What If: what if TWA remained today?

JJ Skippy

Well-known member
Inspired by @IndyJets thread on what if Braniff were still in operation…

Trans World Airlines (TWA) operated between 1930 and 2001. The airline went under starting with a domino effect; Carl Ichan’s privatization of the airline starting in 1988, causing it to take on hundreds of millions of dollars in debt. Twice in 1992 and 1995 they filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to restructure, before merging with American Airlines in 2001 and filed for bankruptcy a third time as part of the deal. At the time of the merger, TWA operated a fleet of Boeing 717-200s, 757-200, 767-300ER, and McDonnell Douglas MD-80s. They also had orders for the Airbus A318, which were cancelled by American, and additional orders for the 717 which were not fulfilled by AA.

But what if TWA didn’t go under? Here is my thinking, with help of a few friends that I talked to about this subject:

The main takeaway from my perspective is that had Carl Icahn not taken TWA private, we would probably still see them flying today. But they probably wouldn’t be the powerhouse they once were when it was them, Pan Am, and Eastern back in the mid-20th century. Their international routes would have been discontinued as competition there is quite fierce, especially with the legacy and low-cost carriers we have today.

However, major events like the decrease in air travel following the events of September 11, 2001, the economic recession in the late 2000s, and the COVID-19 pandemic, more than likely would have caused TWA to go under anyway. From my perspective, 9/11 would probably have been the most likely scenario to cause the airline to shut down if we ignore the AA merger in this case.

In a timeline where everything is peaceful, here are my takeaways:
- TWA would probably have become a domestic airline. Any international operations would have been limited to Caribbean destinations.
- Their fleet would predominantly have consisted of what they had in 2001 before the merger.
- 757s could be used on transcontinental flights (i.e. New York to Los Angeles).
- 717s would replace the DC-9s on their short haul routes.
- I would see them taking the A318s; they had planned to achieve a goal of the youngest airline fleet when they placed their order in 1998.
- I would see TWA considering the larger A320 as a replacement for the MD-80s by the 2010s. (Allegiant had a similar strategy too)

As for today, in 2023, if TWA were still around, I could see them operating a fleet of Airbus A320s, Boeing 717s, and a small handful of 757s. I don’t think the 763 would last long with their domestic network. In addition, they could have some A320neos by the late 2010s to replace some of the older 717s and A320ceos when the time came. Obviously some new liveries would come out, but I don’t have the creativity to create something like that, so feel free to drop your ideas for what their identity could’ve looked like today.

Some questions to ponder that I considered whilst writing this up:
- Would jetBlue exist at all, or be different to what it is today? (jetBlue took over T5 after TWA went under and built their new facility over the Flight Wings)
- In an event that resulted in a downturn in the aviation industry, would TWA be better off due to them trimming their services compared to the competition?
 
Very good points. TWA was one of my favorite airlines.. in my opinion, Carl Icahn completely destroyed this once proud airline. It reminds me of how Frank Lorenzo destroyed Eastern, another once proud legacy carrier.
 
Inspired by @IndyJets thread on what if Braniff were still in operation…

Trans World Airlines (TWA) operated between 1930 and 2001. The airline went under starting with a domino effect; Carl Ichan’s privatization of the airline starting in 1988, causing it to take on hundreds of millions of dollars in debt. Twice in 1992 and 1995 they filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to restructure, before merging with American Airlines in 2001 and filed for bankruptcy a third time as part of the deal. At the time of the merger, TWA operated a fleet of Boeing 717-200s, 757-200, 767-300ER, and McDonnell Douglas MD-80s. They also had orders for the Airbus A318, which were cancelled by American, and additional orders for the 717 which were not fulfilled by AA.

But what if TWA didn’t go under? Here is my thinking, with help of a few friends that I talked to about this subject:

The main takeaway from my perspective is that had Carl Icahn not taken TWA private, we would probably still see them flying today. But they probably wouldn’t be the powerhouse they once were when it was them, Pan Am, and Eastern back in the mid-20th century. Their international routes would have been discontinued as competition there is quite fierce, especially with the legacy and low-cost carriers we have today.

