National Airlines (NA)

National Airlines (IATA: NA, ICAO: NAL, and Callsign: National) was founded in 1934 and was based in Miami, Florida.

History:

Under the leadership of its president and founder, George T. Baker, it operated primarily within Florida, the Gulf Coast and the southeastern United States until 1944, when it gained authorization to operate the route between New York City and Miami, Florida. The airline was headquartered in St. Petersburg at Whitted Airport and Jacksonville before moving its home base to Miami. Lucrative international service to Havana, Cuba, began in 1946, and was to continue until suspended in 1961. The National Airlines route network expanded west to Houston, Texas and north to Boston, Massachusetts in the 1950s. On December 10, 1958, National became the first airline to introduce domestic jet service in the United States,[1] with a flight between Miami's international airport and Idlewild International Airport in New York City. The first jet flight used a leased 707.[1] Routes from Florida to California via Houston, including the first non-stop transcontinental service from Miami, were added in 1961 in the CAB's Southern Tier service case. In 1964, National became the first exclusively jet powered service in the United States, and by 1970 became the third U.S. transatlantic passenger carrier with the inauguration of daily nonstop round-trip service between Miami and London, England. In 1970, the company opened a terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport called the Sundrome, in reference to "Sun King logo" which was part of National Airlines modern new branding. The Sundrome is still in operation and used by JetBlue Airways. It was designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. By the late 1970s, National operated a large fleet of Boeing 727 and McDonnell Douglas DC-10 aircraft. During its history, National was known by advertising slogans such as "The Buccanneer Route (1940s)", "Airline of the Stars (1950s-60s)," and, famously, its "Fly Me" campaign of the 1970s, where aircraft were given female names and flight attendants were featured in broadcast and print media campaigns. Some aircraft were named for celebrities, including Bob Hope and Jerry Lewis, in whose 1960 film The Bellboy both National and Miami Beach's Fontainebleau Hotel had featured roles. Until losing the license in 1962, National also owned Miami television station and ABC affiliate, WPST (Channel 10). The station continues today as WPLG under the ownership of Post-Newsweek Stations. In the autumn of 1978, management of Texas International Airlines, regional airline based in Houston under leadership of entrepreneur and corporate raider Frank Lorenzo, attempted a tender offer acquisition of National Airlines. With its headquarters in Miami and hubs there and in New Orleans, Houston, and Los Angeles, acquisition of National would have allowed tiny Texas International to expand substantially beyond its south-central U.S. area of service. National had strength in the north-south market along the east coast, and probably the strongest east-west routes along the southern tier..[2] National Airlines DC-10, Houston (IAH), 1978National management and unions, however, fought the TI acquisition stubbornly, and finally consummated a merger with Pan Am, who had emerged as a 'white knight' during the takeover battle. National was in the end acquired by Pan Am in 1980 and its operations were merged into those of the larger carrier. Pan Am continued to utilize the former National Miami maintenance base and headquarters building until Pan Am itself ceased operations in December 1991.[2] Much later, National's "Sun King" logo was sold and "repackaged" much like Pan Am's to appear upon the branding of start up "low cost carrier" Southeast Airlines aircraft. Most industry analysts believe that Pan Am paid too high a price for National, and was ill prepared to integrate National's domestic route network with Pan Am's own globe-girdling international network. The cultures of National and Pan Am also proved to be incompatible, making workforce integration difficult. Texas International walked away from their foiled attempt with a multi-million dollar stock profit; however, and was well poised for Lorenzo's next ventures--a startup airline in the high-density East coast corridor (New York Air), and subsequent acquisition of Continental Airlines.[2]