|
 Return to Braniff in Brief
Braniff Airways History: Paul and Tom Braniff
|
|
Braniff International Airways holds the distinction of being the only American airline to carry its founders' name throughout all its years of operation. Under the articles of incorporation, the Braniff family and Braniff Airways, Inc., werealways linked.
Paul Braniff, a former WW I pilot, organized an air taxi and aviation operation in 1928, under the name Paul R. Braniff, Inc.His older brother, Tom, a successful financier, served as vice-president.The airline primarily served petroleum industry employees flying the 116 miles between Tulsa and Oklahoma City. The company was sold in 1929, eventually becoming part of American Airways, Inc. (American Airlines).
Paul R. Braniff (left), treats his father, T. A. Braniff, to his first airplane ride aboard a Lockheed Vega in 1930.
A54.122
Gift of Pat Zahrt
|
Tom Braniff died in January 1954, seven months after the company celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary. He was killed in a private plane accident near Shreveport, Louisiana while returning from a hunting trip. Paul Braniff died in 1954 of bone cancer.
The new Braniff Airways incorporated on November 3, 1930, with Tom Braniff as president and Paul Braniff as secretary-treasurer and general manager. Paul oversaw daily operations and secured the lucrative Dallas-Chicago air mail route for the fledgling company following congressional testimony. He left the airline in 1935.
A vocal proponent for expansion of the aviation industry, Tom Braniff oversaw a period of unprecedented growth for his namesake airline. During his lifetime, Braniff Airways grew to number thirteen among the world's 200 scheduled international airlines serving 18,942 route miles. From its three original employees, the company grew to 4,000 with an annual payroll of almost eighteen million dollars and revenues of nearly forty-two million.
|
Home