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Airlines Named After People

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Airlines Named After People — Daily trivia Wednesday, July 8, 2026: questions and answers

All 10 questions with answers and explanations. Play this daily

  1. Q 01Sir Freddie Laker's airline launched its cut-price 'Skytrain' to New York in 1977 from where?

    • AHeathrow
    • BGatwick
    • CStansted
    • DLuton
    Show answer

    Gatwick

    The brine

    Laker Airways went bankrupt in the early-1980s recession, flying its last service on 5 February 1982.

  2. Q 02In what year did Ryanair, named after its founder Tony Ryan, begin commercial operations?

    • A1979
    • B1980
    • C1983
    • D1985
    Show answer

    1985

    The brine

    Ryanair was founded and began operations in 1985 by Irish businessman Tony Ryan, eventually becoming Europe's largest low-cost airline carrier.

  3. Q 03Kulula Air, a South African airline, is named after a word meaning what in the Zulu language?

    • A'Easy'
    • B'Sky'
    • C'Freedom'
    • D'Speed'
    Show answer

    'Easy'

    The brine

    Kulula means 'easy' in Zulu, and the airline's name reflects its low-cost business model and user-friendly approach, founded by Comair in 2001.

  4. Q 04Which airline did bush pilot Max Ward found in 1952, growing it into Canada's big charter carrier?

    • ANordair
    • BWardair
    • CPacific Western
    • DCanadian North
    Show answer

    Wardair

    The brine

    Ward had started out in 1946 with the Polaris Charter Company in Yellowknife; the airline was absorbed by Canadian Airlines in 1990.

  5. Q 05Tony Ryan's airline began in 1985 flying Waterford to London in a plane with how many seats?

    • A15
    • B48
    • C72
    • D110
    Show answer

    15

    The brine

    The aircraft was an Embraer Bandeirante turboprop; by September it was running nine weekly flights on the route.

  6. Q 06Reg Ansett started his airline in 1935 to sidestep a Victorian state law aimed at what business of his?

    • ARoad transport
    • BShipping
    • CNewspaper publishing
    • DWool trading
    Show answer

    Road transport

    The brine

    His buses and trucks were eating into Victorian Railways' revenue; aviation was federally regulated, so the state could not touch it.

  7. Q 07In 1989 Donald Trump paid $365 million for the shuttle operation of which airline?

    • APan American
    • BTrans World Airlines
    • CEastern Air Lines
    • DPeople Express
    Show answer

    Eastern Air Lines

    The brine

    The 727s were refitted with maple veneer, chrome seat-belt latches and gold-coloured lavatory fixtures; USAir took over the operation in 1992.

  8. Q 08The Austrian airline Lauda Air took its name from a champion in which sport?

    • AAlpine skiing
    • BCycling
    • CTennis
    • DFormula One
    Show answer

    Formula One

    The brine

    Niki Lauda ran it for decades before it was folded into Austrian Airlines in 2012; he later launched Niki and then Laudamotion.

  9. Q 09How far apart are Westray and Papa Westray, linked by Loganair's world-shortest scheduled flight?

    • A4.3 miles
    • B9 miles
    • C1.7 miles
    • D2.6 miles
    Show answer

    1.7 miles

    The brine

    The Orkney hop is timetabled at two minutes and has been done in well under one when the wind cooperates.

  10. Q 10Braniff was the only US airline ever to fly which aircraft on domestic routes, in 1979–80?

    • AAirbus A300
    • BLockheed L-1011
    • CBoeing 747SP
    • DConcorde
    Show answer

    Concorde

    The brine

    Flown subsonically between Dallas/Fort Worth and Washington Dulles, the flights often carried 15 passengers or fewer and lost money, but the publicity was priceless.

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