Bankrupt - TWA

After over 70 years as America's iconic airline, today I wanted to take a look at a company most grew up with flying with their family only for the airline, like Pan Am, to grow into one of the largest airlines in the world. Today let's take a look at the iconic, TWA or better known as Trans World Airlines.
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Further Reading & Articles:
Historic Website - twamuseum.com/htdocs/twahistor...
Business History - www.referenceforbusiness.com/...
Trans World Airlines Timeline - twamuseum.com/htdocs/twatimeli...
Last Day Of TWA - • The Last Day of TWA, D...
Spirit Day - • TWA JFK SPIRIT DAY - 1993
Flight 800 Doc - • Video
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BrightSunFilms 2019

[@BrightSunFilms]

Follow me on Twitter - twitter.com/BrightSunFilms

[@joshuajoe1419]

BSF I have an abandoned idea The longest abandoned subway line... The Cincinnati Subway

[@drews591]

Thank you!!! Maybe Braniff or Eastern next?

[@JonMow]

next kodak ?

[@klipsfilmsmelbourne]

Bright Sun Films twa is cursed company of plane crashes

[@JonMow]

@@klipsfilmsmelbourne more than malaysia airline?

[@ShellShock794]

"Sir, Pan Am just purchased 20 planes" Then we will buy 30! *NO* .....70!!!!!

[@MsEdy09]

The video is not about Pan Am. Its about TWA

[@MsEdy09]

Ok

[@taylornezovich7552]

🤦🏽‍♀️

[@joemancini327]

/r woooooooooooosh

[@axelfoley1406]

@@MsEdy09 You must be a blast at parties.

[@KEVMAN7987]

Don't apologizd for the length of the video. The longer videos are more thorough and informative.

[@NellyM1823]

Seriously!! Dont ever shorten them...for quality content I'd gladly watch a longer video!

[@connorw8760]

And more revenue lol

[@ForwardSpace146]

Wow i even dont realise that this was a long video lol

[@user-xc1fo1fc7g]

Like the longer ones more!!

[@martinlutherkingjr.5582]

Yeah I hate it when KZbinrs start apologizing. If people like your content they’ll watch, if they don’t, they won’t.

[@carlmaster9690]

TWA and Pan Am are airlines I'd love to see in the skies again.

[@think6525]

Carlmaster96 One day someone will bring them back from the dead and have them compete with Delta, American airlines and United airlines.

[@MrPip9999]

@@think6525 : Only Jesus comes back from the dead. Not anyone else. A company can come back from the chapter 11 coffin by the way.

[@kevinwong6588]

Pan Am has been reincarnated...as a railroad.

[@kaydenchan7093]

Kevin Wong so did TWA, as a hotel

[@joshriver75]

At one time there was talks of a merger. They were going to change the name to Trans Am Airlines! .......yeah that's right I tell dumb jokes

[@akaSlasher]

TWA will always have a special place in my heart. Back in the '70s and '80s, a dream vacation my wife and I had was the opportunity to fly to Israel, to visit the Holy Land. As an enlisted man in the Navy, though, it was finally out of reach. Then came a perfect storm of cash from good sources. The trip began to look possible. Then, one day, Sue picked up a brochure for a TWA Getaway Tour to Egypt and Israel. It sounded great and just looked better and better the more we looked into it. So, in March 1988 we flew TWA from San Diego to Paris to Cairo. We were flying economy, but even those seats were comfortable 31 years ago. The tour turned out to be everything we hoped. It was great in every way, including some surprises that added to the delight. Sad though we were to take the flight home two weeks later, it was as comfortable as the first. That trip was truly a dream come true for us both, but for Sue it was more than that. It was wonderous. We decorated our house with art, statues, weavings, Holy icons, and other things we'd collected on the tour and after. It was one of the happiest times of our lives together. I am so, so glad that I could make it happen for her. I would have regretted it forever if we hadn't gotten to go. Twelve months and a few days later, Susan contracted bronchitis, an annual burden. But unknown to her or us or anybody, it suddenly transitioned to a fast-moving, virulent pneumonia. She died at home, very early one morning, never even knowing she was in danger. It was the worst day I will ever know. Every time I look at various souvenirs of that trip (especially her three alabaster cat statues), it eases some of the pain that still lingers 30 years later. TWA had the right deal at the right price at the right time, and the tour was better than they said it would be. They ended up making a dream possible before it was too late, and I thank God for that. TWA, too, was an instrument of a year's worth of special joy for Sue, and 30 years later, that is still of some comfort for me. How many airline can have that said about them? Farewell, TWA.

[@dennissvitak148]

Awesome. Thanks for sharing. I was involved in developing forecast techniques for the flight planners, to get non-stop flights from LaGuardia (LGA) to Tel Aviv. They tried it for a couple of months...but the range was just too great to make it reliable. Shame...direct flights were ALWAYS booked solid.

[@ephapax1]

akaSlasher this was a beautiful. Sadly, a 34 year old ESPN sportscaster passes away today for the same reason of your wife...Virulent pneumonia. It’s very hard to detect.

[@topdog91]

Israeli here. Such a moving story. Hope you are well and happy.

[@xgamingwizard2216]

gay

[@hairyprimeminister748years2]

Jeesus fuck I didn’t want a Life story.

[@sk1ppman]

My mom was a gate agent for TWA here in St Louis. I watched Carl Icahn destroy TWA from the inside. You’re absolutely right about the feeling of family and the sacrifices the union made to keep it afloat. My mom still looks back on her TWA days as the most professionally rewarding time in her career.

[@CamF64]

Even at that time though, Icahn was (and still is) well known as a corporate raider; stripping companies of their assets, selling them for profit, and leaving the company saddled with debt. He later did the same to eBay/PayPal.

