Eastern Airlines rises from the ashes!

[grumpytx]

I always liked Eastern for the fact, that back during the 80's, I could always catch a flight that was either direct Houston-IAH to Boston-Logan or one stop with no plane change. That was many years ago and like Eastern the company I worked for at the time, Wang Laboratories, is also no longer.

 

[njmom47]

I want to say we used to fly Eastern to visit my grandparents in Ft Lauderdale when I was a kid.
I also remember flying People's Express.

 

[dsneprincess]

I want to say we used to fly Eastern to visit my grandparents in Ft Lauderdale when I was a kid.
I also remember flying People's Express.

Oh, I remember people's Express, too! It so beat driving to Florida!!

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Airlines are like banks...


The bigger they get... The more they cry that they need help. And they screw the customers more daily...and a couple of yanks at the top pocket whatever they want without explanation or control

The triumph of laissez faire

 

[Planogirl]

Frontier Airlines was not sold to Spirit Airlines. There are no plans to merge Frontier into Spirit.

Republic Airways Holdings Inc., which owned Frontier, sold Frontier to Indigo Partners, a private investment group led by former Spirit chairman William Franke. The deal was announced in October 2013 and closed in December 2013.

Franke is applying the formula that worked at Spirit, turning Frontier into an ultra-low-cost carrier similar to Spirit.

I guess I'll add Frontier to the short list of airlines that I will absolutely avoid.

They might not be a part of Spirit but it's awful to read that they might be turned into a clone. Spirit is awful and I'm sad to think that Frontier might become like them.

 

[yitbos96bb]

I do love my retro PanAm bag, I must say

The website for the new Eastern Airlines is http://easternairlines.aero

The Miami-based startup air carrier will have the name and visual identity of Eastern Airlines, but otherwise won't have much in common with the once mighty Eastern Airlines. Initially, the new Eastern will begin as a charter operator, but the company hopes to launch scheduled service.

Time will tell if the new Eastern is able to survive. I wish them well. It will take more than name recognition (from people old enough to remember the old Eastern before it went bankrupt in 1991) to be a success.

It's alarming how little competition there is in the airline industry these days, with just four airlines controlling almost the entire U.S. airline industry: United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, and American Airlines (which is now the same company as US Airways, a brand that will disappear).

There have been around a half dozen attempts to a launch a new airline with the name and visual identity of PanAm (Pan American World Airways), the other great air carrier that went bankrupt in 1991. Some got off the ground, but subsequently failed.

 

[yitbos96bb]

Frontier Airlines was not sold to Spirit Airlines. There are no plans to merge Frontier into Spirit.

Republic Airways Holdings Inc., which owned Frontier, sold Frontier to Indigo Partners, a private investment group led by former Spirit chairman William Franke. The deal was announced in October 2013 and closed in December 2013.

Franke is applying the formula that worked at Spirit, turning Frontier into an ultra-low-cost carrier similar to Spirit.

I guess I'll add Frontier to the short list of airlines that I will absolutely avoid.

Plus 1 on that. Shame... Frontier Was a nice little airline back in the day

 

[lockedoutlogic]

They might not be a part of Spirit but it's awful to read that they might be turned into a clone. Spirit is awful and I'm sad to think that Frontier might become like them.

That's a pretty common opinion among those that have flown spirit, talked to any employees, or frankly...ever tried to use their website...

And by "common"...I mean 100%

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

Not sure if anyone posted this, but a group has begun the process with the FAA to revive Eastern Airlines. For those old enough to remember, Eastern was a major transporter of passengers to Disney World and had it's own attraction "If you had Wings". Man, am I dating myself.
If you had wings on youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Vmfc8aVW-U
Eastern's new website.

~Very interesting, thanks for sharing this! I did not care for Eastern Airlines at all -- as a child. Delta Airlines was much better back then.

~I remember Delta would give me a full can of BlueBird orange juice without asking. Eastern refused to give me a can of anything, it had to be in a little cup. Even as a child, I thought this was cheap.

~The one airline I truly miss is Northwest Airlines! Our airport was one of the worst airport's in the world. Northwest Airlines took it upon themselves to build their own state of the art, billion dollar terminal. Shortly after that -- Delta bought NWA out. I still fly Delta but preferred NWA.

 

[Rumors Rocks]

Airlines are like banks...


The bigger they get... The more they cry that they need help. And they screw the customers more daily...and a couple of yanks at the top pocket whatever they want without explanation or control

The triumph of laissez faire

 

[TooExcitedCantSleep]

Not sure if anyone posted this, but a group has begun the process with the FAA to revive Eastern Airlines. For those old enough to remember, Eastern was a major transporter of passengers to Disney World and had it's own attraction "If you had Wings". Man, am I dating myself.
If you had wings on youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Vmfc8aVW-U
Eastern's new website.

Eastern Airlines was wonderful.....it brings back wonderful memories. I'm glad they are returning.....Delta and American Airlines are overrated.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Eastern Airlines was wonderful.....it brings back wonderful memories. I'm glad they are returning.....Delta and American Airlines are overrated.

It's not really a case of Eastern Airlines returning -- it's just that the old Eastern name, logo, and colors might be returning.

A small Miami company filed with the FAA for a "certificate of public convenience and necessity." If it's granted, the new Eastern will initially have a single aircraft providing charter service. The new Eastern hopes to become a scheduled airline.

 

[doconeill]

I think all new small airlines start with "chartered" status these days. I think one of the deals with that is that passengers pay for the tickets but the money goes into something like an escrow fund, and the airline gets paid when the flight actually happens. Helps protect against sudden closures that seem to happen so often with them lately. Still takes time to get the money back.

