The Rise and Fall of National Airlines: An End With a Flawed Merger

Рет қаралды 8,435

2 жыл бұрын

During the latter half of the 20th century, many iconic, vintage legacy carriers would eventually find themselves going tango uniform and become history. One of these was National Airlines A Miami-based airline that was deliberately forced to merge with Pan Am in 1980, which didn’t exactly help Pan Am when they did merge. Even though the merger was forced, the airline wasn’t necessarily doing well as it was and was close to going out of business. In this video, I will discuss the uprise and downfall of National Airlines, their merger with Pan Am and why it came to be, and how this merger helped Pan Am in no way.
Welcome back to my new series everyone! So glad that I was able to make another one of these, this was also a long time coming as well just like the TWA video. I told you all that this one would come soon :). Anyways, I hope you all enjoy the video :D
Enjoyed this video? It's worth checking out my others.
/ @sideshowbob24
Wanna chat? Here's my discord: Sideshowbob24#5370
Follow me on Reddit: / sideshowbob24
Music: Karaoke version of Tom Petty's Free Fallin'
Kevin MacLeod - Cipher/Wallpaper
Information used: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationa...)
wahsonline.com/pan-not-purcha...

Пікірлер: 54

@zoso73 Жыл бұрын

My dad worked at National Airlines in the 1970s. Looking at the flight map at 2:19, a lot of memories came back from my childhood. My parents, brother and I pass-rode to most of the "outer reaches" of the National Airlines flight system, such as San Francisco, Las Vegas, San Diego, Amsterdam, and Frankfurt. Fun times.

@sheaoakley7126 Жыл бұрын

Please find me the year by year record of any annual losses National suffered during the 1970's. The airline was consistently profitable during that period, strikes or no strikes. It also had virtually no debt. NAL was anything but a "troubled" or "failing" airline when Texas Air, Pan Am, and Eastern was fighting over it. In fact that was why they were fighting over it.

@Sideshowbob24 Жыл бұрын

Which is the point that I'm trying to make here. Yes, National was quite a successful airline during its time in the sky. Still, during the late 1970s - early 1980s, greed consumed the three airlines, (mainly Pan Am) because, since the Airline Deregulation Act, a select few were now in an awful position (like Pan Am) and couldn't afford to start a domestic route network. Hence, they sought to buy an airline that had good domestic routes. (Personally, Pan Am should've bought Braniff in 1980 since Braniff's rapid success was being turned around and it was only a matter of time before they went out of business. They also had a better domestic route system.)

@georgethetravelgenius1705 9 ай бұрын

The merger wasnt forced at all. Pan Am got into a bidding war with Eastern and Texas Air, and Sewell couldnt let his ego be bruised so he came out on top as the highest bidder by grossly overpaying for National. Then he spent more money obliterating every last vestige of National. As for National themselves, they made money throughout their history. The only reason they went up for sale is Bud Maytag was tired of fighting with the unions and tired of being in the airline business, as he also owned Frontier Airlines (the original) around that time as well.

@AJ67901 Жыл бұрын

Everything I've read about Pan Am and this merger said Seawell was a pompous clown who looked down on EVERYONE. Pan Am was really discriminated against after the airline deregulation act of 1978, but they were finally able to buy National, which was a poor choice. Pan Am's pilots got really hosed on the deal and National Pilots made more money. 747 fleets were mechanically different with National using GE engines where Pan Am used Pratt&Whitney.. It was a mess from start to finish.

@Gatorlips2 11 ай бұрын

YES! Seawell {sewerwell}, was a pompous ass, typical General, little man with a Napolean complex who shook hands like a dead fish! I know this, personally! He was the ruination of National and Pan Am! He used PanAm as his own private airline, transporting his domestic help, free, to and from his homes in the Caribbean. With my employee pass priveleges, many times, my husband & I were the only passengers on flights, to and from Etheuthera, Bahamas! The story of Pan Am goes far deeper into the corrupt military and government intervention, that may. or may not, ever come to light! 80 years old now, but pray for total disclosure, before I leave this Earth!

@flyingfiddler90q Жыл бұрын

National and Northwest would have actually been a pretty good combination.

@sickoancestry4973 Жыл бұрын

My family would visit my Grandparents on National to Sarasota in the 1970's.As a little kid I was excited about flying & their Sun-logos on their beverage-strirers & loved how meals were complimentary. My next door neighbor John Petch supposedly was on the team of engineers who invented the Boeing 747,He worked for Pan Am & I believe retired around 1991 which was good timing.