[@mmille10]

Reading this comment got me thinking of the Adam Curtis documentary "The Mayfair Set." I think Curtis explained why this sort of thing was happening, not just with TWA, but other companies. It was a change in mindset about who the company should serve. It had the idea that all that mattered was how profitable the companies were for shareholders. It forgot about intangibles that made companies work well, and gave them longevity. Put another way, it put companies under management of people who had money, but who didn't know much about what made the companies vibrant. Curtis's assertion is that before this, successful businesses used to care about the culture of the company. Profits were a priority, but they didn't care what shareholders thought about stock performance, because they weren't considered knowledgeable about what made the company work. Under this arrangement, you could say buying stock was a mark of trust from shareholders in the company's management. It was not an invitation to let shareholder's butt in on management decisions.

[@merafirewing6591]

​@@CamF64 why wasn't he blacklisted to begin with????

[@dennissvitak148]

I was heavily involved with TWA toward the end. I was their meteorologist, providing weather training for their flight dispatchers. There is a lot of shady shit that went on from the FAA. When you're based in St. Louis, and want to fly to the east or west coast, it was DAMNED difficult to get the FAA (and ARTCC) to assign them good altitudes. They got stuck low, a LOT, and this caused them to burn a ton of fuel. Also...they couldn't get the same rate for fuel as United or Delta..they had to pay cash, and the spot price. This was ... brutal for their operations.

[@cchris874]

Fascinating, thank you!

[@hankaustin7091]

@@cchris874 I agree 100%.. absolutely fascinating! Dennis, you should write a book about your experience, it would be a best seller and probably make a very good movie as well !

[@UahUahUah]

Write a book about it, certainly. TWA: How The FAA Helped Them Fall

[@dennissvitak148]

@@UahUahUah - There was an extremely high level of anger and frustration on the part of the TWA employees. Many of them were long-term flight dispatchers, that were forced to re-locate from New York City. I found them to be sincere, hard working, and professional. That they came to my company, a private meteorologist, to initiate the first training certification program of its kind in the nation is saying something. I helped their flight dispatchers become qualified to amend a terminal area forecast (TAF), for those times when the TAF wasn't representative, and affected their operations. Case in point..AM fog, forecast is below mins, and the fog was clearing rapidly. They couldn't file to take off if the TAF was below mins...and my training allowed them to amend the TAF, and use their new forecasts. Had to be done carefully, and I monitored and verified the accuracy of every action they took. But..it saved them time, and money. The program, EWINS, was accepted and approved for use by the FAA.

[@hankaustin7091]

@@dennissvitak148 Like I said Dennis.. there's a great book/movie right there, based on what you just said - don't listen to these other assholes that don't know what they're talking about.. I think it would be great!

[@BTG07]

I dont care what people say, Icahn destroyed TWA.

[@larssmith404]

Yes, he did and is still at it today.

[@jayreiter268]

B007 were you there to watch it happen? What destroyed TWA was a self serving upper management that did not want to run an airline. They siphoned money out of the airline to buy Hilton, Century 21 Etc. Then they created the Trans World Corporation. They then divided the Trans World Corporation and TWA. Most upper management went into the corporation. TWA was weakened by this. What happened to the corporation and money? Hilton and Century 21 are now separate. Our IAM union actively recruited Carl in preference to Frank Lorenzo. My last bitter memory is not getting credit for my seniority after the AA buyout. I was not alone in that. The sad thing now is the dwindling numbers of old TWA'ers and the frequent "Gone West" emails.

[@dennissvitak148]

@@jayreiter268 - I was there as their weather guy when this happened. Instead if integrating the lists, as they were promised, AA took the TWA pilot list, and "stapled" it to the bottom of the AA seniority list. Pretty shady shit there...senior TWA pilots, with 25 years experience, got to bid on routes AFTER the newest, rawest recruit pilot AA could find.

[@doncarlin9081]

@@jayreiter268 Don't worry Jay, Uncle Carl hasn't written you out of his will, you don't have to schmooze lol. Oh, and you don't get more upper than Icahn's position at TWA.

[@jrwxtx]

@@jayreiter268: Wow, what a choice! Lorenzo also ruined many lives.

[@rhynosouris710]

Was there ever a company which benefitted from Carl Icahn, instead of being ruined?

[@atoage8902]

No

[@lvthud]

Stratosphere Corp

[@bhfootballer26]

The competitors of any of the companies Icahn invested in.

[@keithbenson2627]

Rhyno Souris This is what all CEO’s do when they purchase an airline . They get greedy, poor management, and then they cash out

[@rzz9594]

I cahn’t.,,,🤔

[@XxWaterStreamxX]

Buys a bunch of multi million dollar planes when there isn't demand just because pan am has more planes *Goes bankrupt *insert pikachu face

[@EyreAffair]

"Howard Hughes was one of the most colorful men of our time. He was an inventor, an adventurer, a multi-billionaire, a ladies' man, and finally, a nutcase." - Stan Lee

[@therealjammit]

I think he was waiting for Pan Am to make a move and then make his purchases. He was already planning on expanding routes but kept holding off. But still, buying that many planes all at once...

[@madwolf0966]

Seriously tho that 1973 oil crisis was such a horribly timed disaster.

[@sophroniamason2730]

@GamingTV Your a nut!

[@Windows98R]

dexeo but then PanAm essentially did the same thing too :P

[@LIONKING908]

How in the world did this guy almost make me cry for an airline??

[@DivAgent556]

Because airlines are made by people for the service of people. TWA was the finest in this regard. It's easy to get upset over something with such great personification.

[@seanbrown1271]

The airline industry is like the auto industry the ups and downs are felt in the employees homes with their families always try two fly with a good American company our dollor helps more people then most people think twa and pan am treated every one great

[@loanswashere.]

@@asbestosfibers1325 bruh Shut ze fök up

[@MorganOlt]

I miss TWA, my fondest memory was being a kid and being let onto the fight deck of one of the new 767's they had gotten, the pilots gave me a glue on plastic set of wings.

