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Pacific Air Lines was a
''TIME'', October 18, 1948. Retrieved May 18, 2021 - article about the earliest years of Southwest Airway
(alt. link)
/ref> The name Pacific Air Lines passed into history in 1968 in a merger with Bonanza Air Lines and West Coast Airlines, forming Air West, which then became Hughes Airwest following the acquisition of Air West by Howard Hughes.
''TIME'', February 8, 1943. Retrieved May 18, 2021 - describes the early efforts of financing Southwest Airway
(alt. link)
/ref> By the end of World War II, Southwest Airways was the largest training contractor in the United States, and trained more than 20,000 pilots from over 24 countries.Stars and the Sky, Hollywood and the Makings of Thunderbird. Duncan Boothby, Das Tor, Thunderbird School of Global Management#1990s and 2000s, The Garvin School of International Management, May 15, 2005
After the war, Connelly and Hayward raised $2,000,000 from investors including James Stewart and Darryl Zanuck to expand Southwest into the airline business, pending government approval. They were awarded a three-year experimental charter from the Civil Aeronautics Board on May 22, 1946, for their feeder service.Jones, Geoff (2005), ''Northwest Airlines, The First 80 Years''.
Arcadia Publishing. p. 82. Retrieved August 4, 2009 Scheduled flights began on December 2, 1946, with war-surplus C-47s, the military version of Douglas DC-3 converted for civil use. The initial route was Los Angeles to San Francisco with stops in Oxnard, Santa Barbara, California, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, California, Santa Maria, San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles, California, Paso Robles, Coalinga, Monterey, California, Monterey, Santa Cruz, California, Santa Cruz/Watsonville, and San Jose, California, San Jose. The north coastal route included Oakland, Vallejo, California, Vallejo/Napa, California, Napa, Santa Rosa, California, Santa Rosa, Ukiah, California, Ukiah, Fort Bragg, California, Fort Bragg, Eureka, California, Eureka/Arcata, and Crescent City, California, Crescent City, while the inland route included Oakland, Sacramento, Marysville, California, Marysville/Yuba City, Oroville, California, Oroville, Chico, California, Chico, Red Bluff, California, Red Bluff, Redding, California, Redding, and Yreka with Medford, Oregon, added later. By the late 1950s Pacific Air Lines was serving Catalina Airport on Santa Catalina Island, California, Santa Catalina Island off the coast of southern California with flights from Los Angeles (LAX), Long Beach (LGB) and Burbank (BUR, now Bob Hope Airport. In 1960 a Crescent City to Portland, Oregon flight was added. In August 1953 Southwest scheduled flights to 23 airports, all in California except for Medford; in May 1968 Pacific flew to 29 airports.
/ref>
photo
In the 1950s, the airline's literature said it reached 33 California locales (i.e. 24 airports) and Airline timetable, timetables in the mid-1950s boasted that Southwest Airways "serves more California cities than any other scheduled airline."
(see Collector's Guide to Airline Timetables)
/ref> Like other local-service airlines, Pacific was subsidized; in 1962, its operating "revenues" of $12.1 million included $4.1 million in federal subsidy.
In 1959 Pacific added the first of 14 secondhand Cabin pressurization, pressurized Martin 4-0-4s. Pacific's first turbine airliner, the Fairchild (aircraft manufacturer), Fairchild Fairchild Hiller FH-227, F-27 (a U.S.-built version of the Dutch-manufactured Fokker F27 Friendship) was added to the fleet. In 1960 a phase-out of the thirteen DC-3s began: the last DC-3 flight was in 1962 and the last Martin 2-0-2s were retired in March 1964.Southwest Airways / Pacific Air Lines fleet list
Retrieved February 5, 2007.
