1st airline I've ever flew with between London and Berlin in the early 80's, as a kid, travelling alone and always remember how the air hostesses looked after me.
If they still operate the way they used to it would finally go bust either way. Low cost tickets is the way to go now, bad for the aviation anthusiast but that just how the market goes.
I suggest reading a book called "Skygods: The Fall of Pan Am" by Robert Gandt. There was a lot going against the airline as it wasn't allowed to fly domestically and didn't correctly predict the market along with other factors. If it survived, it would be a much smaller airline at best
I read that book. I couldn't put it down. I never realized that Sandy Acker designed the iconic uniform with the Boller hat. If the airline was still in business, the Boeing 757 and Triple 7 would have looked heart-stopping in Pan Am colors. I fault the downfall, or at least the start of it, to Edward Acker's involvement. He did to Pan Am, what Frank Lorenzo did to Eastern.😢
@@aviationlba747 The KGB used Aeroflot and the CIA used Pan Am. Air travel is so nice today. EK, ET, SQ, TG... the WORKS. Back in rhe 70s and 80s these Americans and Europeans lorded it over the third world. I flew Air France from Bangkok in 1983 on a 747 200. During the take off roll, the plane shook like a quake had hit it. The FAs while pretty, were rude, racist and impolite. These Americans and Europeans put run down planes on third world routes. Air Travel is much better today No Asian, ME3 or Ethiopian back then
@@indranilchakrabarty4196 What you are saying is irrelevant. If Pan Am and TWA were still operating today, they would obviously be much improved from what they were 20-30+ years ago.
I would hope that Pan Am retained a high level of American style customer service and is admired for it. Something that is lacking today in budget conscious United and American Airlines that are trying to adapt RyanAir style non existent service.
if PAN AM was still around it would be a pleasure to witness that 70s glamour and aura that pan am brought to the table it's just unique. that style and top of the line comfort both combined for something extraordinary.
This is a very thought provoking video for me as I was a frequent passenger on Pan-Am jets in the 60s-70s. My first trip on board the magnificent 747 was on Pan-Am in 1971. That was the day I fell in love with the Jumbo jet! She still my all time favorite today! My proffession took me to places where cost and time constraints made taking Pan-Am back home to Brazil via the USA impractical. PA was me favourite airline back in those days and it's been fascinating to ponder what their fleet would look like today, had they still been around. Great idea for a video, mates! Cheers!
If Pan Am survived today; it's fleet would be: - 747-8I (might have given a boost to the 747-8 program) - 747-400 (2 or 1 units left, almost all retired) - 787-8/787-9 - 777-200LR and 777-300ER -Airbus A350-900, A350-1000 XWB -Airbus A321 Ceo/ A321LR and XLR -Airbus A340-500 (1 unit)
Yeah just saying despite PANAM's relationship with Boeing getting into Airbus aircraft was an inevitability because especially if you consider the specs of the aircraft they're mostly superior in range and efficiency. So I feel like yes, just like United which was literally founded by William Boeing they would indeed buy some Airbus. While United only uses Airbus for short hall roots, they only have A319-200CEOS and A320-200CEOS. I suspect the only reason why they have these is because of Continental's merger with United they probably wouldn't have the airbusses at all. Maybe I'm wrong though.
It will be have it’s parent company based in UAE and the first US based airline to operate the COMAC C919 as a form of protest if an airline from Israel purchase 737 MAX and along with the use of COMAC C919 use in America as a sign of protest against Israel.
You know Pan Am not only operated both the A300B4 and the A310-200, but also had either optioned, ordered or was preparing to acquire A320s at the time of its bankruptcy. If Pan Am had survived, it very likely would have acquired more Airbus (consider the extensive use of Airbus A330s and A319/A320 aircraft by Northwest and US Airways (who also had the A321), the former of which had otherwise the oldest fleet, with the A330s representing the entirety of their widebody ETOPS, and in the case of US, the highest revenue and costs per seat mile in the industry, resulting in a razor-sharp profit margin that made them the first major US airline to file for chapter 11 after 9/11; additionally Continental in the unpleasant years before Gordon Bethune took over, including the pre-Bethune, post-Lorenzo period after their second bankruptcy where SAS had become their largest shareholder, flew the A300B4 extensively and at one time been the only major US airline to order the A340; also Eastern was greatly aided by being able to acquire A300B4s under very favorable terms in order to allow Airbus to get a foothold in the US market, the America West A320s were initially ordered by, and many were delivered to, Braniff, before their second liquidation in 1990, and TWA’s last unfilled order before American acquired them was for 50 Airbus A318s (which had strangely been ordered around the same time as the 717 - perhaps TWA anticipated recovery and wanted a backup if, as would prove to be the case, Boeing discontinued the 717, but TWA had also a large fleet of MD-83s including the last one to roll off the line in Long Beach in 1999, and these together with the 717s allowed them to retire their last 727s and DC-9s). The pattern seems to be one of struggling airlines who had historically favored Boeing being wooed, at least temporarily, to other manufacturers
Flew Pan Am in 78 LHR to JFK and again in 79 LHR to L.A. then on to Honolulu, 40 years on I still remember the rude service from the cabin crew. PA lost their way in the 80s and never recovered from Lockerbie. But still an Icon in Aviation history along with many of the big American carriers.
An interesting comment as I also flew PanAm twice, after which I avoided them, in 1978 and 1979. On both occasions it was from JFK to LHR. I am not saying that there was anything wrong with PanAm. I appreciate that they had an extensive route network and played a significant role in the development of commercial aviation. I also note that in post-war Europe they would have been looked up to and respected due to the simple fact that they were American. Everything American was highly regarded in those days. My first experience of PanAm was in Y class aboard the 747 operated daylight flight from JFK to LHR in April 1978. This was part of my return journey from Sydney to London. I deliberately arranged my trip so as to travel out to Sydney via the Eastern Hemisphere and return via the Western Hemisphere so that I could say that I had flown around the world. When compared to other airlines (for example Cathay Pacific, an airline which impressed me greatly) that I had travelled with in the course of my journey I found several things lacking in their in-flight service. For example, no printed menus, no hot towels, no what today would be called amenity kits, some or all of which were provided by the other carriers. The starter for the meal was just a simple salad. That sort of thing. My second experience was in December 1979, the same route but this time an overnight flight JFK - LHR in F class. At that time they still had that gimmick of the dining tables on the upper deck. I asked the stewardess if I could have a seat upstairs for dinner. Was told I should have pre-booked it. Explained I had not booked through PA and was unaware. Was rudely asked 'Who did you book through then?. Eventually did get to eat upstairs but again the meal was not up to what you would expect. The starter for example was a small plate of prawns with marie rose sauce. In the morning there was not any service of any sort prior to landing, not even a glass of juice or a coffee! As a direct comparison, I flew Y class on Air India from JFK to LHR in the summer of 1979 and we got a full hot dinner after take off and a full hot breakfast prior to landing. My flight immediately preceeding that flight 1979 PanAm was from Washington National to JFK on Braniff again in F class. Was not expecting a meal on that short sector as the flight had originated in DFW but equally was not expecting to be ignored for ages, finally asked if I wanted anything, asked for a coffee, was given a cup of very hot coffee in a polystyrene cup (in 1970's F class albeit US domestic F class) which was then very quickly taken away from me as we were about to land before I had been able to actually drink any of it. I therefore formed a generally negative impression of US carriers in general.