[@SantosZox]

Just yesterday I flew American Airlines and was seated between a couple in their 70s who met and married while working for TWA. It was wonderful talking with them and the wife was in awe that I had only a vague knowledge of the airline even existing though it was truly iconic. She told me I wouldnt believe how much the world has actually changed in just her lifetime.

[@grantingtherant1465]

I showed my mom this video, and she nearly cried. She knew people on flight 800, oversaw parts of operation baby lift in 75, and all the memories came flooding in for her. I have to thank her for all the hard work she's done to support our family, as well as the amazing world she's shown me with her retirement benefits. Thanks for making this video Jake!

[@wizardgherkin]

+1

[@AdmiralJT]

I'm from a town that lost high school students

[@GummyDinosaursify]

>as well as the amazing world she's shown me with her retirement benefits This is the most "rich kid" statement i've ever heard in my life

[@Msflamingo-wl4qo]

"...the amazing world she's shown me with her retirement benefits" isn't a "rich kid" statement, it's an Airline Brat statement. I, too, am an Airline Brat. At 5 yrs old, I already had my 1st Photo I.D. It was my TWA PASS. 😊 So "benefits" refers to his opportunity to fly for free...thx to his Mom. And for me, thx to my Daddy. #TWAFamily ❤

[@jose.luis.ayala.]

@@GummyDinosaursify True if you mean the kid enjoyed family fringe BENEFITS he was entitled to. My friends Dad was a TWA mechanic & he went EVERYWHERE for as little as $10.

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

*Come fly with me! Let's fly, let's fly awayyy* Please do the Ryugyong Hotel, the tallest abandoned/unfinished building in the world.

[@lentoturmahub8214]

Kim Jong-un How do you have access to a computer???

[@ImInSpainWithoutTheS]

how many times have i saw you?

[@Stingnu]

Kim Jong-un the biggest question is how the fuck was this posted 2 days ago

[@ethanbrown4656]

@@Stingnu he's bought access to be a member of channel. with it you get early access to videos

[@joesmith389]

Hi Kim

[@rodwallace6237]

Carl Ichan looted TWA of millions of cash then left the rotting corpse on the beach.

[@clausstimpfig3803]

so true

[@albertawheat6832]

That's the American way....Capitalism at it's finest. Get government grants to build the company, Take all the profit. And leave a mess for the taxpayer to clean up...Yes sir you have to love, the American dream.

[@henriquemelchiorgomes8750]

@@albertawheat6832 if that's captalism, China is socialist.

[@morningwaves]

Icahn is the real-life Gordon Gekko .....just uglier.

[@Pickleduck.]

@@henriquemelchiorgomes8750 china is communist. Socialism is the middle part to converting to communism

[@marvelgoh5648]

The Airline may ceased operations, but their name will forever be remembered to all aviation enthusiast

[@mikethemicguy]

YOUVE DONE IT AGAIN!!! Starts with Pan Am and continues with TWA!!! You sir deserve an award!

[@BrightSunFilms]

Thank you!!!

[@9HighFlyer9]

I just watched the first few minutes of Pan Am again. Accidently hit the back button on my phone. Same intro and both defunct airlines I was thinking "why is he telling us about Pan Am again"

[@ExpoAviation]

If you are interested in airline failures I've been covering events on this side of the Atlantic :)

[@enormerschwanz]

@@BrightSunFilms Really good content, sir. If you're continuing this series, it'd be interesting if you covered Eastern Airlines, or Braniff International.

[@bearabletable7527]

@@BrightSunFilmsplease do EASTERN airlines!

[@galaxtm6794]

My aviation heart jumped for this video. Thank you BSF.

[@NarcissismSurvivor]

I was there as Eastern Region Communications Manager based at JFK and Mt. Kisco NY. Icahn sold ALL of the equipment after he took it public, pocketed every dime and then leased back the planes. This is what killed TWA.

[@scpatl4now]

I always loved flying TWA. They had more leg room in economy, and their service was really good. I remember right after the merger I was flying back from Sydney Australia to Atlanta on American (Delta didn't go there at that time). I had to connect in LAX and STL (it was a nightmare itinerary). The plane from LAX to STL was a TWA 767 that had not been painted in the American Livery yet, and it was so much nicer than the AA planes. What Carl Icahn did to this airline was criminal. One of the first glimpses of vulture capitalism.

[@NunYa953]

Pipe down, socialist.

[@scpatl4now]

@@NunYa953 from the Fascist in the room

[@gonzo3954]

I flew by myself when I was 9 to see my grandma on TWA. At that time, they assigned 1 flight attendant to keep track of a minor and personally "deliver" you to whoever was picking you up. As always, another great vid. Thanks for reminding me of a great memory.

[@mikexxxmilly]

I did that multiple times as a kid as well. So weird to think about now... I would NEVER be comfortable sending my son off by himself like that haha I guess it was character building and the airline was very good with keeping me comfortable and watching me but still... (this was pre 9/11) back when my mom could just walk up to the gate to pick me up after my grandmother sent me offf from the previous gate

[@mmille10]

I remember that treatment as a kid. Though, I never flew TWA. I flew on Eastern. I started flying by myself when I was about 7 or 8 years old. A flight attendant would watch over me, see how I was doing. They had activity books to keep me occupied. It was a good experience.

[@Josephsamuelinniss]

I love how the production quality is improving but it still has a personal feel about it.

