National Airlines (1934-1980)
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| Founded | 1934 | ||||||
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| Ceased operations | 1980 (acquired by Pan Am) |
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| Hubs | Miami International Airport | ||||||
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Jacksonville International Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport New Orleans Moisant Field Tampa International Airport |
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| Headquarters | Miami-Dade County, Florida | ||||||
| Key people | George T. Baker (founder, CEO 1934-1962) Louis "Bud" Maytag (CEO 1962-1980) |
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National Airlines was a United States airline that operated from 1934 to 1980. For most of its existence the company was headquartered at Miami International Airport, Florida. At its height, National Airlines had a network of "Coast-to-Coast-to-Coast" flights, linking Florida and the Gulf Coast with cities along the East Coast and large cities on the West Coast. From 1970 to 1978, National, Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) and Trans World Airlines (TWA) were the only U.S. airlines that operated scheduled passenger flights to Europe.
National Airlines was founded by George T. Baker (1899-1963) in 1934. Its headquarters were in St. Petersburg, Florida and it was based at the city's Albert Whitted Airport. On October 15 of that year, revenue flights were launched, transporting passengers and mail from St. Petersburg to a few destinations within Florida using a fleet of two Ryan ST monoplanes. In 1935, the Stinson Trimotor was introduced with National Airlines, which were soon replaced by the Lockheed Model 10 Electra. In 1939, the company headquarters were moved to Jacksonville. By the end of the decade, the National Airlines network spanned from Miami to New Orleans, on what it called the Buccaneer Route.
Revenue passenger miles for years ending June 30:
In 1940 the Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar became the backbone of National's fleet. National was awarded rights from Florida to New York City and other cities along the East Coast in 1944, with flights starting in 1945. In 1946 National got approval to fly to Havana, Cuba, which coincided with the introduction of the Douglas DC-4. The DC-4 allowed non-stop flights between Miami and New York that started on February 14, 1946. Later that year National relocated its headquarters to Miami International Airport; a maintenance base opened at Miami in 1950.
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