You may recall that PAN AM flew several Airbus aircraft types (A300 & A310) so it is very possible that if the airline had survived they very much could have been the launch customer for the A380 jumbo as well as the A340 and its variations and most assuredly would have been the luanch customer for the 777 & 787 boeing aircraft. Great story and thank you
Well if Delta had come through with the second round of financing and Pan Am had survived into the early 90s, I doubt they would have needed the 777; they would be in just enough of a position, propped up by Delta, to keep American from dominating the Latin American market
I believe that Pan Am will exist again. The last livery ( Billboard livery) is just to cool and adaptable to future aircraft. The film ‘2001 space odyssey’ was prophecy for Pan Am, but I believe the future Pan Am livery will be a continuation of the Billboard livery with no changes.
It's a great question, one I've wondered about over the years. Pan Am was hindered by a weak domestic route network that it couldn't afford to expand through acquisition after the failed National merger. Yet throughout the '80s, none of the stronger domestic airlines wanted to buy Pan Am when they could just wait for Pan Am's next round of asset sales. They also couldn't have been the Emirates of North America because the U.S. only allowed international transits without having to submit to the full immigration and customs regimen on a very limited basis before 9/11, and not at all after that. I eventually figured the only hope for a Pan Am today would have been for it to seek out a merger with one big domestic airline such as United or American immediately upon deregulation in 1978. Had Pan Am been the surviving brand, it would have become very similar to today's UA/AA in both onboard experience and fleet: no A380s, but probably 777s.
An American version of Emirates might just be what Pan Am would look like today. Focus on long-haul international routes from gateways like JFK to Europe, MIA to Latin America, and LAX off the west coast. Maybe ORD too. It would be supported by a domestic network feeding those gateways from medium to large cities. I don’t envision them in the smaller cities or the budget/vacation routes as much.
Sounds interesting thx for awesome aviation education vids I’m 15 and I learn a lot about aviation from u hope u had a great Christmas and happy new year guys
Before deregulation at the end of the 1970s, Pan Am and TWA had the international routes (Eastern had South American routes and Northwest had Asian routes) and the likes of United, Delta, and American were domestic carriers. United, Delta, and American were better able to leverage their domestic networks and reconfigure to compete in the deregulated era. While their smaller aircraft provided them some advantages to reconfigure and compete, they also had much better leadership too. In the next 15 years, the writing was on the wall as Pan Am, TWA, and Eastern had begun to sell significant portions of themselves (route authorities that were still regulated) in order to survive. United acquired Heathrow and Asia authorities from Pan Am (its Crown Jewels), American acquired Heathrow from TWA and South America from Eastern, and Delta acquired European from Pan Am. Those two airlines couldn’t survive by selling off the best part of themselves
What are you talking about: "It's American roots and relationship to Boeing may have prevented [flying the A380]"? Pan Am flew the A300, was a launch customer for the A310, and had 50 A320s on order when they collapsed. Their relationship with Airbus was strong too.
Pan Am was technically still operating in the form of a railroad in Massachusetts between 2006 and 2020. However it cease to exist as well thanks to CSX purchasing it last year.
Wishing the simple flying team a very happy new year..The best thing I have done this year is subscribing to your channel... Wonderful video loved it much ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
If Pan Am were still going, I think they would have a fleet of A330-200s/300s, A350-900s, 737-800s, 737 Max 8s, 747-8Is, 777-300ERs, 787-8s, 787-9s and 787-10s with the same destinations and in Star Alliance.
Having so many varieties of aircraft would be a logistics nightmare, Instead of training pilots and mechanics for two or three types of planes, an airline would need to have them for a dozen plane types. The same with spare parts, you would need several extra warehouses full of expensive parts to keep a dozen types of planes flying compared to an airline with only 2 or 3 types of planes. Those extra costs make the difference between profit and loss and sent companies broke. In the past these "Noah's Ark Airlines" (they had two of every type of plane) often had the best customer service and strongest loyalty, but still went bust because of those costs that were invisible to passengers.
@@Dave_Sisson Spot on, this was another part of the PanAm disaster. Following their acquisition of National Airlines in 1980 the fleet became hugely diverse and complex with DC-10s, Tristars and 747s in the long haul fleet.
@@Davids_DC-10 It's not just in America, but Europe too. Even in Australia, Ansett Airlines was the most popular airline, but they had a huge variety of plane types before they went broke. If you look at the most profitable big airlines today like South West, EasyJet and Ryan Air, they all only fly one type of plane either A320s or B737s.
Had I been running the company, in hindsight, I would have built up the hotel chain and narrowed down regularly scheduled flights to destinations where hotels were located. I'd also have stationed agency offices at said hotels, it can operate like an alternate embassy. I'd schedule fewer flights during the offseason (particularly during the fuel crisis), and deploy the 747s during peak season on high volume routes. Right around deregulation, I'd launch a charter service, by which members pay annual fee and are entitled to up to six flights - scheduled according to common demand for a given destination. The big Pan Am computer can crunch the numbers. Business travelers would likely buy up memberships for domestic flights (now permissible under deregulation). Chartered flights today do offer Pan-Am like services. Going into the 90s, given the company remains on solid ground, I'd gradually introduce international hub-and-spoke routes and increase regularly scheduled flights. By the turn of the millennium, I'd be working on going to the moon. Today, the company probably would look like a cross of Space X and Emirates Airlines, offering public space travel and elite flight services, including the entire flying suites.
It's a simple question. Pan Am was losing money long before they went out of business. If it didn't close down, they would have merged with another carrier, who would have got whatever it was worth for a low price. Stockholders would still have been wiped out. After the merger, the Pan Am name would still have vanished. One positive are some, or many, of the employees jobs would have been saved who got to work for the other carrier. Unfortunately, the writing was on the wall from the early 1980's on, that Pan Am would eventually not survive.
I think Pan Am would have survived if they actually had competent leadership after Juan T. Trippe stepped down on the eve of deregulation. They should have used the money they spent overpaying for National on building a domestic route network that focused on their strengths (i.e. jetBlue's network which is heavily focused on Transcontinental, NYC/BOS to Florida flying) as well as doubling down on the Asia-Pacific which was starting to boom by the time Pan Am sold all their Pacific routes to United Airlines in a shortsighted attempt to financially stabilize the company.
That's an interesting thought experiment. You know what else is interesting? What if Pan Am and TWA were both still in existence. Hmm... the Juan Tripp Howard Hughes saga 21st century style.
Their fleet would probably consist of 737s, a320s, 747s and 777s. Most routes would probably be constricted to the major airports and would primarily operate out of Miami, JFK, LAX and LHR.
