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?
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?