[@noturningbackever493]

WOW!! Growing up I remember TWA, Eastern, Pan Am, Continental and Delta (before Delta merged). All but one are gone now. Back when seats were comfortable, you got a free movie with ear buds, you also got a pillow and blanket, you got a lunch or dinner, soda, tea, coffee and snacks were free, you didn't pay for ANY luggage--or seats--or snacks--or even tickets; smoking was allowed (not that we smoke, but for those who did, it seemed to be relaxing to them)--flight attendants were called "stewardesses" because it was usually 100% females that served you on board--there were magazines to read to pass the time--the list 📃 is long--and long ago gone. Husband hates flying these days--so much so, that he wants to drive everywhere, even if it means driving ten to 12 hours to a destination. Now flying has to be one of THE most uncomfortable ways to travel. What a shame. (edited for spacing).

[@billsmith5960]

I flew back and forth from St. Louis to JFK and back around 1975, the tickets for coach were $300. That's $1400 today. Yes, the flights were great but they cost a fortune. Plus nothing extra if you flew them all of the time (i.e. racked up miles). So, go find a flight for $1400 for a route like that. You can do it in first class. As of today you can do it for $300 which would be $62 back in 1975.

[@psychic_beth]

Continental still technically exists, they actually bought United, not the other way round. They just decided to use the United brand.

[@punnequraq]

Most airlines offer free earbuds and movies through Gogo and drinks are almost always free except for super-budget airlines.

[@vincesbardella3838]

Back in the 70s, TWA generously offered positive space, "Perimeter fares", to all airline employees, spouses, and dependent children. A round trip from the east coast to western Europe was $99; about $20 more to eastern Europe and the middle east. (Greece, Israel, Turkey, etc) My family and I gratefully, took advantage of it on several occasions.

[@kkatellyn]

I actually think its kind of wholesome that the employees gave up their pay just to keep the company afloat so they could keep their family of crew members together. I don't think I've ever seen another group of airline employees that loved their jobs as much as they did. You can clearly see how happy they were at work and how much fun they had together. Another great video, BSF!! :)

[@Teeleesom5]

Wow. Growing up a military brat, we flew TWA more than once. That along with the commercials made it a large part of the first 1/2 of my life (I'm in my 50s now.) The commercial song at the end actually brought tears to my eyes, because when I was a kid, it was just so iconic and part of our world. Thanks for the flashback memories!

[@Brenda1371]

I was kinda upset when TWA went out like a candle. one of my favorite airlines. Every time I flew with them they were always so nice from the gate agents to the FA's and everyone and not just to certain class but to everyone, young old, didn't matter race or sex or if you were a baby or old, they always seemed to have great attitudes and smiles.

[@mikexxxmilly]

God I love that 1960s architecture in their terminal . That large, rounded futuristic look is so weird yet pleasing

[@LakeNipissing]

5:10 . . . Many people today never had the chance to experience what it was like to travel in an airplane with 9 foot ceilings, and vast, spacious cabin of the Lockheed L-1011.

[@swillm3ister]

It looks amazing. Almost hard to imagine.

[@luket1085]

Compared to Airbus A330, what do you think?

[@luket1085]

@ I see. How about the triple-seven or a Dreamliner?

[@LakeNipissing]

777 and 787 are nice airplanes, but they don't have the high ceiling, open cabin of an L-1011.

[@PORRRIDGE_GUN]

That plane nearly killed me on a couple of occasions. Lots of trip and fall hazards in the cargo bays.

[@cyberi4a]

I was working for TWA and was at work when it was announced that Icahn had sold the London Heathrow routes and we were all in shock. That man never cared anything about TWA, only how to make himself richer.

[@CompositesNG]

The merger between AA and TWA was tough and bitter. Especially for what was done to the Aircraft Mechanics. (Stapling the TWA Seniority List behind the AA one) The ramifications are still felt even today in 2022 amongst the senior old timers.

[@OnboardG1]

Quite a lot of car crash business stories begin with "And then the company was bought by Carl Icahn"

[@nateweter4012]

TWA inspired me to become a pilot. As a child in the late 80’s-90’s, every spring break vacation or family trip began and ended with Trans World Airlines out of KSGF. There was nothing like pulling up to the airport in the back of my family’s 1982 Suburban and seeing that beautiful McDonnell Douglas DC-9 tail protruding from behind the terminal building with the letters “TWA” on it. Flying into Lambert, (St.Louis Missouri) was like arriving in TWA Heaven. There, you could see the fleet size and variety. Turbo props of every kind, an endless fleet of DC-9’s and MD-80s, 727’s, 767’s, the brand new 757, the gorgeous L1011 and the Queen of the Skies-747 all present. I was in high school when TWA ended, and not only did I cry, it’s something I’m still sour about today. It didn’t stop me from going through college, flight school and flying for a living, but it hurts that I’ll never wear the cap while stepping onto a Trans World MD80.

[@flyjet787]

Replying to Nate and Bob.......during my tenure at TWA ('85-'98) we flew DC-9-10's, 30's, 50's (old Eastern birds), and 80's.

[@flyjet787]

@bob wach i wasn't disagreeing with anything you said

[@thisismysea]

This is such a passionate comment. It's very cool hear about your respect for your profession and how it started when you were young. Sounds like you really found the thing you were meant to do!

[@OneFoxTwoFox]

I too lived in St. louis and remembered that sea of red in C Terminal. TWA was so much of Lambert. I moved to Seattle in 2003 and am always truly saddened when I fly back to visit. I am glad they gave you a dream that you have obtained. Pssst if you ever make it to Seattle, the Museum of Flight is amazing.

[@nateweter4012]

Chris Berger Fantastic! Guys I’ve talked to seem to either love or hate the type. I’ve got some sim time in but that’s it. I really enjoy the aesthetics of the aircraft, it feels much more industrial and interesting than many today IMO. I imagine flying one would be great. It seems like an aircraft that lets you know and reminds you constantly that you’re flying an airplane. I

[@SVnerd]

“helped shaped the golden age of air travel”. When I heard that, it reminded me how TWA actually helped shape another airline. For those who don’t know, TWA was contracted out to manage and help establish Saudi Arabian Airlines (aka Saudia) circa late 1940s. I remember hearing stories of senior pilots, flight attendants and mechanics being brought in from TWA to show how things work. Makes sense considering the similarity of the fleet at the time (e.g. 707, 747, L-1011,etc). This was back in the time when my parents could hear their flight being called over a loudspeaker from the comfort of their home, and the terminal was nothing more than a giant hangar split in half; one side departure and the other side for arrivals.