Or probably has lots of codeshares Also i can see probably it will be the largest airline Beating emirates lufthansa qatar cathay klm all that good airlines
Great video, very informative. If Pan American Airways was still around, they wouldn’t be operating 747s. I envision Pan-Am operating Boeing 787-10s Dreamliners on its long-haul transatlantic and transpacific routes. Because Dreamliners are fuel efficient. Additionally, I could see Pan-Am, doing nonstop ultra long haul routes such as New York to Singapore, Orlando to Auckland, New Zealand, and Miami to Sydney. They would used Airbus A350s ULRs for those ultra long haul routes. Pan-Am, today would have have and extensive short and medium haul domestic routes. In envision the airline using Boeing 737s and Airbus A321s for its short and medium haul routes. Today I see Pan American Airways, offerings such as 1st Class and meal service being scaled down. Meaning, their meal service won’t be as extravagant and lavish as the 1960s. They’re meal services be on only international flights, not domestic in all classes. I’m sure they would have a buy on board food program for the domestic routes. Of course there would be no more first class on domestic and international routes. Which is a trend most airlines are doing these days (doing away with 1st class). Instead their highest class would be business class, followed by premium economy and economy. Overall, If Pan-Am was still around, it would be completely different airline from yesteryear. It would still had an extensive international and domestic presence.
If Pan Am had survived and avoided flogging off large parts of their route network to paper over financial deficits they likely would resemble the US3 today. Their first and business product likely would be the best of the American carriers partially because of ego and because they'd want to compete with SQ and CX on the lucrative Asian routes. Pan Am was edging to becoming a mostly Airbus fleet by their demise in 1991 so if they survived their domestic fleet would be made up of all Airbus planes. Long Haul flying would be done by a mix of 777-300ers, A350s, 787s and A330s. The 747's would be gone by the pandemic, if not before, but Pan Am would have had a small fleet of 747-400s for their Asia routes. Maybe Boeing appeals to Pan Am's history with the 747 and convinces them to buy some 747-8i, but I doubt it. They likely join Oneworld since it's made Pan Am's flights were concentrated in predominantly Oneworld hubs today.
Pan Am's Juan Trippe guessed wrong with the 747. It might have worked if he'd agreed to buy 5 rather than 15, then bought newer more efficient jets as time allowed, but everything worked against him and the legacy he left behind when he retired in 1968. I've often wondered what rabbits he would have pulled out of his hat during the oil crisis, etc had he still been at the helm. He was a crafty wizard when it came to business.
What theyd look like today depends on at which time they managed to turn things to the good. In any case it would have not been unlikely that Pan Am either would have died after 9/11 or merged into another Airline. Example Scenario 1: the money from selling the pacific network helped enough to save the airline they would have become quite an Airbus Airline. A300s and A310s were already arriving, 50 A320s were on order. They would have replaced the 727s with these A320s and I am sure that they would habe been an very early A330/A340 customer. These planes would have replaced the whole 747 fleet. In the mid 90s I am sure Pan Am would have consisted of A300, A310, A320, A330 and A340 and maybe a couple remaining 727s and 747s dinosaurs. I could imagine that they would have ordered 787s to replace the A340s, but who knows? Example Scenario 2: Pan Am 2 made it after selling the JFK, FRA, LHR, the atlantic and NY Shuttle to Delta. They would have been a rather small to medium Airline that would sooner or later have merged into another Airline (maybe American).
The Caribbean and South American routes Pan Am later flew were pioneered by NYRBA... New York, Rio, Buenos Aires. A wonderful old book, The Dream of Eagles, is a fascinating read of the creation and the route development of that incredible airline. NYRB based out of Dinner Key, Miami, which Pan Am acquired. The Miami mayor's office has been located in the NYRBA/Pan Am building for decades, and there is a fascinating aircraft model display in the lobby of all the aircraft they flew in the early days.
The NYRBA route actually extended to Johannesburg in the 60s using a 707. This was the shortest run over water between South America and Africa. Later iin the 80s the route was flown by a 747 SP. Both by PAN AM and SAA. Really surprised that SAA does not fly to South America.
The only way Pan Am would have survived was if they established a decent domestic route structure. That is what killed them in the end. They were the Emirates of their day, but while Emirates could get away with that single hub structure, Pan Am, a US carrier competing with the likes of United, American, and Delta, not to mention US Air and Continental, would never have been able too. That's really what killed the airline, no domestic structure and increasing competition on international routes from domestic options. Now, if they had bought Continental which was coming out of bankruptcy in the 80's, or even US Air, they would still be around today as the stronger brand. They would have never bought a A380, and I hate to say it, probably would have never bought the 747-8 (unless they ordered it as a combi) for the same reason why no US airline purchased ether product. I could see them getting the 777-9 and -8 though. As for first class, it would probably look like products on Delta and United since US based airlines seem to think that American customers have no care for Emirates level of service.
if its still exist today, it's fleet would of have Boeing 747-400s, 747-8i, and A380s. Might even buy American airlines and United, making it's U.S official flagship airline carrier. and that pan am A380 concept art is LOOKING AWESOME!
There is actually a revived pan am company in the works and it will use a fleet of 757s to take passengers to the same destinations that the original airline used. The revival version of pan am is scheduled to start flying in June of 2025
If Pan Am will be still operating today it will not reach the high quality services of the top airlines nowadays like Emirates, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines. Just like its American brothers United, American Airlines, Delta you will not travel with them for the experience of 1st class hospitality and service but for a need of travelling.
3 years late, but i'll tell you anyway. TWA would probably be similar to that of most modern LCCs. Domestic focus (around STL & JFK, maybe a few others) with few intl routes. As for fleet, most likely 717s, a320 family, and 757s. But thats just my 2 cents.
I would think that Pan Am would continue its dominance in Latin America but also it would focus on rebuilding its Pacific influence as well (as it sold off its Pacific division to United years ago.)
I doubt legendary carries like Pan Am and TWA would continue flying the 747 or A380 due to high fuel consumption and repair costs. I can see them flying twin jets like A330, A350, 777, Dreamliner for long routes.
I couldn't begin to start theorizing a what-if scenario for Pan Am in today's world, since I still have a lot more studying to do on both the airline as well as the aviation industry. However, based on what I do know, I think the real question is not so much what they would look like today, but rather who will have the guts to try to relaunch them, and what would it take to do so?
Pam Am certainly would still have a strong Latin American Presence especially from Miami. As we know they were known for its service. Today’s people don’t care about that as much especially with people on their cell phones the whole flight. Today’s people care more about cheaper tickets, more flight options and good frequent flyer points. Pam Am would certainly still have a good true first class option which many airlines here have gotten rid of and also a good transcontinental service. They would probably compare to Emirates today which I am slightly surprised that a US Airline still hasn’t done to things to contend against them. The things like the massive Jumbo Fleet, Carved Meats in first class and young flight attendants only probably wouldn’t be the case today.
There was a time when Delta acquired Northwest, that Delta considered buying the PAN AM name. This is not widely known, but it is true. Personally I think it was a mistake, they should have done it.