We had a few of those fail that were providing service out of a satellite airport near here. Allegiant or one of those was one of the last. Airport went empty for a while (it was actually used as a set for a few movies, including "Captain Phillips"), until Jet Blue began operating there in November.

I remember Eastern well...they had their own large terminal at Boston's Logan Airport, while all others were shared.

And since Pan Am was mentioned - the name and logo are owned by a local rail operator called Pan Am Railways (formerly Guilford), which bought out the PAWA and all the rights. I think they license the name to the various attempts to restart the airlines - and I think another attempt is being mounted...

 

[delilah]

I had my worst travel experience ever courtesy of Midway airlines, which was multifactorial in cause, but, the end result was a fiasco. I was attending a CME conference at Kiawah Island resort. We live in Indianapolis, and at the time, our son was 2. My hospital paid for me to attend a CME meeting, but, they wanted to micromanage everything. I wanted to take a particular flight, but, they wanted us to use Midway, because it was the cheapest. So, of course, we had to use Midway. We actually could have driven, it was only a 12 hour drive, but, the hospital didn't want us to stop overnight along the way, and a 12 hour drive with a two year old takes way longer than 12 hours. The trip went well enough on the way to SC. The trip home was another story. Our flight was scheduled to leave early, which meant checking out of our room about 4 am or so. We got to the gate, and no plane, and no attendant at the gate. It got closer to the scheduled departure time, and still nobody at the gate. Finally, somebody from the airline arrived at the gate. They didn't tell us anything, until after the scheduled time of departure, and told us that the flight was cancelled. The airline found different flight on a different airline, which was nice. It was actually the flight I wanted to take to start with. The only problem was that it left 6 hours later than the one we had booked. So, it actually took us longer to get home than it would have had we driven instead of taking the plane.

 

[TravelMommy]

Eating breakfast, getting pilots wings the friendly staff, it was awesome!

 

[LILJAN59]

Can't forget Midway airlines. There were two versions. First one from 1976 to 1991 and I believe every thing may have flow through Midway in CHI. The second lasted from 1993 to 2003 and all their flights connected through Raleigh/Durham. I actually flew one of the last flights on Midway 2 days before 9-11 from RDU to BOS, they flew there last flights the morning of 9-11. They shared the same terminal and gates with AA in BOS and the gate I landed at was right near the security the terrorists used that day doing a dry run at Logan. My now wife was waiting for me right at the gate when I arrived and we often wondered if they walked right by us.

I remember flying from Midway airport in Chicago to Orlando in the mid 80's on Midway airlines. Back then one promotion, was buy an adult ticket for $149.00 RT Ana a child flys free. A year later he it was adult for $149.00 RT And child flies for $ 49.00. That sure helped us get to Disney ant afford to stay at the Poly with 2 little girls

Why don't airlines do stuff like this now to fill the seats, but I guess they still fill the seats with families paying full fare for kids! Sigh!

 

[Halle]

First trip to WDW with kids in 1986 we booked a package through Eastern Airlines. $1100.00 for a family of 6, 2 adults 4 children ages 3,4,4,5. The package was roundtrip airfare from upstate NY,five nights at the Contemporary, tickets to the Luau, $75.00 in Disney Dollars...had never heard of them before, and length of stay park tickets!!! Bring back the old Eastern airlines.
OT my Uncle was one of the original pilots for Eastern and was a friend of Eddie Rickenbacker. I am fortunate to have some of the original Eastern airlines pines given to the pilots.

 

[mickey2000]

First trip to WDW
Three RT PHL MCO tickets $311 1978








2013 Little boy now grown up with his family! LOL

 

[BigKid45]

Does anyone remember DirectAir, ....

....just a word to the wise. We were on one of the last DirectAir flights in/out of Ft.Meyers for a WDW pre-cruise stay on our 2012 trip. I was nervous about trusting a "discount" airline with a $10,000 vacation but DW was convinced the $600 airfare for 4 around the President's week school vacation was worth the risk. Well, we made it there and back just 1 week before they cancelled all flights. We were the lucky few. Folks around our part of upstate NY were left without transportation just weeks before vacations & cruises and paid astronomical fares to other airlines to save their vacations. Most folks spent weeks to months trying to get refunds and last I heard anyone who used a debit card to book was SOL! We'll never use a "charter" carrier again.

 

[doconeill]

....just a word to the wise. We were on one of the last DirectAir flights in/out of Ft.Meyers for a WDW pre-cruise stay on our 2012 trip. I was nervous about trusting a "discount" airline with a $10,000 vacation but DW was convinced the $600 airfare for 4 around the President's week school vacation was worth the risk. Well, we made it there and back just 1 week before they cancelled all flights. We were the lucky few. Folks around our part of upstate NY were left without transportation just weeks before vacations & cruises and paid astronomical fares to other airlines to save their vacations. Most folks spent weeks to months trying to get refunds and last I heard anyone who used a debit card to book was SOL! We'll never use a "charter" carrier again.

That's exactly the sort of thing that the current rules are meant to prevent, and I thought they would have been in effect then - not entirely sure.

Essentially, as I understand it, a "public charter" airline takes your payment, but it must put it directly into a bank account in escrow. The bank is responsible for the accounting of each flight. If the airline certifies that the flight took place, the payments for that flight are given to the airline. If not, the payments are to be refunded to the charterer.

However, credit and debit payments are not mentioned, and as far as I understand, not allowed by the DOT rules. It only mentioned check or money order.