[@keithbenson2627]

Growing up in NY , I spent a lot of time at Kennedy Airport as a kid . The TWA terminal was an iconic sight to see as was the Pan Am terminal and the original American Airlines terminal with all the stained glass windows . They ruined Kennedy Airport when they started with the sky train and tearing down all the iconic terminals !

[@richardbagley3139]

The only thing that is left is the TWA terminal that can be seen in a different terminal

[@madwolf0966]

As of now the former TWA terminal(the East Coast one) is now a Hotel and is open.

[@sonic23233]

Cool

[@unstungbee]

At 1:44 when he said "transporting mail and passengers" I thought he said "Male and passengers" and just left out the female part and I was like woah 😂😂😂

[@cpufreak101]

@@User0000000000000004 yep... That moment you realize that before SJW's started crying for rights they already have almost nobody would have misheard it that way

[@GummyDinosaursify]

@@cpufreak101 Male and Mail are pronounced the same way so it's not exactly hard to misunderstand the meaning. English clearly isn't your first language.

[@cpufreak101]

@@GummyDinosaursify no it is, I'm just a self appointed idiot and I may have been high when I made that reply... haha

[@alyssaandbensfuntime775]

Patrick Armstrong bro same 😂

[@80sfreak14]

You're dumb

[@WestVicOffroad]

What Makes your Films so good is that fact they are done with such respect. Thank you

[@NativeNYker73]

While I was never actually a TWA employee, during the 1996 hiring blitz that you referenced, I interviewed in NYC for a flight attendant position. Had a job offer extended after completing a second, more extensive interview in St. Louis. I was unable to complete training because the demand for new hires began to decrease and my start date for training kept getting pushed further and further back. I ultimately hired on with United, but was sad to see the company go when they finally went out of business. Thanks so much for sharing...

[@anubhavpal5782]

"When we walked throught the airport, people would stare us like we were movie stars " They really had prosperous times

[@agentc8542]

*Watches video of the last TWA flight *gets notification....from dad Dad: Why are you crying so damn loud

[@GummyDinosaursify]

Nice copypasta

[@thegreatcalvinio]

I miss that red color along with all the unique schemes of each airline in the 1990’s...

[@carlcushmanhybels8159]

On another You Tube video I saw that TWA's color scheme is a favorite of many people. Personally, is my favorite, with a special liking for the classic 1980's & 1970's? schema.

[@hzzlrp10]

There is one complete aircraft left in TWA colors. The National Airline History Museum in Kansas City has a L-1049 Super Constellation that was painted in TWA colors by the airline to celebrate TWA's 75th anniversary. After TWA was bought out American Airlines has allowed the aircraft to remain in TWA livery. The museum is currently working towards restoring the Connie to flight status.

[@edwardthejust4452]

Jake: Really appreciate the interviews with former employees in your films. Excellent research and archival footage.

[@Jamaicafunk]

My dad was was machinist for TWA at JFK (hanger 11, I think), so this video has a great personal interest to me. I still have his jackets with the logo on the back, and people always stop me when I wear them in airports recounting their fond memories of the airline. Before my dad worked for TWA he was with Lockheed...So, I'm putting out a request for you to do a Lockheed video.

[@adrianlau7249]

If you're still covering ship accidents, I'd recommend the MV Sewol. I noticed that it was VERY similar to the ships you covered, the Costa Concordia and the Oceanos, in an almost uncanny way. The controversy it started is still very much alive today and I do believe it deserves more coverage in the western world to ensure it never happens again.

[@zombiezilla707]

Ayden Lau-Kehoe I second this. It’s very heartbreaking

[@inthewestnothingnew2651]

Ship captains a great people 👌 tootally not self-centered a-holes during ship sinkings.

[@tconlon251]

Did he do one on the Summit Venture? That was the ship that collapsed the Sunshine Skyway in Tampa

[@jimmydesouza4375]

Is the Sewol the Korean one where they were telling passengers to go back to thier cabins even when the ship was half sunk?

[@adrianlau7249]

@@jimmydesouza4375 Unfortunately, yes.

[@whoasked9500]

TWA Flight 800 was definitely the straw that broke the camel's back.

[@Hannah-cw9do]

Scuderia Kasey Dixon yeah

[@seaguy]

I remember the jingle “TWA the most comfortable way to fly”

[@Deathtroopers09]

My mom was a flight attendant for this airline.

[@jessacamtzw]

Dang.Thats awesome

[@trainmaster844]

I'd like to kindly recommend the Penn Central Transportation Company - one of the largest bankruptcies in American history and a scarlet letter for the railroad industry.

[@hankaustin7091]

I agree - that would make for a great video!

[@jai7184]

The TWA terminal was the most beautiful back in the day ! Red everything I remember admiring as a little child ....it’s now a hotel !

[@teampunk1356]

Pan am and TWA : lets now start taking good decisions and prevent the company from getting shutdown. Boeing 747 : *i am going to do what’s called a pro gamer move*

[@gkfujiwaraesquibel7998]

Boeing 747: *Thug Life*

[@erinseabolt1807]

my brother in law was a plane mechanic at KCI in the 90s and he took me on my first flight when i was 14. he loved to work on the planes and work for the company. it was felt in our hometown when they went belly up

[@chasenip2]

Loved seeing this! I was a 22 yo “new hire” flight attendant out of NYC in 1996. My fellow new hires have made life long bonds and friendships that continue to this day, tho we all went to work for other airlines. I left TWA in Jan 1997 to go to Northwest (then Delta). TWA was SO special and I have the best memories of it all...from training in St. Louis, to all of us newbies living in New York, to the trips around America and Europe. There were so many sad nails in TWA’s coffin. One not mentioned was that when Ichan left he got “Karabu” tickets on all flights. In a nutshell, his travel agency Omega could sell seats on any TWA flight at a discount of up to 25% of TWA’s own tickets. This cost the company hundreds of millions in revenue over the years. TWA tried suing Ichan over this practice and lost ☹️ I’m grateful for a lifetime’s worth of memories packed into that one year.