Pan Am was not exactly a name an Airline wanted to pay money for in the late 80s/early 90s. Many people were scared from flying Pan Am as they were a target of many terrorist attacks (Lockerbie!). Also in their last years service declined and the airplanes were in a very bad shape what also hurt their Reputation/the Brand name.
@@widget787 All very true, and I certainly witnessed everything your saying first hand. However 20 years later it's stature regrew to this mystical legendary airline.
I flew PAN AM from 1958. It was a Luxury airline till it went for the Jumbo Wide Body Boing 747. By 1990 it’s huge overhead caused a loss of 3 million/day and had to Stop
Who wants a small, regional Pan Am? Some things are best remembered fondly than lived prosaically. The only way for Pan Am to once again become big if it had survived would be to buy one of the other large airlines and rename the other one Pan Am, like United did to Continental.
I wouldn't say Pan Am would not have ordered the A380 because of Boeing loyalty. Remember - they also ordered the DC-8 at the same time of the 707.. and later they ordered Concorde before the announcement of Boeing 2707 SST. Later, Pan Am also got Airbus A310 (when they could've got Boeing 767's). So - no Boeing loyalty at all in my view. It seems like Pan Am always tried to use types that fitted their company, from different manufactures.
i could definitely see Pan Am operating the A380, 747-8, Airbus A350 and Boeing 787, back when it was just Douglas, Boeing and Lockheed, they weren't loyal to Boeing, they even placed orders for Concorde and the Boeing supersonic planee
I flew Pan Am 7 times in the mid 1980s. All 747 or 747SPs IAD-LHR, AMS-JFK, SFO or LAX to TYO, HKG, SYD, AUK and HNL.. They were absolutely flawless in the air in both First and Coach cabins, service second to none. Sadly on the ground their Reservations and Airport personnel were just as equally awful. I suspect that it was part of their demise. I was so sorry to see them fold.
I think they would have 747-8i & A380 or A350's in the form of 900/900ULR,1000's As well as A321XLR, 787-900/787-10, 777-300ER/777-9's in their long haul fleet. Medium haul probebly A330neo's or A321CEO or Boeing 737-8/9 max's. Short haul/regional, Embraer E-190 or A320 series aircraft such as the A319/A318.
I cannot envision that PanAm operating today. It would have never survived consolidation in the US airline inudstry, and that is probably a good thing. I can't imagine an airline with such a history participating in the race to the bottom of the barrel led by United, Delta and American.
If Pan Am had survived, they would have been a major early customer of the 777-200ER--the 777-200ER had the right capacity and especially the range for Pan Am's longer routes. And would have by now traded in the 777-200ER's for the 777-300ER and 787-9.
Weirdly, there's a regional freight train company that uses the Pan Am name and logo in my area. I see "Pan Am" freight cars going by on the track near my house every day. It's apparently being bought by CSX.
if pan am still exist maybe its more like heritage airline going domestic with point' to point' method its still has the fleet like the 747,727,737,and so much more
Actually the possibility of Panam operating A380, regardless of Boeing's ties, may exist owing to the fact that they did operate large number of Airbus planes
Yea I believe Pan Am would have one of the world's largest fleets of triple 7s if they were still around alongside some 787s but i do believe that for their narrowbody fleet Pan Am would have the A320 family aircrafts over the 737 family,just my guess and opinion!!!!!!
In a way PAN AM is still alive. The Pacific routes are flown by United while the Atlantic routes are mostly flown by Delta. Had they survived, they would be flying similar equipment and having similar service as UA and Delta since they just continued what PAN AM is doing.
Wishing everyone a happy new year and a better year to all
You too.
@Mediocre Sandwich ✓ what a hater
1st airline I've ever flew with between London and Berlin in the early 80's, as a kid, travelling alone and always remember how the air hostesses looked after me.
Pan Am was also my first flight ever but I was too young to remember everything -- in fact I remember close to nothing. Route was HAM-JFK and return.
When you think about it Emirates is kind of the Pan Am of the 21st century.
100% correct
@@maxwellsmith9045 Pan Am Is NOT A BAD Airline
Qantas is closes to Pan Am but there will never be another airline that will have the same allure and mystique as Pan Am.
@@lifangyang3511 I think he was talking about Emirates
Then Qatar Airways is just TWA.
Had Pan Am, with its stronghold on international routes, merged with TWA, which had a diverse domestic network, they may still be around today.
Too much clashing corporate culture would probably kill it, in all fairness
If they still operate the way they used to it would finally go bust either way. Low cost tickets is the way to go now, bad for the aviation anthusiast but that just how the market goes.
TRANS AM AIRWAYS
I suggest reading a book called "Skygods: The Fall of Pan Am" by Robert Gandt. There was a lot going against the airline as it wasn't allowed to fly domestically and didn't correctly predict the market along with other factors. If it survived, it would be a much smaller airline at best
Absolutely brilliant book.
Excellent read!
I read that book. I couldn't put it down. I never realized that Sandy Acker designed the iconic uniform with the Boller hat. If the airline was still in business, the Boeing 757 and Triple 7 would have looked heart-stopping in Pan Am colors. I fault the downfall, or at least the start of it, to Edward Acker's involvement. He did to Pan Am, what Frank Lorenzo did to Eastern.😢
I read it. It was amazing.
If Pan Am were still operating, the world would be a better place. The same goes for TWA.
TWA still lives inside of American, at least they exist (virtually)
Pan Am and TWA were crap. CIA spying tools.
Ok Indranil Chakrabarty.
@@aviationlba747 The KGB used Aeroflot and the CIA used Pan Am. Air travel is so nice today. EK, ET, SQ, TG... the WORKS. Back in rhe 70s and 80s these Americans and Europeans lorded it over the third world. I flew Air France from Bangkok in 1983 on a 747 200. During the take off roll, the plane shook like a quake had hit it. The FAs while pretty, were rude, racist and impolite. These Americans and Europeans put run down planes on third world routes. Air Travel is much better today No Asian, ME3 or Ethiopian back then
@@indranilchakrabarty4196 What you are saying is irrelevant. If Pan Am and TWA were still operating today, they would obviously be much improved from what they were 20-30+ years ago.
The post-9/11 airline crisis would probably have killed off Pan Am
That was the final blow that finished off TWA.
COVID definitely would too
They would have merged with either United or American
why didnt 9/11 killed American or United.
@@bearabletable7527 they were too big and dominated the market to the point that they cant be killed off like that
I would hope that Pan Am retained a high level of American style customer service and is admired for it. Something that is lacking today in budget conscious United and American Airlines that are trying to adapt RyanAir style non existent service.
if PAN AM was still around it would be a pleasure to witness that 70s glamour and aura that pan am brought to the table it's just unique. that style and top of the line comfort both combined for something extraordinary.
In New England it exists in another life on the ground
Pan Am is sorely missed.
@@stuartlee6622 So what has being Jewish got to do with your not missing Pan Am?
