Freddie Laker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir Freddie Laker
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| Born |
Frederick Alfred Laker
6 August 1922 Canterbury, Kent, England
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| Died | 9 February 2006 (aged 83) Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
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| Occupation | Founder and chairman of Laker Airways, adviser of Virgin Atlantic |
| Spouse(s) |
Joan Laker
(m. 1942–1968)Rose Marie Black
(m. 1968–1975)Patricia Gates
(m. 1975–1982)Jacqueline Harvey
(m. 1985–2006) |
| Children | 4 |
Sir Frederick Alfred Laker (born August 6, 1922 – died February 9, 2006) was a British airline businessman. He is most famous for starting Laker Airways in 1966. This airline sadly went out of business in 1982. Freddie Laker was a pioneer. He was one of the first to use the "low cost / no-frills" idea for airlines. This business model has since become very popular worldwide. Airlines like Ryanair, Southwest Airlines, and easyJet use it today.
Contents
The Story of Sir Freddie Laker
Freddie Laker's Early Life and Aviation Start
Freddie Laker grew up in Canterbury, England. He went to the Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys. After school, he began working in aviation at Short Brothers in Rochester. During and right after World War II (1941–1946), he was part of the Air Transport Auxiliary. This group helped move aircraft around for the war effort.
After the war, he worked briefly for British European Airways (BEA). He also worked for London Aero Motor Services (LAMS). Freddie was smart and ambitious. He borrowed £38,000 from a rich friend. He added this to his own savings of £4,500. Then, he started his own business. He bought and sold old war planes.
Freddie Laker's First Business Ventures
The Berlin Blockade in 1948–1949 helped his business a lot. During this time, all available planes were needed to fly supplies into West Berlin. This gave Freddie's planes and employees more than a year's work almost immediately. Freddie often flew the planes himself during this busy period.
By 1954, Freddie started his second airline, Channel Air Bridge. This airline flew cars and their owners. They used Bristol Freighter planes from Southend Airport to Calais, France.
In 1958, he sold Air Charter, Aviation Traders, and Channel Air Bridge to Airwork. All three companies joined the Airwork group in 1959. After Airwork merged with another company in 1960, Freddie became a managing director at British United Airways.
Aviation Traders: Building and Fixing Planes
Freddie Laker started Aviation Traders in October 1947. It was based at Southend Airport. This company was good at changing old war planes into cargo planes. For example, they turned Handley Page Halifax bombers into freighters. Six of these were sold to Bond Air Services. This airline used them to carry supplies into West Berlin during the Berlin Blockade (1948–1949). Aviation Traders also serviced these planes.
After the Berlin Airlift ended in 1949, Freddie had many of the Halifax planes scrapped. He also used his facilities to change DC-4 planes into Carvairs. These Carvairs could carry cars.
In 1958, Freddie decided to sell Aviation Traders and Air Charter to Airwork for £600,000. The deal was completed in January 1959.
Air Charter: Laker's First Airline Steps
Freddie took over Air Charter in 1951. This was his first airline. Air Charter also helped in the Berlin Airlift. On April 14, 1955, Air Charter started its first car ferry service. It flew between Southend and Calais using a special Bristol 170 plane.
In 1958, Freddie sold Air Charter to Airwork. It became part of the Airwork group in January 1959. Later, Air Charter was absorbed into British United Airways in 1960.
Channel Air Bridge: Flying Cars Across the Channel
This was Freddie's second airline. It started flying cars and their owners across the English Channel in 1954. They first used Bristol Freighter planes. Later, they added larger, four-engine Carvairs. The Carvair was a unique plane. Its cockpit was raised "above" the main body, like a Boeing 747. This made more space for cars or passengers below. It also had a special nose door for loading cargo.
At the end of 1958, Freddie sold Channel Air Bridge to Airwork. It became part of British United Airways in 1960.
Freddie Laker became the managing director of British United Airways. During his time (1960–1965), British United became Britain's largest private airline. It was also the first independent British airline to use only new jet aircraft.
In 1961, British United was the first to order the BAC One-Eleven jetliner. Freddie himself made this deal. This was the first time an independent airline ordered brand-new jets. The first One-Eleven started flying on April 9, 1965. By the end of that decade, British United had an all-jet fleet. This gave them an advantage over other airlines.
In 1965, Freddie decided to leave British United. He wanted to start his own airline.
Laker Airways: The Dream Takes Flight
Freddie Laker formed Laker Airways in 1966. This was his third and most famous airline. It started flying in July with two old Bristol Britannia planes. Later, these were replaced by new BAC One-Eleven jets and Boeing 707 jets.
At first, Laker Airways offered charter flights. These were special flights for groups or tour operators. Back then, cheap air travel had to be part of a package deal, like a flight and hotel together. For many years, Laker Airways was the most profitable charter airline in Britain.
Laker Airways was known for finding new ways to save money and make flights more affordable.
In 1972, Laker Airways became the first independent British airline to use large, wide-body aircraft. They started flying McDonnell Douglas DC-10 planes in November 1972. These were the first DC-10s registered in the UK.
In 1973, Laker Airways operated the world's first Advance Booking Charter (ABC) flight. By the mid-1970s, it was the leader in ABC flights worldwide.
The Skytrain Revolution
Laker Airways made history again. On September 26, 1977, they launched their first daily Skytrain service. This was a low-fare scheduled flight between London Gatwick and New York John F. Kennedy Airport.
The Fight to Launch Skytrain
On June 15, 1971, Laker Airways asked for permission to start the world's first daily low-fare flight across the Atlantic. It would fly between London and New York City. The one-way fare was incredibly low: £32.50 in winter and £37.50 in summer. This was only one-third of what big airlines were charging! The service was called Skytrain. It was a "walk-on, walk-off" service. You didn't need to book ahead. Seats were sold at the airport on a "first come, first served" basis.