[@ry4n174]

the quality of your videos are always on point.

[@georgebamber6871]

Wtf is the bsf next to your name

[@ry4n174]

I think it’s from me supporting him on KZbin

[@DeployTheDRS]

George Bamber people don’t know that?

[@olivermener2907]

Lesson to learn: Do not look to your competitors and act because of them. That will make you lose sight of your own plate. Customers are the 1. priority, because without them, you are out of business.

[@dafyddthomas7299]

That is a good motto but sadly lacking with many CEO's & CFo's now - just short term view of the company and selling to make a buck $$$$ for themselves

[@furcorn9804]

Roblox: I’m going to pretend I never heard that.

[@kaleyjoplinRAWRR]

I remember flying on one of these as a kid and they gave me a cool TWA sticker that looked more like a pin.

[@TexasNorthDFW]

I loved flying on TWA's planes. Their L-1011 was awesome. I miss that airline. Thank you for the video.

[@olentangy74]

Great presentation. I loved TWA, and it was my airline of choice. You could tell that employees truly loved what they did and flying with them was always enjoyable. It is so sad such a great company was driven into the ground by incompetence or plain malfeasance.

[@patrickmurphy3759]

Nice video. My dad was a Captain for TWA and my mom was a stewardess for the airline. I have great memories of the time spent flying all over the world as a kid.

[@ShaneHockey]

12:58 is what made me click on this video in the first place. Scariest thing ever I feel so sad for all victims onboard for a 30,000 free fall

[@nerv007]

This might have been a longer video, but your pacing and enunciation is amazing as always. Also love your music choices. Keep up the good work!

[@CRStudios]

Jake keep up with the amazing videos. they always put a smile on my face

[@romeoslover817]

I am surprised that the hijack in 1984 or 1985 did not affect the airline’s reputation. I flew TWA Francisco to London in 1985, with a full flight pretty much all four legs. Great job as usual, Jake. Your delivery is so smooth. Many could learn from you. 🙂

[@frozenuruguayball6436]

What were the stopovers?

[@johndotcue]

I admire the work of those employees who tried to keep the company up. Really sounded like they liked their jobs.

[@Jack_Stafford]

It is true that these often flew with a a lot of vacant seats. I once flew non-stop from London to Kansas City on 747 and there were about *12 people on the entire plane*. It was fantastic! I was able to fold up the armrests of the four seats in the middle of the plane in front of the movie screen and fall asleep watching the world according to GARP. The most luxurious ride you could ever hope for! Everybody on the plane had more than their own entire row and a personal stewardess entirely to themselves.

[@visionist7]

That sounds incredible. I would have told the stewardess to sit with me and watch the movie together

[@petercermak1910]

I remember flying from DC to San Francisco on a Wide Body. I could pick row after row and lie down 4 seats across. I didn't realize that the flight was loosing money. Fast forward 35 years and British Airways has 10 people crammed in per row, with 4 inches of leg room! Times have changed!

[@TWTR4EVER]

Congratulations Bright Sun Films....... Overall a compressive summary of a very complicated legacy. I would like to point out the following. One key factors of the demise of our beloved TWA was the Flight Attendant Strike of 1986. Here Carl Icahn broke our Union as he was selling assets and dismantling the company as the corporate raider he is.. When we finally got rid of him, on his exit parachute was the stipulation that he would receive a percentage of every ticket sold by the airline. With this handicap as much as we tried to compete with the competition on the infamous "Super Saver Fares" of the time we were always in the red. The final stabbed in the back was the way W.F.Compton, our final CEO, who was a pilot sold us out to American Airlines. TW & AA presented to the TWA workforce a merger which it turnout to be a hostile takeover. When it was all said and done, all TWA InFlight Crews were placed in the bottom of the seniority roasters, never honoring our seniority. To add salt to the wound after 9/11 AA (American Airline) threw us into a furlough while they overworked their Flight Attendants with overtime for five years. By law we lost our recall rights and were left out in the curb. I have no sympathy for American Airlines, I finished my career with DL (Delta Airlines) and to this day AA is the last airline of choice for me to fly, I evade them like the plague!

[@DivAgent556]

We'd love to have you in our Trans World Airlines Facebook group! Perhaps you'll be able to reconnect with former co-workers? We have over 3,000 members! Search for the private TWA group that has the 747 on touchdown as the header!

[@vivianvandella8406]

Oh Girlfriend, You're just so Damn Bitter, Like some Left Over Background Singer. For the good of your Health, you need to let this stuff go. I feel for you Honey, but your Glory Days were in the 1970's. It's Over for the former Trannies of TWA. You need to Move on sweetie. There are Plenty of Seniors that will appreciate your Coffee & Tea serving Skills, perhaps you could volunteer at your Nursing Home ?, Go on Girl, Iron that old Stewardess Outfit, put on those Plastic Wings & make some announcements !!!!!, Point out those Exit Doors to all those other Old Queens !!!! You can do it !!!!! Love Viv !!!!!!!

[@JN-ug5ky]

@@vivianvandella8406 dafuq

[@dissonantdreams]

Vivian Vandella wow, that’s a massive chip you’ve got on your shoulder. And you don’t need to capitalise every other fucking word, it makes you look really stupid when you’re attempting to claim some sort of moral high ground but you can’t even write a sentence properly.