However, major events like the decrease in air travel following the events of September 11, 2001, the economic recession in the late 2000s, and the COVID-19 pandemic, more than likely would have caused TWA to go under anyway. From my perspective, 9/11 would probably have been the most likely scenario to cause the airline to shut down if we ignore the AA merger in this case.

In a timeline where everything is peaceful, here are my takeaways:
- TWA would probably have become a domestic airline. Any international operations would have been limited to Caribbean destinations.
- Their fleet would predominantly have consisted of what they had in 2001 before the merger.
- 757s could be used on transcontinental flights (i.e. New York to Los Angeles).
- 717s would replace the DC-9s on their short haul routes.
- I would see them taking the A318s; they had planned to achieve a goal of the youngest airline fleet when they placed their order in 1998.
- I would see TWA considering the larger A320 as a replacement for the MD-80s by the 2010s. (Allegiant had a similar strategy too)

As for today, in 2023, if TWA were still around, I could see them operating a fleet of Airbus A320s, Boeing 717s, and a small handful of 757s. I don’t think the 763 would last long with their domestic network. In addition, they could have some A320neos by the late 2010s to replace some of the older 717s and A320ceos when the time came. Obviously some new liveries would come out, but I don’t have the creativity to create something like that, so feel free to drop your ideas for what their identity could’ve looked like today.

Some questions to ponder that I considered whilst writing this up:
- Would jetBlue exist at all, or be different to what it is today? (jetBlue took over T5 after TWA went under and built their new facility over the Flight Wings)
- In an event that resulted in a downturn in the aviation industry, would TWA be better off due to them trimming their services compared to the competition?
What about the fact that the A318 turned out to be highly uneconomical to operate, to the point that 5 year old frames ended up going to scrap? What would that have done to the company, considering the number that were ordered and the amount of debt that would have still been on the books when they needed to be replaced with something with better economics? Could the 737-700 or -800 have been a better fit?
 
What about the fact that the A318 turned out to be highly uneconomical to operate, to the point that 5 year old frames ended up going to scrap? What would that have done to the company, considering the number that were ordered and the amount of debt that would have still been on the books when they needed to be replaced with something with better economics? Could the 737-700 or -800 have been a better fit?
I never thought of that. Now that you mention it, I am reminded of when Frontier retired their A318s. They didn’t last long…

My thinking is of two possible scenarios:
1) They would replace it with more Airbus A320 family aircraft. From my perspective, they could go with the A319, which has more seats in a typical configuration, but they could go for bigger seats through the entire plane to match the seating capacity of an A318. Something like a first class cabin up front, and then an economy plus product throughout the rest of the plane. I would see this as a win-win, since TWA has a similar capacity of the 318, and the passengers have more bigger seats for more comfort.
2) They place an order for the 737-600 which is of similar specs. Granted this plane didn’t sell much better than the 318, but if they wanted to have a plane of similar size still without upgauging, this would likely be their only option.

Regarding the debt, I doubt they would file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in this case. I’m no business expert, so I wouldn’t know for sure what the best course of action would be for TWA in this case. Assuming a peaceful timeline, they might be able to get a loan to help pay it off, or attempt to get as much profit as possible.
 
I never thought of that. Now that you mention it, I am reminded of when Frontier retired their A318s. They didn’t last long…

My thinking is of two possible scenarios:
1) They would replace it with more Airbus A320 family aircraft. From my perspective, they could go with the A319, which has more seats in a typical configuration, but they could go for bigger seats through the entire plane to match the seating capacity of an A318. Something like a first class cabin up front, and then an economy plus product throughout the rest of the plane. I would see this as a win-win, since TWA has a similar capacity of the 318, and the passengers have more bigger seats for more comfort.
2) They place an order for the 737-600 which is of similar specs. Granted this plane didn’t sell much better than the 318, but if they wanted to have a plane of similar size still without upgauging, this would likely be their only option.

Regarding the debt, I doubt they would file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in this case. I’m no business expert, so I wouldn’t know for sure what the best course of action would be for TWA in this case. Assuming a peaceful timeline, they might be able to get a loan to help pay it off, or attempt to get as much profit as possible.
Well. I think a larger plane with a reduced seating capacity would have even worse economics than the A318. Personally, I think the A318 would have ended up as albatross around their neck. They might have tried to recover by getting larger aircraft with more seats (and cutting frequency or routes in order to help fill them) but the A318s would have been parted out and the sale of the parts wouldn't have been enough to pay off the loans.