''TIME'', May 12, 1967. Retrieved August 18, 2009 - describes controversial 1967 ad campaig
(alt. link)
/ref> chiefly because the 727 was uneconomical on Pacific's routes. Two were leased to National Airlines (NA), National Airlines.Airlines: How to Make Ten from Three
''TIME'', September 1, 1967. Retrieved May 18, 2021 - describes proposed merger with Bonanza and West Coas
(alt. link)
/ref> The airline promoted the Boeing 727 in a 1966 print ad: "Pacific Air Lines jets to more California cities any other airline." The ad said Pacific 727s served Fresno, Bakersfield, Monterey, Lake Tahoe, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, and Santa Barbara. Pacific planned to order Boeing 737-200s, more economical than the 727s, but events overtook the airline and the order was cancelled.
- fear of flying article knowing that unconventional ideas were his forté. Under his direction, print advertisements said: The copy from another ad said: To complement the ad campaign, flight attendants handed out "survival kits" featuring hot-pink lunch pails containing a small security blanket, a "lucky" rabbit's foot, the best-selling book ''The Power of Positive Thinking'', and a fortune cookie containing the slogan "It could be worse. The pilot could be whistling 'The High and the Mighty (1954 song), The High and the Mighty'."Zullo, Allan & Nelson, Kathy (2002), ''The Smile-High Club''.
Andrews McMeel Publishing. p.189 Retrieved August 17, 2009 The attendants were also encouraged to exclaim "We made it! How about that!" upon landing. Freberg had unfulfilled plans to paint a Pacific Boeing 727 to resemble a locomotive, with wheels on the fuselage and a cowcatcher on the nose. Inside the cabin, passengers would have heard a recording of a steam locomotive over the loudspeakers. Matthew E. McCarthy, Pacific's chief executive and biggest shareholder, explained the campaign: "It's basically honest. We spoof the passengers' concern, but at least we admit they have it." Philip H. Dougherty, writing in the Business and Finance section of the May 1 edition of ''The New York Times'', described the advertisements as "rather shocking". Objections to the unorthodox campaign were raised at a May 1967 stockholders meeting, and two Pacific Air Lines executives resigned in the wake of the controversy.
Period photographs from the Arizona Memory Project
- includes a photo of the airline co-founders, Connelly and Hayward
- pictorial history of U.S. Airlines, including photos of Southwest Airways and Pacific Air Lines aircraft
Photographs of Pacific Air Lines aircraft
- airliners.net
- timetableimages.com *Southwest Airways and Pacific Air Lines timetable covers from th
- airtimes.com
- lists registration numbers, aircraft types, dates of service
Southwest Airways / Pacific Air Lines historical records
- inventory of artifacts stored at the Minnesota Historical Society {{Portal bar, United States, San Francisco Bay Area, Companies, Aviation} Pacific Air Lines, Airlines established in 1941 Airlines disestablished in 1968 Defunct companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area Defunct regional airlines of the United States Companies based in San Francisco 1941 establishments in California 1968 disestablishments in California American companies established in 1941 Defunct airlines of the United States
regional airline
A regional airline is a general classification of airline which typically operates scheduled passenger air service, using regional aircraft, between communities lacking sufficient demand or infrastructure to attract mainline flights. In North ...
(then called a "local service" air carrier as defined by the federal Civil Aeronautics Board) on the West Coast of the United States that began scheduled passenger flights in the mid 1940s under the name Southwest Airways. The company linked small cities in California with larger cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco. Flights later operated to Portland, Oregon, and eventually reached Las Vegas and Reno in Nevada.
Founded largely with money from investors from the Hollywood (film industry), Hollywood motion picture industry, the airline was noted for innovative safety practices and cost-saving procedures.Small-Town Big-Timer''TIME'', October 18, 1948. Retrieved May 18, 2021 - article about the earliest years of Southwest Airway
(alt. link)
/ref> The name Pacific Air Lines passed into history in 1968 in a merger with Bonanza Air Lines and West Coast Airlines, forming Air West, which then became Hughes Airwest following the acquisition of Air West by Howard Hughes.