[@nuversion8673]

Seeing these aircraft bring back so many memories. Growing up in the late 60's and throughout the 70's when these airlines were in their prime and remembering all of those TV commercials... it was just a great time to be alive. I really miss those days.

[@Aero360Aviation]

This was very informative and interesting. I remember when American Airlines purchased TWA, internal AA promotions referred to it as TWAA. And with their acquiring their MD80s it launched American Airlines into operating the largest fleet of MD80s in the world.

[@tater.thot.8863]

Your videos are super interesting! I love how diverse your channel is. There's something for everyone here.

[@Tbone_1337]

The quality of your videos are just beyond phenomenal

[@mawrmcmahan]

Ha! My step-dad worked as a pilot for TWA from WW2 until the '80s. Was glad to see his face in your video - he's the captain that picks up the little boy in their commercial (at 9:06). Great guy.

[@LanceVance305]

Wow

[@lukey1210]

I used to board the Gatwick St. Louis flight when I first started at the airport in 2001 I do miss them honoured to do something little for a legacy airline

[@singapuu7643]

Do Swissair next. the airline was called the flying bank for much of it's existence and was one of the larger airlines in Europe. Then it collapsed, to the astonishment of an entire nation.

[@Hammerhead547]

You should take a look at Simtek Grand Prix Engineering, they were a promising new entrant to formula one in 1994 then they were struck by an unimaginable tragedy on the worst race weekend in F1 history which was then followed by some of the most inspiring performances in the modern history of the sport thanks to David Brabham's desire to rally the team and boost morale like his faather had at lotus 25 years earlier, thenwhen things were finally starting to look up for their 1995 season everything collapsed when they lost all of their sponsorships.

[@Buc_Stops_Here]

I was flying Delta from NYC to San Diego with a stop in Cincinnati in late 2001 right before American closed on TWA. The Delta flight from Cincinnati ran into mechanical trouble, and the flight was canceled. They rerouted me onto TWA which had an ancient DC-9 leaving in 15 min for their huge hub in St. Louis. So I got on the plane with three other passengers. Suffice to say TWA did not want us all over the aircraft, so we were all moved up to first class where the three stewards almost equaled the number of passengers. Getting to St. Louis ran to my now third flight, from St. Louis to San Diego and another DC-9.This flight out of their hub had an amazing 12 passengers. Suffice to say, was the last time I flew TWA. Thank you Carl Ichan - you will forever be known for running a classic airline into the ground with classic mismanagement.

[@savagesam205]

Oh man, what a journey that company has made. So much respect for these dedicated employees!

[@sillygooseygirl]

Dude your editing skills are just something else

[@OldUKAds]

Does that mean good or bad? I genuinely don't know.

[@sillygooseygirl]

OldUKAds good it means good

[@PeterGriffin11]

@@sillygooseygirl good

[@sillygooseygirl]

Miles Morales Bruh I love your movie

[@ElGordo2497]

*your

[@LakeNipissing]

TWA's iconic status also unfortunately made them a target of hijackers.

[@tomdeininger7379]

One wonders why American companies are often associated with disaster. it's as if someone planned it out to eliminate American things to make room for the foreigners to take over-oh, sorry I mean make way for "diversity".

[@anarchyandempires5452]

"This plane is going to Cuba!"

[@Windows98R]

Lake Nipissing same thing applies to their (used to be) direct rival, Pan-Am

[@tedboeing]

Other airlines copied TWA to get where they are now

[@twistedyogert]

@@anarchyandempires5452 Actually, it appears that Palestinians enjoyed hijacking TWA jets. At least the hostages we're comfortable trying not to get brutally murdered.

[@petermendoza1170]

Always sad when EMPLOYEES love the company they work for only for it to go under. The company really tried hard and took lots of punches then getting back on its feet. Too bad.

[@dafyddthomas7299]

agree

[@cloverfield411]

people’s experience and unity made me emotional it’s very rare when employees genuinely love and care about their company, this atmosphere gives me a warm feeling in my chest, even though i’ve never witnessed TWA in action thank you for this❤️

[@DanielGomez-gw4kt]

Bright Sun Films can you do the history and bankruptcy of Kodak please ? 🙏

[@cpufreak101]

Company Man did a good overview of it

[@sjnavaid]

haha I live in Rochester hq of Kodak

[@TheSameYellowToy]

I'm from St. Louis, which was a smaller TWA hub back in the day. One of TWA's last-ditch efforts here was a major expansion at Lambert Int'l Airport here in the late 90's. A large working-class suburb was taken over via eminent domain and razed for the expansion, displacing thousands of working-class people. After TWA folded, the unfinished expansion continued and finished a few years later. However, since American Airlines doesn't use STL as a hub, (nor does any other airline) the expansion is hardly used, became even more costly due to needing renovation after part of it was destroyed by a tornado, and Lambert Int'l has been on the decline ever since TWA folded. TopTenz featured it in his video about Top 10 embarrassing wastes of money on construction projects.

[@joshuajoe1419]

“Smaller hubs” it was their biggest hub and headquarters

[@TheSameYellowToy]

@@joshuajoe1419 Okay, thanks for the clarification. I was 5 when TWA went out of business so I don't remember them, and I heard that KC was bigger.

[@jadenlaue6670]

TheSameYellowToy I live in STL southwest has revamped the air port about 50 destinations from st.louis

[@schnaaa__]

TheSameYellowToy Lambert has been on the rise again ever since Southwest started expanding

[@schnaaa__]

hu1a121 A lot of aviation projects in St. Louis are badly timed. Although Moxy is supposed to fly to Midamerica when the start operations in 2021, mid America will always remain the airport that was right place wrong time.

[@djrobbio7895]

Man, and nothing about that disgusting Karabu deal Icahn saddled TWA with as part of the 'terms' of his departure.