Frontier got very lucky because their A318 fleet was relatively small. But a larger commitment like what TWA had could very well have proven fatal.
 
I made some liveries for TWA a while back (they aren’t too good), but I thought they’d fit in here. They’d probably adapt and make it a eurowhite because of their financial troubles, and I think the A321 I made would be most like it. I also made a 736 with another livery they might’ve used in the mid-2000s, like 2005-2009 ish.
 

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I loved TWA and miss them so much. I was so excited about their turnaround in the 90s. Unfortunately it was too late. I think TWA would have been an airbus operator with A319s/A320s/A321s/A330s with some 757s possibly. I think the A220 would have been awesome in their new colors. However i am a Boeing guy overall and cannot wonder how cool it would have been to see them with 737NG &max/777/787/744/748.

I like to see 1:400 MD-80 in the 90s livery. in addition a fantast a330 model would be cool as they had them on order.
 
Inspired by @IndyJets thread on what if Braniff were still in operation…

Trans World Airlines (TWA) operated between 1930 and 2001. The airline went under starting with a domino effect; Carl Ichan’s privatization of the airline starting in 1988, causing it to take on hundreds of millions of dollars in debt. Twice in 1992 and 1995 they filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to restructure, before merging with American Airlines in 2001 and filed for bankruptcy a third time as part of the deal. At the time of the merger, TWA operated a fleet of Boeing 717-200s, 757-200, 767-300ER, and McDonnell Douglas MD-80s. They also had orders for the Airbus A318, which were cancelled by American, and additional orders for the 717 which were not fulfilled by AA.

But what if TWA didn’t go under? Here is my thinking, with help of a few friends that I talked to about this subject:

The main takeaway from my perspective is that had Carl Icahn not taken TWA private, we would probably still see them flying today. But they probably wouldn’t be the powerhouse they once were when it was them, Pan Am, and Eastern back in the mid-20th century. Their international routes would have been discontinued as competition there is quite fierce, especially with the legacy and low-cost carriers we have today.

However, major events like the decrease in air travel following the events of September 11, 2001, the economic recession in the late 2000s, and the COVID-19 pandemic, more than likely would have caused TWA to go under anyway. From my perspective, 9/11 would probably have been the most likely scenario to cause the airline to shut down if we ignore the AA merger in this case.

In a timeline where everything is peaceful, here are my takeaways:
- TWA would probably have become a domestic airline. Any international operations would have been limited to Caribbean destinations.
- Their fleet would predominantly have consisted of what they had in 2001 before the merger.
- 757s could be used on transcontinental flights (i.e. New York to Los Angeles).
- 717s would replace the DC-9s on their short haul routes.
- I would see them taking the A318s; they had planned to achieve a goal of the youngest airline fleet when they placed their order in 1998.
- I would see TWA considering the larger A320 as a replacement for the MD-80s by the 2010s. (Allegiant had a similar strategy too)

As for today, in 2023, if TWA were still around, I could see them operating a fleet of Airbus A320s, Boeing 717s, and a small handful of 757s. I don’t think the 763 would last long with their domestic network. In addition, they could have some A320neos by the late 2010s to replace some of the older 717s and A320ceos when the time came. Obviously some new liveries would come out, but I don’t have the creativity to create something like that, so feel free to drop your ideas for what their identity could’ve looked like today.

Some questions to ponder that I considered whilst writing this up:
- Would jetBlue exist at all, or be different to what it is today? (jetBlue took over T5 after TWA went under and built their new facility over the Flight Wings)
- In an event that resulted in a downturn in the aviation industry, would TWA be better off due to them trimming their services compared to the competition?
For one I wonder if they would be a more midwestern airline like Northwest or if they would do things all over the country like PDX, SEA, EUG, GEG, etc.

Secondly they’d be the airline of book flights with just to go flying. Not just to go anywhere specific I’d just book with them to fly. Like Alliegent
 
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