Sir Freddie Laker
| Sir Freddie Laker | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
Frederick Alfred Laker 6 August 1922 Canterbury, Kent, England |
| Died | 9 February 2006 (aged 83) Hollywood, Florida, US |
| Occupation | Founder and chairman of Laker Airways, adviser of Virgin Atlantic |
| Spouse(s) |
Joan Laker (m. 1942–68) Rose Marie Black (m. 1968–75) Patricia Gates (m. 1975–82) Jacqueline Harvey (m. 1985–2006) |
| Children | 4 |
Sir Frederick Alfred Laker (6 August 1922 – 9 February 2006) was an English airline entrepreneur, best known for founding Laker Airways in 1966, which went bankrupt in 1982. Known as "Freddie Laker", he was one of the first airline owners to adopt the "no-frills" airline business model that has since proven to be very successful worldwide with companies such as Southwest Airlines, Ryanair, easyJet, AirAsia and WestJet.
Laker came from Canterbury, Kent and attended the Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys, from which he was expelled, before starting work in aviation with Short Brothers in Rochester. He was a member of the Air Transport Auxiliary during and immediately after World War II (1941–46).
He then worked briefly for British European Airways (BEA) and London Aero Motor Services (LASM). Having borrowed £38,000 from a wealthy friend to top up his own savings of £4,500, he subsequently went into business as a war-surplus aircraft dealer. The Soviet blockade of West Berlin in 1948–49, during which all available aircraft were needed to fly essential supplies into West Berlin, allowed his business to flourish as this provided more than a year's work for his planes and employees almost immediately. This period often saw Laker flying the aircraft himself.
By 1954, Channel Air Bridge, his second airline venture, was flying cars and their owners in Bristol Freighters from Southend Airport (Rochford) to Calais.
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