[@dennissvitak148]

TWA was forced to give up a VERY significant, and operationally critical percentage of their income to reimburse Icahn. They just couldn't survive this, and pay down their debts. They went in to a debt spiral, and that was that.

[@scubasteve7303]

I used to fly TWA from Honolulu to St Louis and back regularly. They flew a 747 on that route in the summer months, tail number N93119. That aircraft, flying as TWA 800, would exploded off Long Island.

[@trullyfreak]

Yes you're baaaack! I subscribed recently but you've become my favourite channel very quickly.

[@BrightSunFilms]

Aw thank you so much!

[@trullyfreak]

@@BrightSunFilms it's clear that you put a great effort into your content and that content is excellent, not only the contents of videos but also the production. Great stuff. Hope your channel grows even more, you should have much more subs!

[@dimitrigama5205]

thank you BSF I was waiting for a bankrupt episode on twa.

[@mikesweeney5619]

I STILL remember one of the last slogan's they used. "TWA....The most comfortable way to fly".

[@fernandes5986]

I loved this video as TWA is one of my fondest childhood memories. I even collect all of their commercials. Greetings from Portugal.

[@Msflamingo-wl4qo]

At 8:45 CARL ICAHN: THE FACE OF EVIL. Icahn was TWA's demise. He is the epitome of "HOSTILE TAKEOVER". ICAHN gave my Daddy a choice: "Retire NOW, or lose HALF your Benefits, Retirement, 401K, etc." ICAHN never had plans to save TWA. But, we were & still are FAMILY, our TWA FAMILY! ❤ btw: As of 2019: Icahn is worth $17 BILLION.

[@d3kingg387]

TWA first class on the 747 in the late 80s was so nice. Chateaubriand and caviar. I really hope the TWA hotel at JFK does well.

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

I'm cleaning the house and binging your Abandoned series, which are perfect to listen to. Thank you for the great content! ❤

[@reapertalon]

Jake, your films are so informative and ingenious, your way of melding together all this info and numbers really puts the umph in your documentaries, keep up the good work!

[@larrywt656]

Another cool video, Jake. Hearing the TWA song during the closing credits brought back childhood memories!

[@therealjammit]

My dad worked for TWA as a mechanic and he was able to get the promotional record with that song recorded on it. I wish I still had it.

[@larrywt656]

@@therealjammit I remember singing it around the house as a little kid. I hadn't even thought about it for decades until I heard it in the video.

[@joshuaslocum2768]

I love when I sign in and see a new BSF video- Always well researched and edutaining haha- And I must say, narration has gotten so much better over the years. Amazing job on this one!

[@BrightSunFilms]

Thanks Josh!

[@rgiii9101]

Kansas City was only a focus City. The main hub was Saint Louis MO.

[@jayreiter268]

Kansas City was the heart of the airline. The origin and the main overhaul base

[@dennissvitak148]

@@jayreiter268 - From a maintenance standpoint, yes. From a flight standpoint, absolutely not. Lambert (STL) had 727 flights per day from Lambert. MCI had less than 200 commercial flights, and most of those were short-haul, to get peeps to St. Louis.

[@mrtodd3620]

@@dennissvitak148 AFAIK, MCI was the hub, the airport was built for them, then they wanted an even newer one and Kansas said no, so they moved to STL. Please correct me if I am wrong on this.

[@dennissvitak148]

@@mrtodd3620 - I can't speak to that..I didn't get heavily involved with TWA until about 1998 or so. At that point, about 80% of all flights originated from St. Louis. It is entirely possible that MCI was initially designed to be the hub. It's a huge airport..I have driven past it many times on my way north to Nebraska.

[@colinh7088]

@@dennissvitak148 MCI was the main hub until 1982 and operations shifted to STL from ORD and MCI during this time. STL went on to peak at over 600 flights a day (About the size of DLs DTW hub) by 1995. But Before STL, yes, MCI was 'the hub'

[@cypherhill9852]

Your videos are one of the many few I can sit through the entire video and feel very informed & educated & also entertained. Great work broski

[@misled1982]

TWA deserved a video like this!! THANK YOU!!!! You should do Eastern Airlines next!!

[@nonelost1]

@hu1a121 ...oh dude! You beat me to it. I was going to mention Frank Lorenzo. I was not familiar with Carl Icahn until seeing this video. But I remember reading about Lorenzo back in the day. I wonder which of the two would score the Gold Metal in the slash and burn "Vampire Olympics". Or would it be somebody else?

[@4390100]

@@nonelost1 Great Man according to his wiki, but looked at closely the employees hated his guts obviously and within 10 years one airline he had was sold off to a foreign entity, doesn't think much of his own country obviously. As for his next endeavor at Eastern, well the employees at Eastern were always in a fight with management and hated their CEO's guts. We all know how Eastern ended up, similar to Pan Am and TWA. BTW, TWA was no different as far as Maintenance went, the employees hated all the CEO's guts from the 70's forwards, they were constantly laying off people, off and on. It's always look what these great men did ( overpaid CEO's. ) for the Company, yeah, like bankruptcy and selling off their company's. From the second TWA got sued for using the 5th dimensions song in a commercial without permission, it was all downhill, from terrible choices of hubs to you name it, it was completely Bad management, and contrary to this video I never saw a high moral at their main base from the mid 70's forward, even low level management was detested by the employees. It always seemed like Airline CEO's at Eastern and TWA hate their employees and actually consider them low level or low class, while they themselves make tons of money, they make their money probably by stepping all over the employees and selling off parts of the company no doubt. Up until the late 60's TWA employees had some pride in the company, that ended fairly abruptly with their bad managerial mistakes throughout the 70's.

[@agrolamolina4261]

My dad was a TWA pilot...I remember the company well.

[@YamahaR1R7]

Definitely one of your best videos. Every company should aspire to have this level of corporate buy-in and appreciation!