Southwest Airways era (1941–1958)
Founding and wartime operations
In early 1941 United States Army Air Service, Air Service veteran John Howard "Jack" Connelly and noted Hollywood agent/producer Leland Hayward formed a business partnership that five years later evolved into a scheduled airline. Neither was a stranger to aviation; Connelly was a former test pilot, airplane salesman, United States government role in civil aviation#Civil Aeronautics Authority, Civil Aeronautics Administration instructor pilot, and inspector for the 1930s-era Soviet Union. Hayward was an active private pilot and was on the board of directors of TWA, Transcontinental and Western Airlines (TWA). The two men enlisted the support of commercial pilot and photographer John Swope (photographer), John Swope to oversee the training of aviation cadets. Together, they founded a maintenance depot for overhauling training aircraft, a wartime air cargo line, and a military pilot training complex consisting of Thunderbird Field, Thunderbird Field No. 1, Scottsdale Airport, Thunderbird Field No. 2, and Falcon Field (Arizona), Falcon Field in Arizona.Thunderbird Man''TIME'', February 8, 1943. Retrieved May 18, 2021 - describes the early efforts of financing Southwest Airway
(alt. link)
/ref> By the end of World War II, Southwest Airways was the largest training contractor in the United States, and trained more than 20,000 pilots from over 24 countries.Stars and the Sky, Hollywood and the Makings of Thunderbird. Duncan Boothby, Das Tor, Thunderbird School of Global Management#1990s and 2000s, The Garvin School of International Management, May 15, 2005
Start of scheduled service
After the war, Connelly and Hayward raised $2,000,000 from investors including James Stewart and Darryl Zanuck to expand Southwest into the airline business, pending government approval. They were awarded a three-year experimental charter from the Civil Aeronautics Board on May 22, 1946, for their feeder service.Jones, Geoff (2005), ''Northwest Airlines, The First 80 Years''.Arcadia Publishing. p. 82. Retrieved August 4, 2009 Scheduled flights began on December 2, 1946, with war-surplus C-47s, the military version of Douglas DC-3 converted for civil use. The initial route was Los Angeles to San Francisco with stops in Oxnard, Santa Barbara, California, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, California, Santa Maria, San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles, California, Paso Robles, Coalinga, Monterey, California, Monterey, Santa Cruz, California, Santa Cruz/Watsonville, and San Jose, California, San Jose. The north coastal route included Oakland, Vallejo, California, Vallejo/Napa, California, Napa, Santa Rosa, California, Santa Rosa, Ukiah, California, Ukiah, Fort Bragg, California, Fort Bragg, Eureka, California, Eureka/Arcata, and Crescent City, California, Crescent City, while the inland route included Oakland, Sacramento, Marysville, California, Marysville/Yuba City, Oroville, California, Oroville, Chico, California, Chico, Red Bluff, California, Red Bluff, Redding, California, Redding, and Yreka with Medford, Oregon, added later. By the late 1950s Pacific Air Lines was serving Catalina Airport on Santa Catalina Island, California, Santa Catalina Island off the coast of southern California with flights from Los Angeles (LAX), Long Beach (LGB) and Burbank (BUR, now Bob Hope Airport. In 1960 a Crescent City to Portland, Oregon flight was added. In August 1953 Southwest scheduled flights to 23 airports, all in California except for Medford; in May 1968 Pacific flew to 29 airports.
