The 1950 Aircraft
Probably the Constellation, the DC-3 and the Catalina would have been the best Pan Am aircraft to fly in.
Between 16 December 1951 and 11 February 1952 a C-46, a Convair (CV-240) and a DC-6 crashed at/near the Newark Airport. None of these were Pan Am aircraft. I'd personally avoid flying on them, just the same.
The B-377 was a larger-fuselage derivative of the great Boeing B-29. It was designed to wring some post-war benefits from the expense and effort put into the B-29's development. I've included a postcard of one at the very end.
The Corporation: 1927 and 1991
In 1927, 'Hap' Arnold and Carl Spaatz wrote up a prospectus for Pan Am to prevent Deutsch-Kolumbianische Luftverkehrsgesellschaft - which was becoming established in Central America - from successfully bidding on US air mail contracts.
Pan Am filed for bankruptcy protection in 1991.
Why?
... The oil price shocks of the 1970s caused a general decrease in travel. Operating an air carrier whose high-capacity long-haul fleet was geared for international operation became very unprofitable. Later, US air transport deregulation and the lack of a domestic feeder network impeded Pan Am's ability to compete with lower cost companies. The *1988 Lockerbie Bombing and the 1991 First Gulf War's impact on international travel finished off Pan Am.
*Towers Financial Corporation, run by Steven Hoffenberg (with his consultant Jeffrey Epstein) had attempted to purchase Pan Am in 1987. Between 1988 and 1993, Towers ran a Ponzi Scheme which resulted in Hoffenberg serving 18 years in prison. Two other corporate officers were also sent to prison. Epstein had left the company by 1989.
The map below is presented 'early' to give an overview of the system. So that you can read the place names, a larger version appears at Page 12.
Below: The tagline in the upper right corner probably alludes to the extremely well-known 1894 song The Sidewalks of New York.
East Side, West Side was also a 1949 film noir, set in New York, with Barbara Stanwyck and James Mason.
... The Ad Men perhaps thought the gritty film breathed new life into the old song lyrics as a tagline.
The influence of conventional railroad practices was apparent in this timetable ...
There was the familiar 'read down' [eastbound] 'read up' [westbound] set-up of tables for particular routes. Notes on using the timetable appear on Page 17 - along with a B-377 (B-29) illustration.
Given the wide expanses of globe covered by Pan Am, a 24-hour clock format is used - probably hurting the heads of many North Americans. However, many WW2 veterans would be accustomed to 'military time'.
On some of the longer routes, flying sleeping car berths are offered. When made up they looked like conventional sections in sleeping cars. You can see this service offered on Page 6, Table 10. See the El Presidente footnote for flights PA201 and PA202. "Bed-sized berth accommodations offered at extra charge."
Sleeperette service with reclining seats and curtained privacy appears in many tables - look for the red 'S'.
On Page 8 you can see 'cargo services'.
The domestic routes operated in Latin American countries often came from Pan Am buying existing local air carriers and integrating them into their network.
Brasilia was not designated as Brazil's capital (it was Rio de Janeiro) until 1956, so it does not appear in the tables for Brazil on Pages 10-11.
Page 14 shows extensive Cuban services while Fulgencio Batista was still running the island and profiting from its vices. The latter attracted many tourists.
* * *
Page 18 begins the fare tables for the different routes.
... A 1950 US dollar equals about US $13.50 in 2025
So:
- One-way, New York to London US $4725 in 2025 dollars.
- One-way, New York to Honolulu US $4279 in 2025 dollars.
- One-way, New York to Tokyo US $10,800 in 2025 dollars.
* * *
On Page 21, they list their city locations and transfer arrangements.
They will provide a transfer from Newfoundland Airport, Gander, Newfoundland (Canada) to the railway station.
Multiply fares by 13.5 to compensate for USD inflation - to express in 2025 dollars.
* * *
Below is a postcard from my collection which shows one of the B-377 (enlarged B-29) aircraft probably superimposed over a cityscape of San Francisco.
According to the internet, the first-day issue stamp was conceived
so people could have the convenience of putting a single stamp on a postcard so it could travel via Air Mail.
Applying the same dollar inflation calculation ... one could send a postcard via Air Mail for 54 US cents in 2025 US dollars.
