These Dead Airlines Need To Return To The Skies

You could literally count all of the legacy carriers that predated deregulation in 1979 on one hand. Commercial aviation in the United States was a much more vibrant landscape when the federal government tightly regulated the industry. The hope that cutting restrictions would reduce ticket prices came true over the 1980s and 1990s, but the trend gradually reversed as airlines consolidated into behemoths. This time, higher airfares weren't paired with excellent service or well-compensated crews.

We asked our readers earlier this week which dead airlines they'd like to see return to the skies. While a few of you believe every airline is the same leased-plane operator with different branding, the comment section still featured a cavalcade of defunct carriers. Readers had their own reason for wanting certain returns, from restoring hometown pride and longing for better in-flight service to pure nostalgia. Without further ado, here are the airlines of days gone that you revived for your next flight:

Chalk's. Look them up, they were the first airline in the United States, starting service in 1919 with flights from Miami to Bimini. They used seaplanes, and they used to depart from a beach in Miami. No terminal, nothing. I remember flying Chalk's in the 70's, they had a "terminal" in Coconut Grove, and they would weigh you before you got on so they could distribute weight properly.

Submitted by: Cayman GT4

TWA. If for no other reason than to restore some of the dignity back into St. Louis that disappeared when TWA was bought out by American Airlines.

At one time, St. Louis was a major player in the aviation world. We were the home of both TWA and McDonnell/Douglas. Now it's been relegated to a second-rate player, at best.

Submitted by: Autobot

This is a car site, so Lauda Air!

Submitted by: JBJB

PSA (Pacific Southwest Airlines) on the West Coast. When you flew PSA, it always felt like you were flying with friends, similar to Southwest before all the changes they went through. My mother was once on a flight back to Burbank in the late 70's on PSA, and the pilot came on and pointed out the Grand Canyon and when he realized it could only be seen out of one side of the plane he circled around so the other side could also see, said "I'm not paying for the fuel so why not?" Not that they could get away with that today, but they were fun. PSA 'Catch our Smile'

Submitted by: teambanzai

For the other Canadians of a certain age here: Wardair. They served BC, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and Europe; and from 1953 to 1989. Wardair was the airline for customer service and comfort. I think there's still a Wardair toiletries bag (that was given to every passenger) in my parents' house.

Submitted by: JohnnyWasASchoolBoy

Virgin America. Coolest cabin and best service in the business, until Alaska bought them and closed them.

Submitted by: OveRMinD

I was addicted to Virgin America. They were the only nonstop to Fort Lauderdale from SFO – and I used them exclusively when traveling back and forth to LA or NYC for business, or Seattle and Vegas for fun. Met the most interesting people who would book Seat 2C when I was in 2A. I still have a massive collection of the little plane-shaped clear plastic salt and pepper shakers. There is still no comparable airline.

Submitted by: Brian E Parker

Midwest Airlines: The Best Care in the Air. I had the privilege to work for them for several years. Incredible, friendly people dedicated to providing excellent customer service. Free fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies, a buy-onboard meal service that was as good as international first-class meals. Everyone in Milwaukee misses them. Everybody else doesn't know what they missed.

Submitted by: John

I flew on it for the last time as a kid around age 8. It was after deregulation, but it was still expensive to fly, so the environment on the plane was so different from these days. Yeah, there was a smoking section, but we were not in it. The passengers were dressed well and no one was loud, vulgar, or looked like sh** dressed in pajamas or flip-flops. People were also very polite and quiet for the most part. It was probably like this on every carrier but that flight stands out because my dad flew us to the East Coast to drive back in a car he bought out there. Worst flight experience I had as a kid was on a Continental around that time. They served us chips and sandwiches for lunch. All the chips in my bag were burned.

Submitted by: Tex

Spirit. For flights 2 hours and under, their non-reclining transit bus seats could get you where you needed cheaply without someone dropping their seatback into your lap. Now, remembering their flight map, I don't think I'd like to take them cross-country or international (IIRC, they were flying to South America), but their network could get someone in FL like me to 1/2 the country in that 2-hour window for a day business trip with my personal item, no muss, no fuss.

The truest answer though, is almost all of them – we've consolidated too much and need more airlines back flying routes for competition.

Submitted by: CarEsq

Weirdly, Pan Am does exist today, but it's a merch company, a charter company, and a travel experience company in a trench coat, pretending to be an airline. The folks who own the brand and logo decided to sell more than towels and handbags. Now, they have a loaned all-business-class 757 from Icelandair that runs a yearly chartered flight that follows a famed route of Pan Am's old Clipper flying boats. It's crazy expensive and sort of useless, but at least the plane looks cool.

The only remnant of the real Pan Am that remains is a flight school that split off and became an independent company, therefore surviving the collapse of the original airline.

Submitted by: Mercedes Streeter