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They Flew What? - Airliners in Colors You Wouldn’t Expect
By miller22 | November 14, 2007
But I thought Southwest only flew 737’s, and the Concorde never flew for an American carrier. Think again. This article is a tribute to the odd aircraft types you may never have known airline’s flew.
Delta 747-100
Delta flew five of these aircraft from 1970 to 1977. This was the era of the new “jumbo-jet” and it was believed that if you didn’t have one, you would be left in the dust. Most airlines at least experimented with the aircraft, but what made this special was the arrangement Delta had with PanAm. Atlanta - Frankfurt, and Atlanta - London Heathrow were flown by Delta 747’s for PanAm for a short time. Until recently, this was the only time Delta flew to LHR.
Eastern 747-100
Between 1970 and 1973, Eastern Air Lines operated four 747-100’s that were leased from TWA. Another reaction to the fear of being left behind in the ultra low unit-cost market, Eastern began replacing the 747’s in 1972 with the arrival of the L-1011.
Northwest MD-82
Northwest is well known for flying their Diesel-9’s well past most airlines. What isn’t well known is that Northwest flew MD-82’s for thirteen years. When Northwest purchased Republic Airways in 1986, they acquired eight of the MD-82’s, one of which was destroyed in the famous flight 255 crash on takeoff in DTW. The last MD-82 was retired in 1999.
Southwest 727-200
Not necessarily a secret to us airplane geeks, Southwest did actually fly something other than the 737. In 1978, Southwest operated one 727 leased by Braniff, and a total of six throughout the early 1980’s. What most people don’t know, however, is that Southwest’s original plan never included the 737, nor the 727. Southwest had reached an agreement to acquire American’s Lockheed Electra’s, but the legal delays allowed time for the 737 opportunity to become available.
American Airlines BAe-146
A result of another merger, American operated Air Cal BAe-146’s for six years after the buyout in 1987. The six aircraft acquired from Air Cal were suplemented by the leased aircraft shown in the picture. American retired the BAe-146 in 1993.
Braniff Concorde
On January 12, 1979, Braniff entered into an agreement with Air France to fly the Concorde from Dallas to Washington D.C. where French and British crews would man the aircraft and continue the flight to Paris and London. The service was terminated in May of 1980 with only 20% load factors and Braniff hemorraging money.
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