@@stuartlee6622🤥⛽️
This is a very thought provoking video for me as I was a frequent passenger on Pan-Am jets in the 60s-70s. My first trip on board the magnificent 747 was on Pan-Am in 1971. That was the day I fell in love with the Jumbo jet! She still my all time favorite today! My proffession took me to places where cost and time constraints made taking Pan-Am back home to Brazil via the USA impractical. PA was me favourite airline back in those days and it's been fascinating to ponder what their fleet would look like today, had they still been around. Great idea for a video, mates! Cheers!
Hi simple flying team wish u a happy new year and keep up with the good work
If Pan Am survived today; it's fleet would be:
- 747-8I (might have given a boost to the 747-8 program)
- 747-400 (2 or 1 units left, almost all retired)
- 787-8/787-9
- 777-200LR and 777-300ER
-Airbus A350-900, A350-1000 XWB
-Airbus A321 Ceo/ A321LR and XLR
-Airbus A340-500 (1 unit)
Yeah just saying despite PANAM's relationship with Boeing getting into Airbus aircraft was an inevitability because especially if you consider the specs of the aircraft they're mostly superior in range and efficiency. So I feel like yes, just like United which was literally founded by William Boeing they would indeed buy some Airbus. While United only uses Airbus for short hall roots, they only have A319-200CEOS and A320-200CEOS. I suspect the only reason why they have these is because of Continental's merger with United they probably wouldn't have the airbusses at all. Maybe I'm wrong though.
I'm gonna be honest...I don't think they'd have A350. They'd probably stay loyal to Boeing, considering the 747 and 777 wide bodies
It will be have it’s parent company based in UAE and the first US based airline to operate the COMAC C919 as a form of protest if an airline from Israel purchase 737 MAX and along with the use of COMAC C919 use in America as a sign of protest against Israel.
@@tylerchambliss8379It will be the first ones to use COMAC C919 and after that it’s parent company Emirates goes along to use C919 after PanAm use it.
You know Pan Am not only operated both the A300B4 and the A310-200, but also had either optioned, ordered or was preparing to acquire A320s at the time of its bankruptcy. If Pan Am had survived, it very likely would have acquired more Airbus (consider the extensive use of Airbus A330s and A319/A320 aircraft by Northwest and US Airways (who also had the A321), the former of which had otherwise the oldest fleet, with the A330s representing the entirety of their widebody ETOPS, and in the case of US, the highest revenue and costs per seat mile in the industry, resulting in a razor-sharp profit margin that made them the first major US airline to file for chapter 11 after 9/11; additionally Continental in the unpleasant years before Gordon Bethune took over, including the pre-Bethune, post-Lorenzo period after their second bankruptcy where SAS had become their largest shareholder, flew the A300B4 extensively and at one time been the only major US airline to order the A340; also Eastern was greatly aided by being able to acquire A300B4s under very favorable terms in order to allow Airbus to get a foothold in the US market, the America West A320s were initially ordered by, and many were delivered to, Braniff, before their second liquidation in 1990, and TWA’s last unfilled order before American acquired them was for 50 Airbus A318s (which had strangely been ordered around the same time as the 717 - perhaps TWA anticipated recovery and wanted a backup if, as would prove to be the case, Boeing discontinued the 717, but TWA had also a large fleet of MD-83s including the last one to roll off the line in Long Beach in 1999, and these together with the 717s allowed them to retire their last 727s and DC-9s). The pattern seems to be one of struggling airlines who had historically favored Boeing being wooed, at least temporarily, to other manufacturers
2:22 Pan Am had A300s and A310s in their fleet, so...
And they ordered A320s. IMO they would have become a serious Airbus Airline also being a launch customer for the A330/A340 to replace the 747s.
Pan Am A340-600 would be staggering pretty.
@@widget787 that wouldn’t happen. They would never replace their 747 with an airbus.
I Think Pan Am Is Get Less A340-600
@@KanyeTheGayFish69 Lots of money was being lost.
Flew Pan Am in 78 LHR to JFK and again in 79 LHR to L.A. then on to Honolulu, 40 years on I still remember the rude service from the cabin crew. PA lost their way in the 80s and never recovered from Lockerbie. But still an Icon in Aviation history along with many of the big American carriers.
An interesting comment as I also flew PanAm twice, after which I avoided them, in 1978 and 1979. On both occasions it was from JFK to LHR. I am not saying that there was anything wrong with PanAm. I appreciate that they had an extensive route network and played a significant role in the development of commercial aviation. I also note that in post-war Europe they would have been looked up to and respected due to the simple fact that they were American. Everything American was highly regarded in those days.
My first experience of PanAm was in Y class aboard the 747 operated daylight flight from JFK to LHR in April 1978. This was part of my return journey from Sydney to London. I deliberately arranged my trip so as to travel out to Sydney via the Eastern Hemisphere and return via the Western Hemisphere so that I could say that I had flown around the world. When compared to other airlines (for example Cathay Pacific, an airline which impressed me greatly) that I had travelled with in the course of my journey I found several things lacking in their in-flight service. For example, no printed menus, no hot towels, no what today would be called amenity kits, some or all of which were provided by the other carriers. The starter for the meal was just a simple salad. That sort of thing.
My second experience was in December 1979, the same route but this time an overnight flight JFK - LHR in F class. At that time they still had that gimmick of the dining tables on the upper deck. I asked the stewardess if I could have a seat upstairs for dinner. Was told I should have pre-booked it. Explained I had not booked through PA and was unaware. Was rudely asked 'Who did you book through then?. Eventually did get to eat upstairs but again the meal was not up to what you would expect. The starter for example was a small plate of prawns with marie rose sauce. In the morning there was not any service of any sort prior to landing, not even a glass of juice or a coffee! As a direct comparison, I flew Y class on Air India from JFK to LHR in the summer of 1979 and we got a full hot dinner after take off and a full hot breakfast prior to landing.
My flight immediately preceeding that flight 1979 PanAm was from Washington National to JFK on Braniff again in F class. Was not expecting a meal on that short sector as the flight had originated in DFW but equally was not expecting to be ignored for ages, finally asked if I wanted anything, asked for a coffee, was given a cup of very hot coffee in a polystyrene cup (in 1970's F class albeit US domestic F class) which was then very quickly taken away from me as we were about to land before I had been able to actually drink any of it.
I therefore formed a generally negative impression of US carriers in general.
I can’t see Pan Am without thinking of Pam Ann 🤣
There's a freight railroad operating with the Pan Am livery!
They were sold a few weeks ago. It doesn’t exist.
@@tonnyyyzzzplays7309 to csx but it’s still not 100% yet
@@tonnyyyzzzplays7309 rip
Ha lol
The training academy is belonging to ANA
@@tonnyyyzzzplays7309 no they still are trying to
Pan Am fleet 2021: 747-8,777-300ER,787-9,787-10,A321ULR
And a330
@@Imbreadtt more accurately A330Neo
@STEPHEN CHEN good choice
The airlines that are elegant like Pan Am are the three gulf airlines: Emirates, Qatar and Ethiad!