@patrickflynn6333 5 ай бұрын

I was fleet with NAL from 1974-then PAA till 1985...Tampa and Houston....my dad was a mechanic with Eastern..

@stuartlee6622 5 ай бұрын

I loved flying NAL!

@Nicks_Memepage 2 жыл бұрын

Nice video!

@Sideshowbob24 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! :)

@DiamondAviator4 2 жыл бұрын

Oh my, now I know.

@scottnichols3685 Жыл бұрын

Correction: NAL began service to LHR with DC-8-54F equipment, later replaced by the 747-135 and then the DC-10-30. The DC-8-54Fs were leased from Airlift International.

@Sideshowbob24 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for this information.

@zoso73 Жыл бұрын

One more thing. Literally the biggest former asset of NAL still in use today by American Airlines at MIA is the massive NAL hangar, just to the east of Concourse D (formerly called Concourse B). The structure fundamentally has not changed since it went up nearly 50 years ago in 1974. Pretty easy to notice when one is landing or taking off, and easy to spot on Google maps.

@proudlycanadianaviator 2 жыл бұрын

interesting series

@Sideshowbob24 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you

@stuartlee6622 8 ай бұрын

The Model 10 was NOT a turboprop! You're confusing the name Electra with the L-188 Electra!!!!

@gerardmoran9560 8 ай бұрын

Interesting video. Be more studios with your research. The Lockheed 10-Electra and the Stintson were not turboprops. They were piston powered propellor airplanes. There's a big difference. Cheers

@stuartlee6622 Жыл бұрын

National Airlines. Airline of the Stars.

@Sideshowbob24 Жыл бұрын

Yep.

@justincristianbadminton 2 жыл бұрын

Wow❤️🔥

@Sideshowbob24 2 жыл бұрын

Thx!

@douglasdixon524 Жыл бұрын

Poorly informed video. National Airlines did NOT have any debt. Their last airplanes had been paid off. I know, both my parents worked for National. Pan Am had ALL the debt and was poorly managed in the 1970s and 80s. Obviously done by someone who was never around any of this.

@scottnichols3685 Жыл бұрын

Truth.

@stephenmordey6371 Жыл бұрын

National opened service to London with leased DC8-50 equipment. The 747 came later and finally the DC10-30.

@Sideshowbob24 Жыл бұрын

Yes they did

@RetroAvi8or 2 жыл бұрын

Great vid as always! I used to wonder where Pan Am got their DC-10s until I found out about National. It's a shame their merger led to Pan Am's downfall.

@Sideshowbob24 2 жыл бұрын

There are a lot of things that led to Pan Am's downfall. I hope to someday cover it :)

@RetroAvi8or 2 жыл бұрын

@@Sideshowbob24 Looking forward to seeing that covered on your channel!

@Sideshowbob24 2 жыл бұрын

@@RetroAvi8or well I want this vid to be better than any other. Higher quality

@MiiFone1 Жыл бұрын

PAm Am was the defunct airline not national, National had nothing to do with pam ams downfall but pan am destroyed national. you have it backwards

@douglasdixon524 Жыл бұрын

@@MiiFone1 Thank you, National had paid off their newest airplanes. That's why a bidding war started over them. National was a profitable airline.

@MiiFone1 Жыл бұрын

National was a healthy Airlines that was destroyed by pan am. How do I know because my dad lost nearly his entire pension becasue of pan am

@Sideshowbob24 Жыл бұрын

Yeah, Pan Am sealed their own fate, and sorry about your dad.

@douglasdixon524 Жыл бұрын

Same here, my father, a National Airline employee (1950 - 1978) who NEVER worked for Pan Am lost half of his because of crappy leadership at Pan Am.

@MiiFone1 Жыл бұрын

@@douglasdixon524 sorry to hear that bro. Its very sad our fathers & families lost so much becasue of the corrupt mismanagement of Pan Am. National was such a strong and healthy airline and it is a shame it is gone now. And all because of what the top Pan Am management did running the company into the ground and to secure their golden parachutes only to leave the loyal employees with decades of service nothing. To bad this was before the criminal to big to fail garbage we see today. I hope those Pan Am elites get a healthy dose of Karma for what they did.

@ChrisJohnson-hk6es Жыл бұрын

The leach execs of Pan Am walked away with fat pockets. They mismanaged this merger something terrible. This could have been successful if they played their cards right. Ughhhh!!

@proudlycanadianaviator 2 жыл бұрын

can you do a history of Continental airlines?

@Sideshowbob24 2 жыл бұрын

I can