengers complimentary meals, including warm chocolate chip cookies. Its primary hub was Milwaukee, with additional bases in Omaha and Kansas City. Following the 9/11 attacks, Midwest Airlines struggled to recover financially and eventually merged with low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines under the latter’s name in 2010.
Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines traces its roots to 1926 and was headquartered near the Twin Cities throughout its long history. After World War II, Northwest established itself as the dominant airline across the Pacific. It introduced separate branding under the Northwest Orient name and established a hub at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport to facilitate connections throughout Asia.
Following deregulation, Northwest merged with Republic Airlines in 1986, a move that increased its domestic market share through hubs in Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Memphis. In 2010, Northwest merged with Delta Air Lines under the Delta brand, becoming the world’s largest airline at the time.
Pan American Airways
Pan American Airways — better known as Pan Am — was founded in 1927 and started flying its famous long-range flying boats called “Clippers” in the 1930s. In 1955, Pan Am was the launch customer for the Boeing 707, one of the world’s first passenger jets. The following decade, the airline introduced the Boeing 747 jumbo jet into service, which it used to establish a global route network and become America’s unofficial flag carrier.
During this time, the Pan Am brand became synonymous with the “golden age” of aviation, but like many legacy carriers, it struggled after deregulation, gradually selling off key assets — like its transpacific route network to United Airlines — before declaring bankruptcy in 1991. The brand lives on, however, through licensing agreements, and is even set to take to the skies again in 2025 for special charter flights.
People Express Airlines
People Express started in 1981 as a low-cost carrier in a newly deregulated environment. The airline was based at Newark Liberty International Airport, near New York City, and also operated hubs in Baltimore and Denver after purchasing rival Frontier Airlines (a different airline than the ultra-low-cost carrier flying today). People Express launched Newark-to-London flights in 1983 on Boeing 747s, offering unheard-of fares as low as $149.
The experiment, while popular, was short-lived. After piling up debt, the airline was forced to merge with Continental Airlines in 1987, giving Continental its major Newark operation that remains an important transatlantic hub for United Airlines today.
Trans World Airlines
Along with Pan Am, Trans World Airlines — better known simply as “TWA” — was one of the iconic airlines of aviation’s golden age. In the 1930s, TWA was controlled by pioneering aviator and business magnate Howard Hughes. The following decade, the airline launched transcontinental flights from New York to Los Angeles on Lockheed Constellations, with a scheduled flight time of over eight hours. The jet age at TWA kicked off in 1959 with the introduction of the Boeing 707, and Hughes left the airline the following year.
After deregulation, TWA acquired Ozark International Airlines and developed St. Louis into its primary hub, along with its existing transatlantic hub at New York’s JFK Airport (where there is now a TWA-themed hotel). But with continued financial struggles, the airline faced a takeover bid from investor Carl Icahn and later filed for bankruptcy twice in the 1990s. Eventually, TWA declared bankruptcy for a third and final time in 2001 and agreed to be acquired by American Airlines.
US Air
US Air (which later rebranded as US Airways) began as a carrier called All American Airways, which was founded in 1939 and later became Allegheny Airlines. In the 1960s and 1970s, Allegheny grew into one of the largest airlines in the northeastern United States, changing its name to US Air in 1979.
In the 1980s, the airline grew its domestic footprint significantly through mergers with San Diego-based PSA in 1986 and North Carolina-based Piedmont Airlines in 1987. During this time, US Air developed major hubs in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Charlotte, and Washington, D.C.’s Reagan National Airport. In 2005, US Airways merged once again with Arizona-based America West Airlines. Finally, American Airlines merged with US Airways in 2013 to create the world’s largest airline. The US Airways brand hasn’t flown the skies since.
Virgin America
The most recently defunct airline on this list is Virgin America, which first flew in 2007. The airline licensed the iconic brand and logo from Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group (which also flies British airline Virgin Atlantic Airways), aiming to revolutionize domestic U.S. air travel with better in-flight service and hip branding. For example, it became the first U.S. airline to introduce mood lighting onboard its aircraft. The airline had hubs in Los Angeles and San Francisco, but it was short-lived — Seattle-based Alaska Airlines acquired Virgin America in 2016.
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