You may recall that PAN AM flew several Airbus aircraft types (A300 & A310) so it is very possible that if the airline had survived they very much could have been the launch customer for the A380 jumbo as well as the A340 and its variations and most assuredly would have been the luanch customer for the 777 & 787 boeing aircraft. Great story and thank you
oh I don't believe PAN AM should has Airbus A380 nor bigger airplanes than 777-200 and Airbus A350 because terrorists threats
Well if Delta had come through with the second round of financing and Pan Am had survived into the early 90s, I doubt they would have needed the 777; they would be in just enough of a position, propped up by Delta, to keep American from dominating the Latin American market
I believe that Pan Am will exist again. The last livery ( Billboard livery) is just to cool and adaptable to future aircraft. The film ‘2001 space odyssey’ was prophecy for Pan Am, but I believe the future Pan Am livery will be a continuation of the Billboard livery with no changes.
It's a great question, one I've wondered about over the years. Pan Am was hindered by a weak domestic route network that it couldn't afford to expand through acquisition after the failed National merger. Yet throughout the '80s, none of the stronger domestic airlines wanted to buy Pan Am when they could just wait for Pan Am's next round of asset sales.
They also couldn't have been the Emirates of North America because the U.S. only allowed international transits without having to submit to the full immigration and customs regimen on a very limited basis before 9/11, and not at all after that.
I eventually figured the only hope for a Pan Am today would have been for it to seek out a merger with one big domestic airline such as United or American immediately upon deregulation in 1978. Had Pan Am been the surviving brand, it would have become very similar to today's UA/AA in both onboard experience and fleet: no A380s, but probably 777s.
An American version of Emirates might just be what Pan Am would look like today. Focus on long-haul international routes from gateways like JFK to Europe, MIA to Latin America, and LAX off the west coast. Maybe ORD too. It would be supported by a domestic network feeding those gateways from medium to large cities. I don’t envision them in the smaller cities or the budget/vacation routes as much.
Sounds interesting thx for awesome aviation education vids I’m 15 and I learn a lot about aviation from u hope u had a great Christmas and happy new year guys
I'm 11
@@mann2520 no one asked
Me: Stop it, dont give me hope..
🥺🥺
.......
Before deregulation at the end of the 1970s, Pan Am and TWA had the international routes (Eastern had South American routes and Northwest had Asian routes) and the likes of United, Delta, and American were domestic carriers. United, Delta, and American were better able to leverage their domestic networks and reconfigure to compete in the deregulated era. While their smaller aircraft provided them some advantages to reconfigure and compete, they also had much better leadership too. In the next 15 years, the writing was on the wall as Pan Am, TWA, and Eastern had begun to sell significant portions of themselves (route authorities that were still regulated) in order to survive. United acquired Heathrow and Asia authorities from Pan Am (its Crown Jewels), American acquired Heathrow from TWA and South America from Eastern, and Delta acquired European from Pan Am. Those two airlines couldn’t survive by selling off the best part of themselves
Actually, Pan Am _still exists_ as a flight training center in Miami!
And a railroad
What are you talking about: "It's American roots and relationship to Boeing may have prevented [flying the A380]"?
Pan Am flew the A300, was a launch customer for the A310, and had 50 A320s on order when they collapsed. Their relationship with Airbus was strong too.
Yet if where to fly today it will have Emirates as its parent company and will have a 100% COMAC C919 fleet as a sign to protest against Israel.
We are in a nostalgic time... what would be more nostalgic than seeing Pan Am take to the skies once more???
I literally had this thought yesterday 😯
Thumbnail of A380 with Pan-Am livery.
Me: Hell yeah open it now.
Pan Am was technically still operating in the form of a railroad in Massachusetts between 2006 and 2020. However it cease to exist as well thanks to CSX purchasing it last year.
I’ve always wondered what the first class cabins on their PAA fleet would look like today.
Wishing the simple flying team a very happy new year..The best thing I have done this year is subscribing to your channel... Wonderful video loved it much ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
If Pan Am were still going, I think they would have a fleet of A330-200s/300s, A350-900s, 737-800s, 737 Max 8s, 747-8Is, 777-300ERs, 787-8s, 787-9s and 787-10s with the same destinations and in Star Alliance.
Maybe 737 MAX 10s, since they have a history of large aircraft (or whatever was considered large back then).
Having so many varieties of aircraft would be a logistics nightmare, Instead of training pilots and mechanics for two or three types of planes, an airline would need to have them for a dozen plane types. The same with spare parts, you would need several extra warehouses full of expensive parts to keep a dozen types of planes flying compared to an airline with only 2 or 3 types of planes. Those extra costs make the difference between profit and loss and sent companies broke. In the past these "Noah's Ark Airlines" (they had two of every type of plane) often had the best customer service and strongest loyalty, but still went bust because of those costs that were invisible to passengers.
@@Dave_Sisson Spot on, this was another part of the PanAm disaster. Following their acquisition of National Airlines in 1980 the fleet became hugely diverse and complex with DC-10s, Tristars and 747s in the long haul fleet.
@@Davids_DC-10 It's not just in America, but Europe too. Even in Australia, Ansett Airlines was the most popular airline, but they had a huge variety of plane types before they went broke. If you look at the most profitable big airlines today like South West, EasyJet and Ryan Air, they all only fly one type of plane either A320s or B737s.
@@Dave_Sisson Couldn't agree more, people commenting with laundry lists of aircraft clearly have no idea about the economics of these things.
The first video I watch in 2021!
Not 2021 yet!?!??!
PAN AM The name brings back some great travel memories. Miss the glamour.
Had I been running the company, in hindsight, I would have built up the hotel chain and narrowed down regularly scheduled flights to destinations where hotels were located. I'd also have stationed agency offices at said hotels, it can operate like an alternate embassy. I'd schedule fewer flights during the offseason (particularly during the fuel crisis), and deploy the 747s during peak season on high volume routes.
Right around deregulation, I'd launch a charter service, by which members pay annual fee and are entitled to up to six flights - scheduled according to common demand for a given destination. The big Pan Am computer can crunch the numbers. Business travelers would likely buy up memberships for domestic flights (now permissible under deregulation). Chartered flights today do offer Pan-Am like services.
Going into the 90s, given the company remains on solid ground, I'd gradually introduce international hub-and-spoke routes and increase regularly scheduled flights.
By the turn of the millennium, I'd be working on going to the moon.
Today, the company probably would look like a cross of Space X and Emirates Airlines, offering public space travel and elite flight services, including the entire flying suites.
Wishing everyone here and Simple Flying, a more prosperous, productive, enjoyable and a safe New year 2021.😘😘😘😘😘❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
I miss Pan Am alot. Never got to fly on any of their planes. They are so nice looking !!!
Awe, thank you again for using some of the commercials from my channel. Have a happy new years!
It's a simple question. Pan Am was losing money long before they went out of business. If it didn't close down, they would have merged with another carrier, who would have got whatever it was worth for a low price. Stockholders would still have been wiped out. After the merger, the Pan Am name would still have vanished. One positive are some, or many, of the employees jobs would have been saved who got to work for the other carrier. Unfortunately, the writing was on the wall from the early 1980's on, that Pan Am would eventually not survive.
