----- Original Message ----- From: "John W. Swiman" <Rinoflite@xxxxxxx> To: <AIRLINE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Tuesday, July 15, 2003 18:57 Subject: Re: [AIRLINE] Airlift/National Question > > National Airlines the original one was based in Miami and was a rival to > Eastern Airlines. National Airlines was the first airline to enter the jet age > with a DC-8 and beat out pan Am which used the Boeing 707. Correction Pan Am operated the 707 in transatlantic service prior to NA operating the first DOMESTIC jet service. PA's first flight was 26 Oct 58; NA was 10 Dec 58, with a 707 leased from PA. The DC8 didn't start service until 18 Sep 59 with DL and UA (believe UA beated DL by an hour or so) > When National merged with Pan Am, so pan Am could have domestic routes the > name national with its symbol of the sunface was put to bed. I think the main reason PA was merged in NA was so that PA could get aircraft cheaply. By the time of the merger, airline deregulation was already in effect and PA could fly domestically. In any case, it was a merger made in hell. David R http://home.attbi.com/~damiross http://home.attbi.com/~damiross/books.html