An article in Airways News reminds me that this is an important day in aviation history too. On January 18, 1991, Eastern Air Lines operated its last flight. Eastern has a storied past, is responsible for many advancements in the airline industry, and is fondly remembered by many. Importantly in my own aviation career, Eastern is the airline that I took my first flight with aboard a DC-9-50, at the ripe old age of 10.
Caught in a quagmire of labor unrest, the competitive shakedown of post-deregulation era, and ultimately, the beginning of the first Gulf War, Eastern ceased operations. Today, I pause just briefly to remember a great airline.
I loved every day I worked at Eastern. I was non contract (non Union) agent and in sales at the airline in several different cities and drank the koolaid and blamed the unions for Eastern’s demise. Oh was I wrong, yes Frank Lorenzo and his pal George Bush turned their backs on Eastern and let it fail, but just as much blame should be on Frank Borman. He might have been an astronaut and a figure head in aviation, he didn’t know how to run and manage an airline. He was way over his head. He started the ruin of… Read more »
More so than anything else, Eastern was a victim of Frank Lorenzo, who ruined Continental Airlines and then did the same to Eastern.
We pause to remember people but my goodness this is over the top.
They are back , well sort of. They have 2 737 with 180 seats doing charter flights to Havana with Havana Air. They are not the same company you remember , but to see the 737 painted retro with the logo is pretty nostalgic indeed
As I’m sure you’re aware, the Eastern name and logo were bought up recently by a start-up. Living in Miami, nothing was wilder than seeing Eastern Air Lines signs at MIA again! I flew Eastern MIA-HAV a few months ago, and it was truly a blast from the past. I don’t expect the new Eastern to ever rival the old, but it is a great nostalgia trip.
They are a special memory for me, as my mother worked for them while I was growing up, and this allowed us to take many family trips throughout the US and the Caribbean.
I have memories of the flight attendants giving me the little wings badges and the coloring book to help me pass the time.