PC: Have only 2 "majors" (US airlines) post 1970

WILDGEESE

Gone Fishin'
With a post 1970 pod, get the US government ( perhaps due to the oil shock, etc) to force through law, all the US major airlines to merge into just 2 companies.

Bonus points if you can get each company to use only Boeing or McD aircraft ( I'm presuming McD design and build a 767 & 777 type aircraft to go head to head with Boeing) for their entire fleet.

Triple points if you can get both airlines to be marketed under the Pan-Am and TWA corporate colours.

Regards filers.
 
What about below? Fill in the blanks wherever you see fit.

1960 - TWA acquires struggling Northeast Airlines, after CAB approval. The move allows TWA to enter into the Florida market with Jacksonville, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale and Miami. TWA uses their Convair 880s and Boeing 707s from Northeastern cities of Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, New York etc to Florida, allowing the airline to shift some capacity to Florida during the slow season in Europe.

1967 - Braniff acquires Panagra, increasing their presence in Latin America.

1968 - Allegheny Airlines acquires Lake Central Airlines, making it a stronger carrier in the Midwest.

1969 - The CAB approves new carriers to Hawaii. As a result, American, Braniff, Continental, TWA, and Western are all granted the right to serve Hawaii. Prior to the case only Northwest Orient, Pan Am and United, operated flights to the islands. Additionally, TWA is granted round the world service across the Pacific, and American is granted the right to fly to the South Pacific. Continental is granted the right to fly to to Guam and Micronesia.

1975 - Pan American World Airways is bleeding money, and the CAB approves an acquisition of the airline by American Airlines, the new airline, based in New York takes on the name Pan American World Airways. Pan Am and TWA also reduce capacity on some routes to Europe as part of a route swap.

1978 - Airline Deregulation Act is passed, airlines can now begin flying within the U.S. without CAB approval. The Civil Aeronautics Board which had formerly regulated routes and fares is disestablished in 1985.

1978 - Braniff International Airways and Delta Air Lines initiate service to Europe, with flights to London and Frankfurt from Dallas and Atlanta respectively. This is part of a move to make international service out of the traditional gateway cities (New York, Los Angeles, Boston, etc).

1979 - Eastern Air Lines acquires Miami-based National Airlines for $400 million, the airline overpays and as a result of high oil prices, the airline suffers financially. Eastern does solidify its presence in Miami however, acquiring flights to Europe. The merger is finalised in May 1980.

1979 - Due to the oil crisis, Pan Am retires its last Boeing 707s. The first had been received by the carrier in 1958.

1979 - Regional carriers North Central Airlines and Southern Airways merge to form Minneapolis-based Republic Airlines.

1979 - Allegheny Airlines renames itself USAir

1980 - TWA acquires Hughes Airwest, giving it a stronger presence in California.

1982 - Braniff International Airways liquidates on May 13. The Dallas-based carrier had used deregulation to over-expand, causing the airline to sink into debt. As a result, Pan Am becomes the dominant carrier in Dallas, and moves its corporate headquarters to Fort Worth in 1985.

1982 - Regional carrier Texas Air Corp acquires Houston-based Continental Airlines, merging Texas International Airways into Continental.

1983 - A new Braniff Airways is founded, it attempts to compete against Pan Am in Dallas, but within a year shifts its hub to Kansas City.

1984 - Air Florida ceases operations, as a result Pan Am acquires some of its international route authorities.

1985 - Piedmont Airlines acquires Empire Airlines. The airline had served as Pan Am's feeder at Kennedy. As a result, Pan Am creates Pan Am Express to feed its JFK and LAX hubs.

1985 - Texas Air Corp acquires TWA. It divests the airline of its Hilton International Hotel Holdings.

1986 - Texas Air Corp acquires struggling Eastern Air Lines and Denver-based Frontier Airlines. Continental Airlines is formally merged into TWA. As a result, TWA now has a hub in Houston-Intercontinental. With the acquisition of Frontier, TWA also has a hub in Denver.

1986 - Northwest Orient acquires Republic Airlines, solidifying its presence in Minneapolis and Detroit. The airline now goes by the name of Northwest Airlines. It has hubs in Minneapolis/St Paul, Detroit and Memphis.

1986 - USAir acquires People Express, giving it a hub in Newark, and its first service to Europe (London-Gatwick and Brussels).

1987 - New York Air is acquired by Pan Am, as a result the airline now competes with Eastern Air Lines on its Boston-La Guardia/Washington-National shuttle, with flights every hour.

1987 - USAir acquires St Louis-based Ozark Airlines, giving it a hub in St Louis-Lambert Airport. It also acquires San Diego-based Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA). Within a few years, most of PSA's routes have been abandoned by USAir.

1987 - Delta Air Lines acquires Salt Lake City based Western Airlines, giving the airline its first hub west of the Rockies.

