Pan American World Airways (1927 - 1991)

Pan American World Airways (1927 - 1991), originally Pan American Airways, was one of the most important companies in the history of aviation. Under the leadership of Juan Trippe, the company was a pioneer in international passenger air travel, beginning with seaplane services from the United States to South and Central America. In the mid-1930s, it began to offer Transpacific flights from San Francisco to Honolulu, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand. Taking inspiration from nautical transportation, Pan Am dubbed its planes 'Clippers,' adopted other naval terminology, and had pilots and crew wear naval-style uniforms. In seeking to outcompete steamships, Pan Am offered passengers luxurious amenities. Its success in the prewar period left the company in an advantageous position at the start of the jet age, when it became the gold standard for international travel in the passenger air industry. However, the company began to falter in the 1970s and declared bankruptcy in 1991.