braniff international kansas city international airport

Braniff later acquired Florida Express Airlines, adding several BAC-111s to its fleet as well as new destinations and a third hub in Orlando which would later become the airline’s headquarters. At this point the airline once again went into expansion mode, opening a second hub in Kansas City and adding a new fleet type in the 737. This idea was later abandoned and the airline switched to a low-fare business model featuring a single class of service.īraniff found some initial success, posting back-to-back profitable years in 1985 and ’86. Braniff featured an innovative cabin product, with a movable partition that allowed them to resize their “business class” cabin depending on passenger load. The following year, the new Braniff, with a refreshed corporate identity, kicked off in grand fashion starting with a route network of 18 US cities from its hub at Dallas/Ft.

Later that year, the Hyatt Corporation, led by Jay Pritzker, bought the airline out of bankruptcy, taking control of 30 aircraft and restarting the airline as Braniff, Inc.

The airline expanded aggressively following deregulation, stretching itself too thin amidst a recession, the PATCO strike and fierce competition leading it to abruptly cease operations and file for bankruptcy in 1983. Most airline aficionados are familiar with the story of Braniff International Airlines.

A 727 in the original “new Braniff” scheme.

Braniff international kansas city international airport