No-frills spirit and quick turnarounds
Connelly, president, and Hayward, board chairman, were the majority owners of the airline, and as such could hold sway concerning how the company would operate. Running on slim operating margins, Southwest Airways was a no-frills airline decades before low-cost carriers became common. The airline speeded Aircraft ground handling, ground operations to the point where a DC-3 could load and discharge passengers and begin taxiing for takeoff 90 seconds after coming to a stop (adding six minutes if fuel is needed). To save money, the airline had its own pilots do the refueling instead of paying airport personnel. Ground time was reduced by keeping one engine running while a male purser quickly escorted passengers to and from the plane. Pacific's DC-3s were modified with an 'airstair', a door that doubled as a staircase for passengers. The airstair eliminated waiting for a ground crew to roll a Ground support equipment#Passenger boarding stairs, wheeled staircase up to the plane. In August 1953 a daily Southwest DC-3 was scheduled SFO to LAX in 3 hours and 45 minutes with eight stops.Pioneering instrument landings
The airline's innovative spirit extended into Air safety#Navigation aids and instrument flight, air safety, as well: in December 1947, a Southwest Airways DC-3 flying into the coastal town of Arcata made the world's first blind landing by a scheduled commercial airliner using ground-controlled approach radar, instrument landing system devices, and fog investigation and dispersal operation oil-burning units adjacent to the runway. By the following year, the airline had made 1,200 routine instrument landings at the often June gloom, fog-shrouded Arcata-Eureka Airport, Arcata airport. By 1948 Southwest had a fleet of 10 planes, all Douglas DC-3s, and was flying between 24 airports in California and Oregon, becoming the second-largest feeder airline in the United States.Crash of Flight 7
The airline had no fatal accidents until the evening of April 6, 1951, when Southwest Airways Flight 7 crashed, killing all 19 passengers and three crew members, including 12 military personnel. The DC-3 was flying a 20-minute route between Santa Maria and Santa Barbara. The aircraft struck a ridge in the Refugio Pass region of the Santa Ynez Mountains at an elevation of , far below the minimum nighttime altitude of prescribed for the route over that stretch of mountains. The Civil Aeronautics Board was unable to determine the cause.(alternate link)/ref>
Fleet expansion
By late 1952, the airline's fleet included eight secondhand piston engine, piston-engined Martin 2-0-2s, faster and larger than the DC-3.Killion, 1997, p. 142The Martin 2-0-2s had airstairs like the DC-3, but unlike the DC-3s, the Martin planes had tricycle landing gear, so the airstair was underneath the tail instead of on the side of the fuselage.photo
In the 1950s, the airline's literature said it reached 33 California locales (i.e. 24 airports) and Airline timetable, timetables in the mid-1950s boasted that Southwest Airways "serves more California cities than any other scheduled airline."
Pacific Air Lines era (1958–1968)
The airline became Pacific Air Lines on March 6, 1958; the corporate logo was changed from an earth-toned Thunderbird (mythology), Thunderbird reminiscent of a Navajo people, Navajo Sandpainting#Native American sandpainting, sandpainting to a simpler, modern design with bright colors. To prevent the flying public from confusing the newly named Pacific Air Lines for a brand-new airline, company timetables in 1959 said the company was in its "17th year of scheduled service".The airline overstated by several years the actual amount of time they had been in scheduled passenger service. This reminder to the public of the airline's longevity, accurate or not, continued on timetable covers until mid-196(see Collector's Guide to Airline Timetables)
/ref> Like other local-service airlines, Pacific was subsidized; in 1962, its operating "revenues" of $12.1 million included $4.1 million in federal subsidy.
Prop and turboprop transition
In 1959 Pacific added the first of 14 secondhand Cabin pressurization, pressurized Martin 4-0-4s. Pacific's first turbine airliner, the Fairchild (aircraft manufacturer), Fairchild Fairchild Hiller FH-227, F-27 (a U.S.-built version of the Dutch-manufactured Fokker F27 Friendship) was added to the fleet. In 1960 a phase-out of the thirteen DC-3s began: the last DC-3 flight was in 1962 and the last Martin 2-0-2s were retired in March 1964.Southwest Airways / Pacific Air Lines fleet listRetrieved February 5, 2007.
