Last month, J Martin Schröder, who founded Europe’s inaugural budget airline, passed away at the age of 93. Though he may not have been widely recognized in Britain, his impact extended well past his home country of the Netherlands. The company named after him, Martinair, disrupted KLM, the prominent Dutch flag carrier, setting a blueprint for subsequent pioneers in affordable air travel such as Michael O'Leary from Ryanair and Stelios Haji-Ioannou with easyJet to emulate.
His Telegraph obituary Recalling Schröder’s brilliant move was realizing how swiftly he could transform his plane between passenger and cargo services just by installing or removing the seats. He found this transformation only took a few hours; however, some travelers grumbled about catching whiffs of livestock—horses, pigs, or cattle—that the airplane had transported previously during the night.
Which other airlines could be considered the most influential in history? Here’s what I think:
BOAC: 1940-1974
In May 1952, The British Overseas Airways Corporation spearheaded the dawn of the modern jet era and eventually transformed into "the world's favorite airline" —British Airways. BOAC de Havilland Comets A four-engine airplane roughly the same size as a Boeing 737 departed from London, making stops in Nairobi en route to Johannesburg, and then traveling through Southeast Asia before reaching Tokyo. Each leg carried 44 passengers. These flights marked the beginning of regular international commercial jet routes.
Six years afterward, the company succeeding Imperial Airways achieved yet another "first". On October 4, 1958, BOAC launched flights using their De Havilland Comet 4, traveling from London to New York's Idlewild Airport, which is now known as JFK. This marked the start of the transatlantic jet era. By the end of the 1950s, BOAC boasted being the "worldwide airline," serving destinations across all continents excluding Antarctica.
In the 1970s, when the Boeing 747 entered service, yearly passenger counts surged dramatically, allowing BOAC to start making profits. Numerous people consider the BOAC jumbo with its distinctive coloring to be the most aesthetically pleasing paint job of the aircraft.
In the past, well-traveled routes have remained quite consistent with those of today—such as flights from London to New York, which was pioneered by the 747, along with journeys from London to Johannesburg, Tokyo, and the Kangaroo Route to Sydney. This continuity can be traced back to 1955. Traveling from London to Sydney lasted for four days. And featured destinations such as Zurich, Beirut, Karachi, Kolkata, Singapore, Jakarta, and Darwin – quite different from current routes. Soon, Qantas will initiate direct flights from London, which will last around 19 hours. In the 1950s and '60s, passengers favored dishes like Maine lobster, Parma ham cornets, and roasted sirloin of beef, paired typically with highballs and Campari and soda for drinks.
In 1974, BOAC combined with British European Airways to create British Airways. Up until now, BA still utilizes BOAC’s call sign when communicating with air traffic control: "Speedbird."
Pan Am: 1927-1991
While BOAC might have claimed victory in the race to launch the first passenger jet services, it was Pan American Airways – commonly known as Pan Am – that took the lead. add some glamor to flying The phrase "the jet set" was coined during this era. Some were drawn to the iconic blue-and-white globe logo, while others admired the flight attendants' vibrant electric-blue outfits paired with stylish pillbox hats. There was unanimous agreement that Pan Am's inaugural transatlantic service in 1958, connecting the perpetually bustling New York City with the romantically alluring Paris, epitomized the allure of the Jet Age. How about breakfast at Maxim’s?
Pan Am entered into mainstream pop culture, appearing in successful films from the 1960s. Dr. No In the 1962 film, Sean Connery as James Bond lands in Kingston, Jamaica, arriving on a Pan Am 707. This marks an iconic scene from the early entries in the James Bond franchise. The 1968 science fiction classic refers to another movie but does not alter the description of this particular scene. 2001: A Space Odyssey incorporated a futuristic Pan Am Space Clipper en route to a space station circling Earth. Upon landing in New York in 1964 for their initial US TV performance, the Beatles made their debut. The Ed Sullivan Show , they didn’t disembark from a BOAC jet but instead stepped out of a Pan Am 707 called, fittingly, the Clipper Defiance.
The position of Pan Am flight attendant—or air hostess, as they were known at the time—was extremely desirable. "It was among the top jobs for women," according to Christel Vane, a previous Pan Am hostess. told Telegraph Travel back in 2013 There were no other options available for women back then, except perhaps becoming a secretary.
In 1970, Pan Am became the inaugural operator of Boeing’s 747, known as "the Queen of the Skies." The company effectively served as America's de facto national carrier. However, following the 1973 oil crisis, which caused oil prices to soar fourfold, running the 747 became financially unviable. Additionally, lacking substantial domestic routes hindered efforts to keep their planes full. By November 1978, they were serving only 65 destinations. Despite this, Pan Am continued operations for roughly ten more years until filing for bankruptcy in 1991.
Despite its disappearance nearly twenty years ago, Pan Am continues to be held in such high regard that it inspired a 14-part TV series dramatizing its era, featuring Margot Robbie as an airline stewardess. The distinctive blue luggage adorned with the white globe emblem that Robbie carried still commands top dollar at auction houses.
Pacific Southwest Airlines: 1949-1988
Even though it may seem otherwise, air travel hasn’t ever been more affordable due to the emergence of budget airlines. Companies such as Ryanair, easyJet, and Wizz Air trace their roots back to Southwest, which is currently the largest discount carrier in America. Interestingly enough, Southwest itself can attribute its beginnings to a California startup known as Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA). According to Herb Kelleher, who started Southwest, the creation of PSA played an essential role in his decision to establish Southwest. But what exactly made PSA significant and how did it leave such an impact?
