College of Arts & Sciences Research

This is an investigation into a practically unknown chapter in U.S. airline history: the advent of a brand new breed of airlines in the aftermath of World War II, mom-and-pop discounters immensely popular with the general public but very threatening to the established airlines and to the federal regulatory system.

Postwar America was a land full of opportunity. Economically and socially, in both industry and education, it was the dawn of a new era. But such was not the case in the U.S. airline industry. New technology meant faster, bigger, safer, more comfortable aircraft, yet traveling by air remained unaffordable to the vast majority of Americans. This is the story of opportunity lost due to rampant government protectionism and powerful vested interests. Utilizing historical materials from the National Air and Space Museum, National Archives, Library of Congress, four presidential libraries, and various oral history collections, a book is being prepared and written that documents the history of these long forgotten - yet historically very significant - airline companies that truly pioneered affordable airline transportation in America.