I think Pan Am would have survived if they actually had competent leadership after Juan T. Trippe stepped down on the eve of deregulation. They should have used the money they spent overpaying for National on building a domestic route network that focused on their strengths (i.e. jetBlue's network which is heavily focused on Transcontinental, NYC/BOS to Florida flying) as well as doubling down on the Asia-Pacific which was starting to boom by the time Pan Am sold all their Pacific routes to United Airlines in a shortsighted attempt to financially stabilize the company.
That's an interesting thought experiment. You know what else is interesting? What if Pan Am and TWA were both still in existence. Hmm... the Juan Tripp Howard Hughes saga 21st century style.
Gibran Bedra they probably would have need to merge together in order to survive..
Pan am was actually resurrected 6 times since it went defunct in 1991. the most recent of this ceased operations in December of 2018
I only know of 2. What are all 6?
Their fleet would probably consist of 737s, a320s, 747s and 777s. Most routes would probably be constricted to the major airports and would primarily operate out of Miami, JFK, LAX and LHR.
Probably would be in Star Alliance
Or probably has lots of codeshares
Also i can see probably it will be the largest airline
Beating emirates lufthansa qatar cathay klm all that good airlines
I think they would be the launch customer for Boom's supersonic jet
Great video, very informative. If Pan American Airways was still around, they wouldn’t be operating 747s.
I envision Pan-Am operating Boeing 787-10s Dreamliners on its long-haul transatlantic and transpacific routes. Because Dreamliners are fuel efficient. Additionally, I could see Pan-Am, doing nonstop ultra long haul routes such as New York to Singapore, Orlando to Auckland, New Zealand, and Miami to Sydney. They would used Airbus A350s ULRs for those ultra long haul routes. Pan-Am, today would have have and extensive short and medium haul domestic routes. In envision the airline using Boeing 737s and Airbus A321s for its short and medium haul routes.
Today I see Pan American Airways, offerings such as 1st Class and meal service being scaled down. Meaning, their meal service won’t be as extravagant and lavish as the 1960s. They’re meal services be on only international flights, not domestic in all classes. I’m sure they would have a buy on board food program for the domestic routes.
Of course there would be no more first class on domestic and international routes. Which is a trend most airlines are doing these days (doing away with 1st class). Instead their highest class would be business class, followed by premium economy and economy. Overall, If Pan-Am was still around, it would be completely different airline from yesteryear. It would still had an extensive international and domestic presence.
If Pan Am had survived and avoided flogging off large parts of their route network to paper over financial deficits they likely would resemble the US3 today. Their first and business product likely would be the best of the American carriers partially because of ego and because they'd want to compete with SQ and CX on the lucrative Asian routes. Pan Am was edging to becoming a mostly Airbus fleet by their demise in 1991 so if they survived their domestic fleet would be made up of all Airbus planes. Long Haul flying would be done by a mix of 777-300ers, A350s, 787s and A330s. The 747's would be gone by the pandemic, if not before, but Pan Am would have had a small fleet of 747-400s for their Asia routes. Maybe Boeing appeals to Pan Am's history with the 747 and convinces them to buy some 747-8i, but I doubt it. They likely join Oneworld since it's made Pan Am's flights were concentrated in predominantly Oneworld hubs today.
Pan Am's Juan Trippe guessed wrong with the 747. It might have worked if he'd agreed to buy 5 rather than 15, then bought newer more efficient jets as time allowed, but everything worked against him and the legacy he left behind when he retired in 1968. I've often wondered what rabbits he would have pulled out of his hat during the oil crisis, etc had he still been at the helm. He was a crafty wizard when it came to business.
What theyd look like today depends on at which time they managed to turn things to the good. In any case it would have not been unlikely that Pan Am either would have died after 9/11 or merged into another Airline.
Example Scenario 1: the money from selling the pacific network helped enough to save the airline they would have become quite an Airbus Airline. A300s and A310s were already arriving, 50 A320s were on order. They would have replaced the 727s with these A320s and I am sure that they would habe been an very early A330/A340 customer. These planes would have replaced the whole 747 fleet. In the mid 90s I am sure Pan Am would have consisted of A300, A310, A320, A330 and A340 and maybe a couple remaining 727s and 747s dinosaurs. I could imagine that they would have ordered 787s to replace the A340s, but who knows?
Example Scenario 2: Pan Am 2 made it after selling the JFK, FRA, LHR, the atlantic and NY Shuttle to Delta. They would have been a rather small to medium Airline that would sooner or later have merged into another Airline (maybe American).
The Caribbean and South American routes Pan Am later flew were pioneered by NYRBA... New York, Rio, Buenos Aires.
A wonderful old book, The Dream of Eagles, is a fascinating read of the creation and the route development of that incredible airline.
NYRB based out of Dinner Key, Miami, which Pan Am acquired.
The Miami mayor's office has been located in the NYRBA/Pan Am building for decades, and there is a fascinating aircraft model display in the lobby of all the aircraft they flew in the early days.
The NYRBA route actually extended to Johannesburg in the 60s using a 707. This was the shortest run over water between South America and Africa. Later iin the 80s the route was flown by a 747 SP. Both by PAN AM and SAA. Really surprised that SAA does not fly to South America.
@@indranilchakrabarty4196 In all honesty, I am surprised that SAA is still flying at all.
@@fredmoore8661 All the best to SAA. Hope they grow wimgs again
I still have the Pam Am tote bag they gave out in the 70's. And the amenities kit (sans toothpaste) from 1990.
Only 1970s kids will remember this
First airline I have flown on a 707 in 1977
I flew from 1970-76 - those were the best years of my life!
The only way Pan Am would have survived was if they established a decent domestic route structure. That
is what killed them in the end. They were the Emirates of their day, but while Emirates could get away with that single hub structure, Pan Am, a US carrier competing with the likes of United, American, and Delta, not to mention US Air and Continental, would never have been able too. That's really what killed the airline, no domestic structure and increasing competition on international routes from domestic options. Now, if they had bought Continental which was coming out of bankruptcy in the 80's, or even US Air, they would still be around today as the stronger brand. They would have never bought a A380, and I hate to say it, probably would have never bought the 747-8 (unless they ordered it as a combi) for the same reason why no US airline purchased ether product. I could see them getting the 777-9 and -8 though. As for first class, it would probably look like products on Delta and United since US based airlines seem to think that American customers have no care for Emirates level of service.
Happy 2021 to Simple Flying. RIP Pan Am. Pan Am service was terrible.
if its still exist today, it's fleet would of have Boeing 747-400s, 747-8i, and A380s. Might even buy American airlines and United, making it's U.S official flagship airline carrier. and that pan am A380 concept art is LOOKING AWESOME!
What a great way to end 2020
Pan Am was the virtual symbol of the golden age of aviation. I wish they would come back.
2:26 NOT TRUE in the 80's and before its collapse, PanAm had Airbus planes in its fleet.