On May 6, 1949, it made its maiden flight. A rented Douglas DC-3 plane left San Diego Airport, formerly called Lindbergh Field, carrying 24 passengers to Oakland Airport with a stop at Hollywood Burbank Airport along the way. The company’s founder, Kenny Friedkin, capitalized on the fact that since they were an intra-California air carrier, they weren’t bound by U.S. federal price controls, which allowed them to reduce ticket costs.
He provided nothing extra. There wasn’t a dedicated branded registration zone at airports, and luggage was measured with basic home scales. The service included just one travel class and utilized only one kind of airplane—an idea later adopted by every contemporary budget airline. Within its inaugural year, PSA became profitable.
During the 1950s, Friedkin utilized Douglas DC-4 planes to broaden operations, launching routes from San Diego to cities like San Francisco, San Jose, and Ontario. In the following decade, the company went public, providing funds necessary for expansion through the use of Boeing 727s followed by Boeing 737 jetliners adorned with their distinctive orange, red, and white color scheme. Known for friendly service and competitive pricing—often just half that of competitors such as TWA—the carrier branded itself as "the world’s friendliest airline."
In 1978, the U.S. Airline Deregulation Act removed federal oversight of ticket prices, which led to increased competition and expansion within the industry. Recognizing this shift, PSA expanded its reach outside of California, adding routes to cities such as Reno, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, and Cabo San Lucas in Mexico. To prepare for significant growth, PSA placed an order for specially adapted Lockheed L-1011 wide-body aircraft.
In 1986, USAir, which would later be renamed US Airways, purchased the airline for $400 million. By 1988, PSA had been fully absorbed into the expanded company. However, the effective business strategy employed back then has become standard practice nowadays for short-distance airlines globally, even being adopted by certain companies like British Airways who might have benefited from understanding this approach earlier.
Emirates: 1985-present
Three decades back, Emirates was an unfamiliar entity to most, and locating tiny Dubai on a globe was a challenge for many. During this period, British Airways stood at the pinnacle of global aviation, outpacing all competitors in terms of international passenger traffic. The transformation since then has been remarkable. Nowadays, The biggest international airline is Emirates. by Scheduled Available Seat Kilometers — totaling 344.7 billion in 2023-24 — with its main hub being Dubai International, the most active global gateway for air travel worldwide , managing 90 million travelers annually.
Emirates has established itself as a major player under the leadership of two British executives: CEO Sir Tim Clark and Head of Dubai International Paul Griffiths. They have developed a hub-and-spoke system that has redirected the focal point of international air traffic from Europe towards the Middle East. Many travelers from Europe now use Dubai as their connecting point when heading to destinations like Australia, Asia, and Africa. Similarly, Chinese passengers often pass through Dubai on their way to various African countries. The airline handles such significant volumes of Indian passengers traveling through Dubai instead of taking nonstop flights from cities like Delhi or Mumbai that it has earned the nickname "India’s de facto national carrier."
Clark has also accomplished the remarkable achievement of making passengers' favorite airplane his own. He has acquired over 120 Airbus A380 superjumbos and transformed them into Emirate’s signature feature by equipping first-class cabins with showers, setting up a spacious bar for business-class travelers, introducing an exceptional premium-economy section at the forward end of the plane, and maintaining a decent standard in the economy class. Travelers greatly appreciate these enhancements. In comparison, Emirates’ closest competitors have fewer than twelve A380s apiece.
If that wasn't sufficient, Emirates has essentially built the emirate of Dubai almost alone. Many residents in Dubai jokingly say it’s "a city with an airline attached."
Qantas: 1922-present
The Flying Kangaroo has overcome what its CEO, Vanessa Hudson, refers to as "the tyranny of distance." The airline was an early adopter of ultralong-haul travel, offering 15-hour journeys from cities like Sydney and Melbourne to destinations such as Los Angeles, Dallas, and Johannesburg—while simultaneously boasting one of the strongest safety records within the aviation sector. Later, it initiated direct flights from Europe to Perth, introducing 17-hour routes connecting major European cities including London, Paris, and Rome with Perth.
Now it is set to accomplish something that very few aviation experts believed could happen: begin 21-hour continuous service from London and New York to Sydney and Melbourne Starting in 2026, flight QF2 will depart from London early in the day and land in Sydney during the later part of the afternoon the next day. Meanwhile, QF1 will take off from Sydney in the evening and reach London the subsequent morning.
At 10,978 miles, the service's reach surpasses all others. currently, the longest flight available — The flight operated by Singapore Airlines connecting New York and Singapore covers approximately 9,500 miles in nearly 19 hours.
Among the 34 passengers on board for Qantas' experimental direct flight from London to Sydney in 2019, I was fortunate enough to be present. This historic trip spanned 10 different time zones and crossed through 11 countries. Our route took us initially towards eastern Europe, traversing Russia, Kazakhstan, and China before we turned southeastward over the South China Sea toward Australia’s north coast near Darwin in the Northern Territory. Finally, we made our way down under the vast Australian sky.
Captain Helen Trenerry joyfully declared upon entering what would become the second sunrise during this unprecedented voyage: "Congratulations! You have just joined an elite group known as The Rare and Secret Order of the Double Sunrise." She added with pride, "None others can claim to witness such a spectacle—two sunrises within one flight—and still reach their destination quicker than anyone else."
In 2026, the inaugural fee-paying travelers will embark on a comparable journey aboard an Airbus A350 equipped with an additional fuel tank and reduced seating capacity to minimize weight. Hudson believes that first-class direct flights to Sydney will become the pinnacle of prestige in aviation — "the modern-day Concorde." Currently, she is determining just how exorbitant she can set the price point for this service. I’d wager around £20,000 for a round-trip ticket.
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