Fill 'Er Up

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 01/17/2019 at 16:59 • Filed to: wingspan

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Fueling up an Eastern Airlines DC-3 at National Airport in Washington, DC in 1941.

Former WWI ace Eddie Rickenbacker had taken over the reins of Eastern from General Motors in 1938 and greatly expanded its service over the East Coast with aircraft of The Great Silver Fleet. Under Rickenbacker’s leadership, Eastern’s virtual monopoly on the lucrative routes between New York and Florida made it the nation’s most profitable airline. By the 1950s, though, Rickenbacker’s reluctance to adopt jet aircraft led to his ouster. Eastern remained profitable as it moved into the jet age, and was the first to fly the Boeing 727, the Airbus A300, and was the launch customer for the Boeing 757. But a steady decline beginning in the 1970s ended with its liquidation in 1991.

(National Air and Space Museum)

user314 > ttyymmnn 01/17/2019 at 17:09

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Dat baggage cart.

bubblestheturtle > ttyymmnn 01/17/2019 at 19:16

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I see a group of guys that were in uniform a year later.

facw > ttyymmnn 01/18/2019 at 03:57

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But a steady decline beginning in the 1970s ended with its liquidation in 1991 

Of course, prior to liquidation, they sold their most profitable north east routes to one Donald Trump:

That endeavor of course failed nearly immediately due to declining passenger volume and increased fuel costs (and Trump’s own financial difficulties made it impossible for him to support the airline through these troubles).

The shuttle was then sold to US Air, and is now part of American.

The Eastern 727s were eventually replaced with newer aircraft:

With the last US Airways livery, I don’t believe they distinguished the shuttle at all, and American seems to have  kept that up.

ttyymmnn > facw 01/18/2019 at 08:28

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Thanks for all that. It’s kind of hard to sum up the history of an airline in one paragraph! I had a friend who was a pilot for US Air on that route. 

facw > ttyymmnn 01/18/2019 at 08:31

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Yeah, I’ll admit it was probably a bit out of scope for your blurb, but I think it’s fun to trace these lineages, and dig up those old photos.

ttyymmnn > facw 01/18/2019 at 08:42

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The photos make it. All those 727s. RIP. 

user314 > facw 01/18/2019 at 15:02

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The last good looking SAir livery. 

facw > user314 01/18/2019 at 15:04

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It’s very ‘90s but I do like the dark blue one. Though I wish it didn’t have the simplified flag, which always just looks wrong.

user314 > facw 01/18/2019 at 15:18

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Eh, the blue never did anything for me. Give me the maroon & red over polished aluminum any day of the week.

facw > user314 01/18/2019 at 15:31

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That’s a very ‘70s livery. Those as far as ‘70s liveries go, United’s was still the best (and vastly better than what they use today):