At first, the UK authorities said no. But Freddie Laker fought back. He appealed the decision and won in February 1972. However, the government then changed its mind and told him to reapply.
Freddie applied again. He wanted to fly eleven Skytrain services a week in summer and seven in winter. He planned to use his new DC-10 planes for summer flights. These planes were efficient and could carry many passengers.
On October 5, 1972, the new Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) approved his plan. They gave him a ten-year license. But there was a catch: they said he had to use Stansted instead of Gatwick. They also limited the number of seats he could sell in winter. This was to protect other airlines.
The UK government officially named Laker Airways a scheduled transatlantic airline on January 11, 1973.
But the big airlines put a lot of pressure on the government. There were also big losses and too many flights on the North Atlantic after the 1973 oil crisis. So, on July 29, 1975, the government took away Freddie's license.
Freddie Laker didn't give up. He took the government to court. The court said the government was wrong and gave his license back.
It took two more years for Freddie to get final approval. US President Jimmy Carter finally gave permission on June 13, 1977.
Just before the first Skytrain flight, Freddie also got permission to use his Gatwick base. This was much better than Stansted. The limits on winter seats were also removed.
Skytrain finally took off on September 26, 1977. The first flight went from London Gatwick to New York JFK. It carried 272 passengers on a DC-10 plane. The fares were £59 one-way from London and $135 one-way from New York.
Skytrain was a huge success. In its first year, it made good money. By summer 1978, 80% of the seats were full.
The Impact of Skytrain on Other Airlines
Other big airlines like British Airways, Pan Am, and TWA had tried to stop Laker. But when Skytrain launched, they quickly copied his low standby fares. Pan Am even started a new "budget" option.
Freddie Laker said that Skytrain helped everyone. He claimed it made more people fly between London and New York. Before Skytrain, traffic was down. But after it launched, traffic increased by 30% in the off-peak season.
A closer look showed that Skytrain brought in 15% of the new passengers. Other airlines, who had copied Laker's low fares, brought in the rest. This showed that low fares could make more people fly.
Skytrain was a big financial success. It led to more routes and more flights.
Freddie Laker became very popular with the public. He was seen as a hero for ordinary people. Even Margaret Thatcher, who later became Prime Minister, was a fan.
However, it was the Labour Government that gave Freddie his knighthood in 1978. This was for his great work in the airline industry.
As Skytrain grew, Laker Airways ordered more DC-10 planes. They also ordered the first Airbus A300 planes in 1979. They planned to use these for new Skytrain routes within Europe.
The Collapse of Laker Airways
Skytrain ended when Laker Airways went out of business on February 5, 1982. The company owed over £250 million. It was the biggest company failure in Britain at the time.
There were several reasons for this:
- Laker Airways grew too fast in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They bought many new DC-10 and A300 planes. They borrowed money in US dollars at very high interest rates. When the British pound lost value, it became much more expensive to pay back these loans.
- The company didn't have enough money saved up. It couldn't handle a long fight against its richer competitors.
- Laker Airways lost £13 million when all DC-10 planes worldwide were temporarily stopped from flying. This happened after a DC-10 crash in Chicago in May 1979.
- Some people also thought the DC-10 was unsafe because of a few accidents.
- The airline focused only on discount travelers. This made it harder to make money when times were tough.
- Other big airlines in Europe and North America worked together. They aggressively lowered their prices to match Laker Airways. They did this even if it meant losing a lot of money. This was called "predatory pricing". Freddie Laker sued these airlines for trying to put him out of business. They settled out of court for US$50 million. British Airways later paid an extra $35 million. British Airways also paid Freddie Laker personally £8 million.
Laker Airways Mark II: A New Start
Freddie Laker didn't give up. He tried to restart the airline almost immediately. He got help from a rich businessman named Tiny Rowland. The public also supported him. A relief fund collected over £1 million. The music band The Police even held a concert to help.
But even with funding, they couldn't get the necessary licenses. So, the attempt failed.
Laker, who was living in the Bahamas, tried again in the early 1990s. He moved his new airline's base to Freeport. Laker Airways flew from there until it closed in 2005. This was Freddie Laker's last airline.
Freddie Laker's Lasting Legacy
Freddie Laker received the Tony Jannus Award in 2002 for his important contributions to air travel. He is remembered for his famous advice to other airline founders like Richard Branson (Virgin Atlantic) and Stelios Haji-Ioannou (easyJet). He told them to "sue the bastards!" This was about how big airlines tried to bully new ones out of business.
Virgin Atlantic named one of its Boeing 747 planes The Spirit of Sir Freddie. Also, Malaysia's low-cost airline AirAsia X named its first Airbus A330 Semangat Sir Freddie. This was to honor him as a pioneer of "no-frills" air travel. A Norwegian Air Shuttle Boeing 737 MAX was also named after him in 2017. Another Norwegian Air Sweden Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner also carries his name.
Freddie Laker was also the subject of a musical called Laker! in 1982. It was about Laker Airways going bankrupt.
In 1988, a magazine editor named Randy Petersen created the Freddie Awards. These awards honor Freddie Laker's achievements in travel marketing. They recognize the best frequent traveler programs.
When the new passenger terminal opened at London Southend Airport in 2012, the upstairs bar was named Laker's Bar. It had pictures of Freddie Laker and his airline. In 2015, the bar moved and was renamed Laker's Bar & Restaurant, still showing his images.
In June 2017, Norwegian Air International put Freddie Laker's image on the tail of their first 737-8 MAX plane. He is one of the company's five "British tail fin heroes." Other heroes include Freddie Mercury and Roald Dahl.
Images for kids
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Sir Freddie Laker