Crash of Flight 308
A Pacific Air Lines DC-3 operating as Flight 308 carrying 3 crew and 17 passengers crashed on October 26, 1959, killing the co-pilot. The plane was taking off from Santa Maria, California when the number five cylinder of the left engine failed, and severe buffeting began shaking the aircraft. The captain was forced to make an emergency landing about 1-1/2 miles north of the airport, during which the plane cartwheeled to the left on its nose, causing severe damage. The co-pilot was killed, the captain was severely injured, and the flight attendant#purser, purser and passengers suffered injuries of varying severity. The investigation into the crash determined the probable cause was that "following the failure of the left engine, the left engine's cowling, ring cowl was deformed causing a buffeting and drag condition that made sustained flight impossible." A contributing factor was "scheduling of the flight by the company when there should have been reasonable doubt concerning the airworthiness of an engine." As a result of the crash, Pacific Air Lines stopped using contracted maintenance at Los Angeles (where the DC-3 was based) and sent its own personnel there to perform all future work on company aircraft.Hijacking attempt
The first U.S. aircraft hijacking attempt took place on board Pacific Air Lines flight 327 on the ground at the Chico Municipal Airport, Chico airport on July 31, 1961. The pilot and a ticket agent were both shot; however, the assailant was then overpowered by the copilot and passengers while the plane was on the ground.Crash of Flight 773
On May 7, 1964, Pacific Pacific Air Lines Flight 773, Flight 773 crashed near San Ramon, California, east of Oakland, California, Oakland. All 44 aboard the Fairchild F-27 were killed when the aircraft dove into a hillside near vertically. Investigators found a gun in the wreckage, and the FBI determined that a suicidal passenger shot both of the pilots, and then himself, causing the plane to dive out of control. This scenario was repeated 23 years later at another California-based airline, Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA), when a recently dismissed employee shot a supervisor, then both pilots on board a BAe 146-200 Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771, Flight 1771 en route from Los Angeles to San Francisco, causing it to crash in the hills of San Luis Obispo County with the loss of all on board.Boeing 727s
On September 13, 1965 Pacific Air Lines announced it would acquire six new Boeing 727-100 jets, leasing two immediately and placing orders for the others to be delivered in early 1968. The jets were ordered during a prosperous time for the airline, but net income for Pacific dropped from $700,337 in 1965 to $150,716,Airlines: Hey There, Sweaty Palms!''TIME'', May 12, 1967. Retrieved August 18, 2009 - describes controversial 1967 ad campaig
(alt. link)
/ref> chiefly because the 727 was uneconomical on Pacific's routes. Two were leased to National Airlines (NA), National Airlines.Airlines: How to Make Ten from Three
''TIME'', September 1, 1967. Retrieved May 18, 2021 - describes proposed merger with Bonanza and West Coas
(alt. link)
/ref> The airline promoted the Boeing 727 in a 1966 print ad: "Pacific Air Lines jets to more California cities any other airline." The ad said Pacific 727s served Fresno, Bakersfield, Monterey, Lake Tahoe, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, and Santa Barbara. Pacific planned to order Boeing 737-200s, more economical than the 727s, but events overtook the airline and the order was cancelled.
Controversial ad campaign
In 1967 the airline embarked on a controversial advertising campaign, including a full-page ad in the ''New York Times'' on April 28, 1967, that highlighted the fear of flying, a subject rarely mentioned by airlines. Pacific had hired award-winning advertising executive and comedian Stan Freberg for the ad campaign,Flight Safety Foundation newsletter, May-June 1988- fear of flying article knowing that unconventional ideas were his forté. Under his direction, print advertisements said: The copy from another ad said: To complement the ad campaign, flight attendants handed out "survival kits" featuring hot-pink lunch pails containing a small security blanket, a "lucky" rabbit's foot, the best-selling book ''The Power of Positive Thinking'', and a fortune cookie containing the slogan "It could be worse. The pilot could be whistling 'The High and the Mighty (1954 song), The High and the Mighty'."Zullo, Allan & Nelson, Kathy (2002), ''The Smile-High Club''.
Andrews McMeel Publishing. p.189 Retrieved August 17, 2009 The attendants were also encouraged to exclaim "We made it! How about that!" upon landing. Freberg had unfulfilled plans to paint a Pacific Boeing 727 to resemble a locomotive, with wheels on the fuselage and a cowcatcher on the nose. Inside the cabin, passengers would have heard a recording of a steam locomotive over the loudspeakers. Matthew E. McCarthy, Pacific's chief executive and biggest shareholder, explained the campaign: "It's basically honest. We spoof the passengers' concern, but at least we admit they have it." Philip H. Dougherty, writing in the Business and Finance section of the May 1 edition of ''The New York Times'', described the advertisements as "rather shocking". Objections to the unorthodox campaign were raised at a May 1967 stockholders meeting, and two Pacific Air Lines executives resigned in the wake of the controversy.
