Thankfully, my good friend Court sent me a guest post last night. Which is awesome, since I didn’t have to write anything. Especially considering my travel this week, including a diversion that yielded a rare IAD-DCA flight on United.
Anyway – here it is:
Soon, we’ll be seeing more airline history bite the dust with the exit of the Continental name. I figured it was time to go back and trace the history of the two airlines. As cool as it is, I wish I could say I came up with the idea, but Delta managed to do this on their blog a while back. So as I get ready to say good bye to yet another historic airline brand, I salute Continental.
To Continental/Eastern/Texas International/People Express/Frontier/New York Air, whoever you are: We hardly knew ye.
(Click image for a larger size you can actually read)
This is awesome!
Very well done…
Perhaps a technicality but the Frontier (asset) purchase by Continental was actually handled separately than the People Express buyout…this was due to Frontier being in Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Frontier operated as a subsidiary for a few years under the Continental name and logo.
So if you’re really into the legal mundane, Frontier would be shown divesting from People and into Continental in October 1986, even though the purchase of People and Frontier’s assets were announced at the same time.
Phil,
Thanks for the back story on Frontier. I’m a little confused as to whether People and Frontier were ever affiliated. You seemed to suggest they were at one point. Did I read that wrong, or was there some sort of interim set up between the two companies as they were being integrated into Continental?
Perhaps United’s Pan Am acquisition(s) should be included? 1985 had employees and aircraft moving, though 1991 was more just about routes.
Couple of things …
PBA, Rocky Mountain Airways and Britt were all purchased by PEOPLExpress in 1987 so they really should be listed (along with their separation into ExpressJet airlines in 1996
PBA … was merged with Bar Harbor Airlines in 1988
PBA … absorbed Naples Airlines back in the 1958
PBA … absorbed Marco Island Air and Dolphin Airways in 1984
Bar Harbor Airlines spun off as Eastern Express in 1989 with the new Eastern
Rocky Mountain … began as Vail Airlines in 1963
another issue.
Continental was originally Varney Speed Lines … not Varney Speed Airlines
United Airlines began as Varney Airlines (same Walter Varney began both)