1987 - Pan Am creates a mini-hub in Raleigh/Durham. The hub is gone by 1994.

1988 - Braniff Airways files for liquidation.

1989 - USAir acquires Charlotte-based Piedmont Airlines, with it the airline is now having a hub in the southeast. USAir now has hubs in Baltimore, Charlotte, Dayton, Newark, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and St Louis. Dayton is quickly disbanded.

1989 - KLM Royal Dutch Airlines acquires a stake in Northwest Airlines. The two airlines optimise their Transatlantic operations as part of the Wings Alliance. Additionally, the Netherlands becomes the first country to sign an "Open Skies" treaty with the United States, allowing service to Amsterdam to commence from many smaller U.S. cities.

1989 - Eastern Air Lines files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The airline is stripped of assets, its New York-Boston-Washington shuttle is acquired by Donald Trump, whom renames the carrier the Trump Shuttle.

1991 - The Gulf War creates a slump in air travel, as a result Eastern Air Lines liquidates. Its South American and Caribbean routes had been acquired by United Airlines in 1990.

1991 - Midway Airlines files for liquidation. The low-cost airline had been based in Chicago's Midway airport. Southwest Airlines fills the void as the dominant carrier.

1991 - America West Airlines files for bankruptcy protection. The airline emerges from bankruptcy in 1993 with hubs in Phoenix and Las Vegas.

1991 - TWA files for bankruptcy protection. TWA dismantles its Denver hub, leaving United Airlines as the dominant carrier there.

1991 - Pan Am attempts to build a mini-hub in Nashville, this is gone by 1994. Southwest Airlines fills the void to become the dominant carrier there.

1992 - The Trump Shuttle is now operated by USAir who buys a 40%, with the balance acquired in 1997.

1992 - ValuJet Airlines is founded and commences operation out of Atlanta in October 1993. It fills some of the void left by Eastern in Atlanta and Orlando. After a series of incidents, the airline is rebranded as AirTran Airways on November 1997.

1993 - TWA dismantles its Atlanta and St Louis hubs, it attempted to fill the void left by Eastern Air Lines. Delta Air Lines becomes the mega-carrier

1993 - United dismantles its Miami hub, leaving Pan Am as the dominant carrier there. United shifts many of its flights to New York, Chicago, and Washington-Dulles.

1995 - A new incarnation of Midway Airlines is founded, it establishes a hub in Raleigh/Durham, filling the void left by Pan Am's departure.

1997 - Star Alliance is formed by Pan Am and Lufthansa. The alliance also comprises of Air Canada, SAS, and Thai Airways.

1998 - Delta Air Lines forms Atlantic Excellence Alliance with Austrian Airlines, Sabena, Swissair, TAP Air Portugal and several smaller carriers. The alliance ends in 2001 after both Sabena and Swissair liquidate.

1999 - British Airways, Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Qantas, and United Airlines form the One World Alliance.

1999 - TWA founds SkyTeam alliance with Air France. TWA had long been the dominant US carrier to Paris, and as a result of the merger is able to optimise its operations. Feeder flights from Paris to smaller European cities are ended as the last TWA 727s are removed from its Paris-Charles de Gaulle hub.

1999-2005 - Beginning with TWA, the major U.S. carriers all retire their Boeing 727 aircraft. The iconic trijet had been one of the most popular in the U.S.

2001 - Delta acquires TWA. The carrier is re-branded as TWA and is based in Atlanta, and has hubs in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Houston, New York-Kennedy, and Salt Lake City. The Cleveland hub is dismantled within a year, and Cincinnati is heavily pared back by 2004.


2002 - As a result of 9/11 several airlines are forced into bankruptcy protection. America West, United Airlines, and US Airways all seek protection from creditors.

2003 - US Airways dismantles the remnants of its Baltimore Hub. The number of flights had been greatly reduced after 9/11.

2007 - Trans World Corp, parent of Atlanta-based TWA merges with Northwest Airlines, creating the world's largest airline. TWA now has hubs in Atlanta, Detroit, Houston, Memphis, Minneapolis/St Paul, New York-Kennedy, and Los Angeles. The Memphis hub is gone within two years. The new airline is part of the SkyTeam alliance.

2007 - US Airways merges with America West. The company's headquarters move from Pittsburgh and its Pittsburgh and St Louis hubs are dismantled. Las Vegas is also pared back soon after the merger.

2008 - Aloha Airlines is bankrupt and liquidates.

2014 - AirTran is merged into Southwest Airlines, giving the latter its first international routes.

2015 - US Airways is merged into United Airlines. The new company is based in Phoenix, and has hubs in Charlotte, Chicago-O'Hare, Denver, Newark, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, and Washington-Dulles. The carrier is part of

2016 - Merger of Alaska Airlines and Virgin America is announced.