There is actually a revived pan am company in the works and it will use a fleet of 757s to take passengers to the same destinations that the original airline used. The revival version of pan am is scheduled to start flying in June of 2025
If Pan Am will be still operating today it will not reach the high quality services of the top airlines nowadays like Emirates, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines. Just like its American brothers United, American Airlines, Delta you will not travel with them for the experience of 1st class hospitality and service but for a need of travelling.
Can you do a clip about how TWA might have looked today?
3 years late, but i'll tell you anyway.
TWA would probably be similar to that of most modern LCCs. Domestic focus (around STL & JFK, maybe a few others) with few intl routes.
As for fleet, most likely 717s, a320 family, and 757s. But thats just my 2 cents.
I flew on pan am 747 sp many times my dad worked for pan am out of jfk. Miss this great airlines
I would picture pan am as good as it was before
I would think that Pan Am would continue its dominance in Latin America but also it would focus on rebuilding its Pacific influence as well (as it sold off its Pacific division to United years ago.)
I doubt legendary carries like Pan Am and TWA would continue flying the 747 or A380 due to high fuel consumption and repair costs. I can see them flying twin jets like A330, A350, 777, Dreamliner for long routes.
TWA would probably fit the modern times PanAm would probably go bankrupt in the 2008 recession
I couldn't begin to start theorizing a what-if scenario for Pan Am in today's world, since I still have a lot more studying to do on both the airline as well as the aviation industry. However, based on what I do know, I think the real question is not so much what they would look like today, but rather who will have the guts to try to relaunch them, and what would it take to do so?
Pam Am certainly would still have a strong Latin American Presence especially from Miami. As we know they were known for its service. Today’s people don’t care about that as much especially with people on their cell phones the whole flight. Today’s people care more about cheaper tickets, more flight options and good frequent flyer points. Pam Am would certainly still have a good true first class option which many airlines here have gotten rid of and also a good transcontinental service. They would probably compare to Emirates today which I am slightly surprised that a US Airline still hasn’t done to things to contend against them.
The things like the massive Jumbo Fleet, Carved Meats in first class and young flight attendants only probably wouldn’t be the case today.
There was a time when Delta acquired Northwest, that Delta considered buying the PAN AM name. This is not widely known, but it is true. Personally I think it was a mistake, they should have done it.
Pan Am was not exactly a name an Airline wanted to pay money for in the late 80s/early 90s. Many people were scared from flying Pan Am as they were a target of many terrorist attacks (Lockerbie!). Also in their last years service declined and the airplanes were in a very bad shape what also hurt their Reputation/the Brand name.
@@widget787 All very true, and I certainly witnessed everything your saying first hand. However 20 years later it's stature regrew to this mystical legendary airline.
All of our Pan Am’ers would still be with the world’s greatest airliner very happily..🥰
1:31 The airline deregulation made these beautiful legrooms disappear !
I was with Pan Am for 17 years.
The 777 and 747-400 would look awesome in pan am livery
I flew PAN AM from 1958. It was a Luxury airline till it went for the Jumbo Wide Body Boing 747. By 1990 it’s huge overhead caused a loss of 3 million/day and had to Stop
Emirates reminds me of the modern Pan Am.
I also think the same
Happy 2021 Everyone
Who wants a small, regional Pan Am? Some things are best remembered fondly than lived prosaically. The only way for Pan Am to once again become big if it had survived would be to buy one of the other large airlines and rename the other one Pan Am, like United did to Continental.
I wouldn't say Pan Am would not have ordered the A380 because of Boeing loyalty.
Remember - they also ordered the DC-8 at the same time of the 707.. and later they ordered Concorde before the announcement of Boeing 2707 SST.
Later, Pan Am also got Airbus A310 (when they could've got Boeing 767's).
So - no Boeing loyalty at all in my view. It seems like Pan Am always tried to use types that fitted their company, from different manufactures.
i could definitely see Pan Am operating the A380, 747-8, Airbus A350 and Boeing 787, back when it was just Douglas, Boeing and Lockheed, they weren't loyal to Boeing, they even placed orders for Concorde and the Boeing supersonic planee
I flew Pan Am 7 times in the mid 1980s. All 747 or 747SPs IAD-LHR, AMS-JFK, SFO or LAX to TYO, HKG, SYD, AUK and HNL.. They were absolutely flawless in the air in both First and Coach cabins, service second to none. Sadly on the ground their Reservations and Airport personnel were just as equally awful. I suspect that it was part of their demise. I was so sorry to see them fold.
Agree 100%
I reckon it would be as loved and be great to still have that catchy title PANAM and probably the best or one of name for an airline out there.
I think they would have 747-8i & A380 or A350's in the form of 900/900ULR,1000's
As well as A321XLR, 787-900/787-10, 777-300ER/777-9's in their long haul fleet.
Medium haul probebly A330neo's or A321CEO or Boeing 737-8/9 max's.
Short haul/regional, Embraer E-190 or A320 series aircraft such as the A319/A318.
I cannot envision that PanAm operating today. It would have never survived consolidation in the US airline inudstry, and that is probably a good thing. I can't imagine an airline with such a history participating in the race to the bottom of the barrel led by United, Delta and American.
Pan Am's current fleet would be exactly the same as American Airlines
If Pan Am had survived, they would have been a major early customer of the 777-200ER--the 777-200ER had the right capacity and especially the range for Pan Am's longer routes. And would have by now traded in the 777-200ER's for the 777-300ER and 787-9.
If you ask me they would have been an early A330/340 customer as they already were leaning towards Airbus pretty much at the end.
Maybe a safer couldve saved it also at 0:45 did you say pan ham
They would still “Make The Going Great”.
0:30 I’ve seen that poster at my grandmas house
Weirdly, there's a regional freight train company that uses the Pan Am name and logo in my area. I see "Pan Am" freight cars going by on the track near my house every day. It's apparently being bought by CSX.
Well if Pan Am were still around, it would have a new livery on its body and its tail by now that is certainly true....
probably a new typeface always in blue color
if pan am still exist maybe its more like heritage airline going domestic with point' to point' method its still has the fleet like the 747,727,737,and so much more
As a brit I wish it was I loved pan am said everything about america .
Actually the possibility of Panam operating A380, regardless of Boeing's ties, may exist owing to the fact that they did operate large number of Airbus planes
Pan Am flight 842: Manila-Guam-Honluulu-San Francisco. Daily from 1958 till.1990.
Make a video on twa and the northwest airlines too
Yea I believe Pan Am would have one of the world's largest fleets of triple 7s if they were still around alongside some 787s but i do believe that for their narrowbody fleet Pan Am would have the A320 family aircrafts over the 737 family,just my guess and opinion!!!!!!
a couple months ago i saw video saying that pan am might be returning
Pan Am with the 787!! Wow
In a way PAN AM is still alive. The Pacific routes are flown by United while the Atlantic routes are mostly flown by Delta. Had they survived, they would be flying similar equipment and having similar service as UA and Delta since they just continued what PAN AM is doing.