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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 747

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

Eastern 747

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 Airlines 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

Southwest 727

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

American 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

Brannif 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.

Topics: Pictures | 9 Comments »

  • Sammie

    Braniff had an agreement with British Airways NOT Air France. They never had their colours painted on the Concorde – the aircraft registration was changed at D.C from a BA one to Braniffs.

  • http://www.airlineempires.net miller22

    Braniff had an agreement with BOTH Air France and British Airways. This link shows some early Braniff/Air France Concorde propoganda put out:
    http://www.braniffpages.com/concorde.html

  • Yourmom

    thx

  • Yourmom

    thx

  • Justin

    Braniff never really had a Concorde. They just used a Air France one. The Picture is a fake.

  • Ralph Boccini (former F/A)

    In a way was only to promote the flight between DFW and Paris. If the flight turn out to be successful, there was an option in the contract/agreement, to paint the concord with the Braniff colors and logo.

  • Larry

    I flew on the Braniff Concorde (with Air France livery). What an experience. As for unusual planes, Delta also operated the C-130 freighter.

  • Orca17

    I knew about the Delta 747. In the early 1970s Delta explored the possibility of using the 747 between JAX and ATL (I grew up in JAX) and a Delta 747 spent almost an entire day in 1972 circling the city and practicing landings at JAX airport. Eventually Delta put Lockheed L-1011s on the route, much more practical than the 747 given the relatively short trip. My experience wouldn't end there, though. In 1973 I flew from JAX to LAX, and on the return trip I was on a Delta 747 LAX-ATL – to date still the only flight I have ever taken on a 747.

  • Anonymous88

    Thanks for the pic of the Delta 747.  My grandfather captined those before he retired in 1976.  The only pics I had ever seen of a 747-100 painted in delta colors where his.