Merger
When the Boeing 727 jet order was announced by the airline in 1965, it was unforeseen that a change in the business climate was on the horizon and that economic realities would dictate that some of the jets would not fly for Pacific. Stiff competition from rivals such as Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) and United Air Lines were factors in Pacific Air Lines joining forces with Bonanza Air Lines and West Coast Airlines in a three-way merger into Air West in 1968. Air West became Hughes Airwest after its acquisition by Howard Hughes in 1970 and merged into Republic Airlines (1979-1986), Republic Airlines in 1980. Republic was acquired by Northwest Airlines in 1987, and Northwest merged into Delta Air Lines in 2008. At the time of the Air West merger, Pacific's fleet included 11 Fairchild F-27s, five Martin 4-0-4s, and three Boeing 727-100s, one of which was still leased out, but returned to Air West in late 1968. The last of the Martins were not carried forward into the Air West fleet and were disposed of in August 1968. The two cofounders of Southwest Airways died within nine months of each other in 1971. John Connelly was 71,John H. Connelly, 71 dies. ''Phoenix Arizona Republic'', December 30, 1971, Obituaries p. 53 and Leland Hayward was 68.Destinations in 1968
The April 28, 1968, timetable lists Pacific Air Lines flights to the following just before its merger. Three letter airport identifiers are taken from the Official Airline Guide (OAG (company), OAG). California: * Bakersfield (BFL) * Burbank, California, Burbank - (BUR), now Bob Hope Airport * Chico, California, Chico (CIC) * Crescent City, California, Crescent City (CEC) * Eureka, California, Eureka/Arcata (ACV) * Fresno (FAT) * Inyokern (IYK) * Lake Tahoe (TVL) * Long Beach, California, Long Beach (LGB) * Los Angeles (LAX) * Marysville, California, Marysville/Yuba City (MYV) * Monterey (MRY) * Oxnard/Ventura, California, Ventura (OXR) * Palmdale/Lancaster, California, Lancaster (WJF) - served via General William J. Fox Airfield * Paso Robles (PRB) - San Luis Obispo was served via Paso Robles * Redding, California, Redding (RDD) - Red Bluff, California, Red Bluff was served via Redding * Sacramento (SMF) * San Diego (SAN) * San Francisco (SFO) - headquarters for the airline * San Jose, California, San Jose (SJC) * Santa Barbara, California, Santa Barbara (SBA) * Santa Maria, California, Santa Maria (SMX) * Santa Rosa, California, Santa Rosa (STS) * Stockton, California, Stockton - (SCK) * Vandenberg Air Force Base (VBG) - Passenger access was restricted: "''The right of passengers to enplane'' ''or'' ''deplane'' ''at'' ''Vandenberg'' ''AFB is subject to Military Security Control."'' Nevada: * Las Vegas (LAS) * Reno (RNO) Oregon: * Portland, Oregon, Portland (PDX)Fleet
* Boeing 727-100 - only jet operated by the airline * Douglas DC-3 (operated by predecessor Southwest Airways and also by Pacific Air Lines, the air carrier also operated the C-47 version of the DC-3) * Fairchild F-27 * Martin 2-0-2 (operated by Southwest and by Pacific) * Martin 4-0-4 (operated by Southwest and by Pacific)See also
* List of defunct airlines of the United StatesNotes
References
Further reading
* * *External links
Period photographs from the Arizona Memory Project
- includes a photo of the airline co-founders, Connelly and Hayward
- pictorial history of U.S. Airlines, including photos of Southwest Airways and Pacific Air Lines aircraft
Photographs of Pacific Air Lines aircraft
- airliners.net
- timetableimages.com *Southwest Airways and Pacific Air Lines timetable covers from th
- airtimes.com
- lists registration numbers, aircraft types, dates of service
Southwest Airways / Pacific Air Lines historical records
- inventory of artifacts stored at the Minnesota Historical Society {{Portal bar, United States, San Francisco Bay Area, Companies, Aviation} Pacific Air Lines, Airlines established in 1941 Airlines disestablished in 1968 Defunct companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area Defunct regional airlines of the United States Companies based in San Francisco 1941 establishments in California 1968 disestablishments in California American companies established in 1941 Defunct airlines of the United States