2016 - Rumours of a merger between Pan Am and United Airlines. It is expected to face DOJ anti-trust investigation.

FLEET HISTORY
1963 - American Airlines order British Aircraft Corporation BAC 1-11s. Bonanza and Mohawk takes jets as well. The CAB refuse to allow Ozark and Frontier Airlines to follow suit, claiming that the aircraft is being sold at subsidised prices, and would unfairly benefit competitors.
1967 - National takes delivery of its first Boeing 727-200, a stretched version of the Boeing 727.
1968 - United Airlines receive their first Boeing 737s.
1970 - Pan Am becomes the launch customer for the Boeing 747. American, Braniff, Continental, Delta, National, Northwest, TWA, United all order 747s.
1970 - Eastern retires its Boeing 720B aircraft, replacing them with 727s.
1971-1973 - American, Continental, National, Northwest, and United receive McDonnell Douglas DC-10s.
1970-1973 - American, Delta, TWA all retire their Convair 880/990 jets.
1972 - American Airlines retires its last BAC 1-11.
1972 - United retires its Boeing 720B, replacing them with the newer Boeing 727-200ADV.
1973 - Both Pan Am and TWA drop their options for the Concorde. Rising fuel costs and production delays would lead the SST to be flown solely by Air France and British Airways.
1973 - Delta Air Lines, Eastern, and TWA receive Lockheed L-1011 Tristar. In 1978 and 1979 Delta and TWA begin transatlantic flights with the Tristars.
1973-1975 - Continental, Delta and National sell their 747s due to overcapacity. TWA sells several 747s to the Imperial Iranian Air Force in 1975.
1974 - Eastern and National retire their DC-8s.
1974-1975 - Northwest retires its Boeing 720 and 707 aircraft as a result of rising fuel costs.
1975 - American, Northwest and Western retire their Boeing 720B aircraft.
1976 - Pan Am takes delivery of the long-range Boeing 747SP. TWA and Braniff order a few, but the plane's high fuel burn causes it to sell poorly.
1977 - Eastern Air Lines begins operating Airbus A300s. In 1991 they are transferred to TWA, but these are sold in 1994.
1979-1980 - Pan Am, Western retire their last 707s.
1981-1983 - Delta, Pan Am, Republic Airlines TWA all receive their first Mc-Donnell Douglas MD-80s. The updated version of the Douglas DC-9 will be one of the most popular narrowbody jets in the U.S.
1982 - Delta, Pan Am, United and TWA being operating Boeing 767-200 widebody twinjets.
1983 - Eastern Air Lines becomes the launch customer for the Boeing 757. The narrowbody jet will subsequently be ordered by every U.S. major airline.
1984 - TWA becomes the first airline to launch twinjet service across the Atlantic with its 767-200 aircraft.
1984 - Pan Am orders A300s using the planes for cargo-heavy routes out of Miami and JFK to the Caribbean. They are retired in 2002.
1988 - Piedmont Airlines acquires its first Boeing 737-400 aircraft.
1988 - Delta, Pan Am, and United Airlines being taking orders of the 767-300ER. The longer-range jet will become common on Transatlantic Routes in 1990s.
1989 - Delta retires its last Douglas DC-8 aircraft.
1989 - TWA places an order for 20 Airbus A330-300s, however these are never taken up. Its fleet is among the oldest in the industry.
1989 - Northwest Airlines becomes the launch customer for the long-range Boeing 747-400.
1990 - Delta and Pan receive their first McDonnell Douglas MD-11s. Pan Am is unimpressed with the aircraft's performance and sells its 19 jets in 1995. Delta's are grounded after the merger with TWA in 2002.
1991 - United Airlines, becomes the last Douglas DC-8 operator to retire the four-engined plane.
1995 - United Airlines becomes the launch customer of the Boeing 777-200.
1995 - Delta and TWA become the only U.S. carriers to operate the narrow body MD-90.
1997 - TWA retires its last Lockheed Tristar.
1997 - Southwest Airlines launches the Boeing 737-700, making it the first operator of the next-generation Boeing aircraft.
1997 - Pan Am and TWA acquire their first Boeing 777-200ER extended range Boeing 777s for longhaul flights. The planes being replacing older 747s.
1999 - TWA retires its last Boeing 747-100, replacing the first-generation long-haul aircraft with Boeing 777-200ERs.
2000 - TWA takes deliver of its first Boeing 717s, originally designed by McDonnell Douglas as the MD-95, it along with AirTran are the only U.S. carriers to operate the type.
2001 - Delta Air Lines retires its last Lockheed L-1011 Tristars.
2003 - TWA retires its last DC-9, having operated the jets since 1965.
2011 - Pan Am receives its first Boeing 747-800 longhaul aircraft.
2016 - TWA receives its first Boeing 777-300ER longhaul aircraft.
 
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