NWASE From United States of America, joined Aug 2005, 7 posts, RR: 0 Posted (5 years 9 months 4 days 6 hours ago) and read 3826 times:
I am in the process of writing a paper regarding the fallout from airline deregulation.
The Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938 "grandfathered" 16 trunk airlines into the U.S. air carrier system and while those numbers shrunk to ten by 1979, no new trunk carriers were added. While I can find numerous references to the original sixteen, I cannot find the names of them. If anyone can help identify them, I would appreciate it.
Here is my partial list of suspects (in no particular order):
American
Continental
Braniff
Alaska
United
TWA
Pan Am
Western
Eastern
National
Northwest
McMax From United States of America, joined Dec 2005, 296 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (5 years 9 months 4 days 6 hours ago) and read 3775 times:
The 11 you have listed are correct. Those are the same ones I found when Googling the topic.
Another trunk airline back then was Northeast Airlines (which later merged with Delta). As to the remaining 4, I have no concrete answer, but I'd guess Mohawk might be one of them.
Aloha73G From United States of America, joined Jul 2003, 2304 posts, RR: 5 Reply 2, posted (5 years 9 months 4 days 5 hours ago) and read 3744 times:
I found an article from TIME which identified United, TWA, American and Eastern
Quote: The line argues that CAB doctrine since the board was first set up in 1938 has been to limit the number of trunk airlines to the 16 "grandfather" lines (American. Eastern, United, T.W.A., etc.) operating at that time. Since then, three have dropped out, but no new names have been added to the roster
Also, I would add Delta.....and I am sure there are a bunch of small ones which merged/changed names in the meantime.
Perhaps Hawaiian also, as they were started in 1929.
-Aloha!
Aloha Airlines - The Spirit Moves Us. Gone but NEVER Forgotten. Aloha, A Hui Hou!
Lindy Field From United States of America, joined Mar 2001, 3072 posts, RR: 15 Reply 7, posted (5 years 9 months 4 days 4 hours ago) and read 3653 times:
AIRLINERS.NET CREW HEAD DATABASE EDITOR
A trunk line was authorized to provide interstate service, so Aloha, Hawaiian, and Air California shouldn't count as they were intrastate carriers and not subject to quite so many regulations.
Along with Northeast and Delta, I'd imagine that the old Capital Airlines, merged into United in 1960, was one of the original trunk lines.
As for the others, possibilities include North Central, Mohawk, Piedmont, Alaska, or American Overseas Airlines, although I'm not sure if the first three were anything more than local carriers in the 1930s or if Alaska is old enough.
OzarkD9S From United States of America, joined Oct 2001, 4682 posts, RR: 23 Reply 8, posted (5 years 9 months 4 days 3 hours ago) and read 3572 times:
Colonial - into Eastern
Chicago & Southern - into Delta
Northeast (already mentioned) - into Delta
Capital (already mentioned) -into Untited
Mid-Continent - into Braniff
Ozark, Trans-Texas, Southern, Frontier, et al...were Local Service carriers formed after WWII.
Gemuser From Australia, joined Nov 2003, 5219 posts, RR: 6 Reply 9, posted (5 years 9 months 4 days 1 hour ago) and read 3450 times:
Quoting NWASE (Thread starter): Here is my partial list of suspects (in no particular order):
Pan Am
I doubt that you should count Pan Am as a trunk airline as they had no domestic service in 1938 and none of the trunk airlines did international service except maybe Grace? which became Pan American Grage/Paranga.
SkyyMaster From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 10, posted (5 years 9 months 4 days 1 hour ago) and read 3423 times:
Were those carriers that were back then called "local service" carriers (Piedmont, Lake Central, Ozark, Allegheny, etc) also considered trunk carriers? I was under the impression they were in a different classification. If so, I can only come up with eleven - AA, BN, CO, DL, EA, NE, NW, PA, TWA, UA, WA. Maybe I'm not thinking back far enough?
XJRamper From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 2345 posts, RR: 52 Reply 11, posted (5 years 9 months 4 days ago) and read 3370 times:
Here are the original 16 air carriers:
American Airlines
Braniff Airways
Chicago and Southern Airlines
Continental Airlines
Delta Air Corporation
Northwest Airlines
Pennsylvania-Central Airlines
Transcontinental and Western Air
Eastern Airlines
Inland Airlines
Mid-Continent Airlines
National Airlines
Northeast Airlines
United Airlines
Western Air Express
Wilmington-Catalina Airlines
Of these airlines that received a permanent Certificate of Convenience and Necessity, there are only 5 that remain today: AA, CO, DL, NW, and UA
Interesting list. May I ask your source? I'd like to do some reading and get some history. I'd heard of all except Wilmington-Catalina, and I thought I'd heard of just about everyone that ever flew!
XJRamper From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 2345 posts, RR: 52 Reply 13, posted (5 years 9 months 3 days 10 hours ago) and read 3083 times:
This came from a book from one of my masters classes at Riddle entitled "Air Transportation 1903-2003" 14th edition written by Robert Kane. It was actually kind of amusing because the book talked about Pan Am as the 6th original trunk carrier that was still in operation, and we all know where they went lol.
Quoting SkyyMaster (Reply 12): I'd heard of all except Wilmington-Catalina, and I thought I'd heard of just about everyone that ever flew!
Makes two of us lol.
Its actually a decent book and I do recommend the read even though it is "older".
Sponsor Message: 
From United States of America, joined Aug 2005, 7 posts, 
From , joined Dec 1969, posts, 
From Australia, joined Nov 2003, 5219 posts, 
Printer friendly format 
