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BRANIFF INTERNATIONAL AIRWAYS
"THE END OF THE PLAIN PLANE"
DO YOU HAVE ANY MEMORIES OR COMMENTS ABOUT BRANIFF?
With roots back to 1930, Braniff Airways was a major airline based in the central United States. It was established by two Braniff brothers in Dallas Texas. Later it would add an expansion of service to South and Central America.
In 1952 it successfully acquired Mid-Continent Airlines, another airline from the mid-U.S.
In 1965 the airline undertook a bold step. It was decided to leave the conservative red, white and blue "Pepsi-Cola" livery and begin a new "End of the Plane Plane" livery meaning that all of the aircraft would be painted several different solid colors while still retaining the basic black text of the airline name. This applied to older aircraft like the Prop -Jet Lockheed Electra II, and the rest of the jet fleet. Even the ground handling equipment was painted the solid colors. Besides the multi colored fleet the flight attendants were to wear some "space age" looking outfits, some even with clear space helmets.
Two exceptions to the solid color scheme was a single Douglas DC-8-62 painted by Mexican artist Alexander Calder. Another in 1976, Calder painted the "Colors of Liberty" in red, white and blue for the 1976 Bi-centennial. The airliner was one of several acquired in the take over of Panagra Airlines, a South American affiliate airline of Pan American (Pan Am).
http://www.dc-8jet.com/bnfdc862calder.htm
One of the most unique of the color liveries was a single Boeing 747 painted in bright orange.
Braniff was the only U.S. carrier to operated schedules flight with the Concorde. Their crew would pick up the plane at Washington Dulles and fly it sub-sonic to Dallas Texas. This proved unpopular and was soon dropped.
In 1982 the airline went bankrupt, many say a victim of deregulation.
Two other Braniff Airways were startup carriers after the collapse. Both of them are extinct.
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