Once considered one of the “big four” airlines in the US, along with American, Delta and United, it had been innovative and highly successful, becoming the second largest airline in the world during its six-decade history.
With its origins in Pitcairn Aviation, which was formed on September 15, 1927, it inaugurated airmail service the following year between Brunswick, New Jersey, and Atlanta with open-cockpit PA-5 Mailwings.
But North American Aviation, a holding company for several carriers and fledgling aircraft manufacturers, bought the company a year later and, changing its name to Eastern Air Transport, launched passenger service with Ford 4-AT Trimotors in the multi-industry leap from Newark to Washington via Camden, Baltimore, Washington, and Richmond on August 18, 1930. The acquisition of the Curtiss Condor allowed him to extend the route to Atlanta.
After absorbing Ludington Air Lines three years later, it was able to incorporate a New York-Philadelphia-Washington triplet into its system.
Eastern’s growth, like that of many other carriers, began with the Air Mail Act of 1934, which involved awarding government contracts to private companies to transport the mail while the US Postal Service selected them. based on the offer they submitted in the competition. with others. Although this prompted the formation of new companies to operate the airmail routes in the hope of being chosen, it also required the separation of the joint ownership of the manufacturer and the then-common aircraft carrier.
Circumventing the restriction placed on it as a result of its participation in the Spoils Conference with Postmaster General Walter Folger Brown, Eastern Air Transport changed its name in 1934 to what it would be known throughout its history, Eastern Air Lines.
Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker, a World War I flying ace who won the Congressional Medal of Honor, bought the aircraft carrier from holding company North American Aviation for $800,000 and took over the helm, implementing an aircraft modernization program.
Building his soon-famous Grand Silver Fleet, he quickly replaced the slow-moving Curtiss Condor biplanes with all-metal Douglas DC-2s, one of which became the first to land at the new Washington National Airport in 1941. Making His Mark On an expanding Eastern Coastal network, Eastern doubled the New York-Miami sector with wider-cabin, 21-passenger DC-3s in 1937.
Like many American airlines whose growth was interrupted by the necessity imposed by World War II and the requisition of its aircraft for military purposes, Eastern began its own military support flights in 1942, connecting the three states of Florida, Pennsylvania and Texas, spreading its wings to Trinidad in the Caribbean and eventually forming its Miami-based Military Transportation Division, for which it acquired Curtiss C-46 Commandos.
The seed for his pioneering three-city northeast shuttle was planted two years later when he was awarded the New York-Boston route over American by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB).
The technological advances of the 1950s, expressed as increases in range, payload, speed, comfort, and safety, happened so quickly that by the time an airplane was produced, its replacement was already on the dashboard. design.
The four-engine DC-4 soon supplemented his 39 twin-engine DC-3s, and his network now spanned Detroit, St. Louis, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The Lockheed L-649 Constellation, inaugurated into service in 1947, gave way to the larger-capacity L-1049 Super Constellation, which doubled its signature New York-Miami route on December 17, 1951. Martin 4-0-4s replaced to the DC-3, and by mid-decade early DC-7Bs sported Eastern’s livery.
The acquisition of Colonial Airlines gave it access to the state of New York, New England, Canada, Bermuda and Mexico City.
The project took the form of the four-engined Lockheed L-188 Electra, which entered service on January 12, 1959 between New York and Miami, and the pure jet in the form of the four-engined Douglas DC-8 solo. a year later, it was soon supplemented by the smaller capacity but faster cruising Boeing 720.
Eastern was the first of the four big US airlines to operate the 727-100 tri-jet “Whisperliner” -specifically on the Philadelphia-Washington-Miami route- and the DC-9-10 twinjet.
The famous hourly New York-Boston-Washington air shuttle launched on April 30, 1961 with the L-188 Electra, for which he advised: “No reservation necessary. Just ‘show and go.’ All sections They have backup planes waiting to secure a seat for everyone waiting at their scheduled departure time.”
One-way weekend fares were $69.00 to Boston and $42.00 to Washington, while round-trip weekend prices were $55.00 for adults and $37.00 for children to both.
The shuttle was eventually operated by DC-9-30, 727-200, and A-300 aircraft.
Breaking its shackles on the East Coast thus far in the late 1960s, it expanded to Seattle and Los Angeles on the West Coast, to Nassau and Freeport in the Bahamas with the acquisition of Mackey Airways, and to several Caribbean islands afterward. to buy Caribair.
Passing the torch to another famous aerospace personality, Captain Eddie Rickenbacker relinquished control to Colonel Frank Borman, who had orbited the Earth in Gemini VII in 1966 and the Moon in Apollo VIII two years later.
Eastern entered the widebody era with the Lockheed L-1011-1 TriStar in 1972, became the first US airline to operate the European Airbus Industrie A-300 in 1978 when it ordered 23 and was the launch customer of the Boeing 757-200.
After acquiring Braniff International’s Latin American routes in 1982 and establishing a hub in San Juan, it became the world’s second largest airline in terms of annual passengers after Aeroflot, establishing hubs in New York, Charlotte, Atlanta, Miami and San Juan and carrying his slogan “We have to earn our wings every day”.
But, while he may have earned his wings, he didn’t necessarily earn the profits to support his momentum. Debt from aircraft purchases necessary for its expansion and labor disputes required a $615 million purchase by Texas Air Holdings, which also owned Continental, in 1986, and Eastern became a corpse. Planes were sold. The employees were fired. The assets were transferred to Continental. And its image quickly deteriorated, especially when it virtually eliminated inflight service to cut costs.
Declaring bankruptcy in 1989 and ceasing operations two years later on January 19, the once “wings of man” became the Icarus of deregulation after a six-decade flight.
