Braniff International Airways facts for kids

Braniff International Airways was an American airline that flew for many years. It started way back in 1928 and became known for its colorful airplanes. Braniff connected cities across the United States and even flew to countries in South America. The airline faced many challenges, like rising costs and tough competition, and eventually stopped flying in 1982.

How Braniff Started Flying

The company began on June 20, 1928. Its first flight was between Oklahoma City and Tulsa, both in Oklahoma. At first, it was called the Paul R. Braniff Inc. Airline. It offered flights between these two cities three times a week.

Growing Bigger and Flying Farther

During World War II, Braniff helped the country by letting the government use half of its airplanes. After the war, Braniff started flying to new places. It began offering flights to countries in South America, like Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, and Peru. This helped people travel and connect between continents.

In 1960, Braniff made a big change. It became the first airline to use only jet planes for all its flights. Jet planes are much faster than older propeller planes, which made travel quicker for passengers.

Why Braniff Stopped Flying

In 1978, new rules made it easier for airlines to compete with each other. This meant many airlines started offering lower ticket prices. Braniff found it hard to make money because of this strong competition.

Around the same time, the economy was not doing well. This meant fewer people were traveling, so Braniff had fewer passengers. The airline also had too many flight routes and rising costs for things like fuel. All these problems led to Braniff having a lot of debt. Sadly, Braniff declared bankruptcy and stopped flying on May 12, 1982.

Images for kids

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  The Braniff logo

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  A Braniff Boeing 727 at O'Hare International Airport

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  Braniff aircraft at Dallas Love Field. The airline was known for painting its planes in different colors.

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  Second Braniff Airlines logo, from around 1928–30.

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  Braniff pilots outside a "B-Liner" Lockheed Model 10 Electra in 1940.

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  A Boeing 707 of Braniff International at Honolulu Airport in 1971.

• Douglas DC-8-62 N1804 BN MIA 07.02.71 edited-3.jpg

  A Braniff International Douglas DC-8-62 landing at Miami International Airport in 1971.

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  A Boeing 747 at London Gatwick Airport in 1981.

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  A Braniff Douglas DC-8-62 with a special "Flying Colors of South America" design at Miami Airport in August 1975.

See also

In Spanish: Braniff International para niños