119 Fun Facts About Airline

Which airline, founded in 1919, is the oldest still operating under its original name?

KLM, founded by Albert Plesman, is the oldest airline operating under its original name; its hub is Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

What does the KLM airline name stand for in English?

It is branded internationally as KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

Australia's Qantas was founded in which year?

Qantas was registered on 16 November 1920, making it one of the world's oldest airlines.

The acronym QANTAS originally stood for what?

Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services was the company's registered name, and its initials became the Qantas brand.

By what nickname is Qantas popularly known?

The Flying Kangaroo nickname comes from the leaping kangaroo emblem painted on the tails of Qantas aircraft.

The world's first commercial passenger airline, DELAG, carried passengers on what kind of aircraft?

Airships were DELAG's aircraft: founded in 1909, the German company carried fare-paying passengers on Zeppelins until 1935.

Which US airline began in 1925 as the world's first aerial crop-dusting company, Huff Daland Dusters?

Delta Air Lines grew out of Huff Daland Dusters, whose aircraft sprayed cotton fields against the boll weevil from Monroe, Louisiana, before the company turned to passengers.

Which airline was the unofficial US flag carrier before it collapsed in 1991?

Founded by Juan Trippe in 1927, it ceased operations on December 4, 1991.

Pan Am used which word for its aircraft names and radio callsigns?

Clipper was the airline's radio callsign and the prefix for every aircraft name, a legacy of its 1930s flying boats such as the China Clipper.

Who founded Pan American Airways and led it for four decades?

Juan Trippe founded the airline in 1927 and ran it until 1968, pioneering transatlantic and transpacific commercial flying.

Which US low-cost carrier flies an all-Boeing 737 fleet?

Southwest operates an all-Boeing 737 fleet, which keeps crew training and maintenance simple; the Texas carrier was founded in 1967.

Europe's largest airline by passengers, an ultra-low-cost carrier based in Ireland, is which?

Ryanair, founded in 1984, grew from a single Waterford-Gatwick route into the continent's biggest airline by passenger numbers.

The largest airline in the Middle East, based at Dubai International Airport, is which?

Emirates, founded in 1985 and owned by the Dubai government, flies an all-wide-body fleet from Dubai International Airport.

The largest Middle East carrier is the world's biggest operator of which double-deck airliner?

The Dubai-based carrier's Airbus A380 fleet passed 100 aircraft, far more than any other operator of the double-deck superjumbo.

Founded in 1997, which grouping was the world's first global airline partnership network?

Star Alliance, launched in May 1997, was the first worldwide airline alliance; Air Canada, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways and United were among its founders.

Which of these was a founding member of the first global alliance in 1997?

Lufthansa was one of the founding carriers of the 1997 alliance, alongside Air Canada, SAS, Thai Airways and United.

After the world's two biggest global airline groupings, which is the third?

American Airlines and British Airways are Oneworld members.

Which frequent-flyer program, launched on 1 May 1981, is considered the first modern airline loyalty scheme?

AAdvantage, launched on 1 May 1981 by the carrier whose initials it carries, is widely credited as the first modern frequent-flyer program; Texas International had tracked mileage since 1979.

Who was the world's first female flight attendant, hired in 1930?

Ellen Church persuaded Boeing Air Transport to hire her and flew as the world's first stewardess on 15 May 1930.

What qualification did the earliest stewardesses have to hold?

Registered nurse status was required of United's first stewardesses from 1930; the rule lapsed during the Second World War when nurses were needed elsewhere.

Which airliner was the first to be called a "jumbo jet"?

The Boeing 747, which first flew on 9 February 1969, was the first wide-body airliner and earned the 'jumbo jet' nickname.

Which airline was the launch customer of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner?

All Nippon Airways was the 787's launch customer, ordering 50 in 2004 and flying the first commercial Dreamliner service, Tokyo to Hong Kong, in October 2011.

Which engineer led the design of the first jumbo jet?

Joe Sutter led the 747 design team, nicknamed 'the Incredibles', which took the jumbo from the 1966 launch order to first flight in 1969.

The jumbo jet was assembled at the Everett Plant, notable for being what?

The world's largest building by volume, Boeing's Everett factory encloses about 13.3 million cubic metres and was built in the late 1960s for the 747.

Which airline was the launch customer of the world's largest passenger aircraft in 2007?

Singapore Airlines took the first delivery of the double-deck superjumbo and flew it from Singapore to Sydney on 25 October 2007.

The airline whose flight attendants are marketed as an elegant "Girl" figure, from a South-East Asian city-state, hubs at which airport?

Changi Airport, opened in 1981, is the home base of the carrier behind the Singapore Girl advertising icon.

Besides British Airways, which airline bought and flew its own fleet of Concordes?

Air France flew Concorde from Paris from 1976, operating seven of the supersonic jets alongside British Airways' seven.

In which year was Concorde retired from commercial service?

2003 saw Concorde's final commercial flights, the last British Airways service landing at Heathrow on 24 October, after rising costs, the 2000 crash and the post-9/11 slump.

How many characters long is an IATA airline designator code?

Two characters make up an IATA airline designator, such as BA for British Airways; the codes appear on tickets and flight numbers.

How many letters long is an ICAO airline designator?

Three letters make up an ICAO airline designator, used in flight plans and air-traffic control rather than on tickets.

British Airways uses which radio callsign, inherited from BOAC?

Speedbird, the callsign British Airways inherited from BOAC, comes from the stylised bird logo Imperial Airways adopted in 1932.

As of 2025, the world's longest flight, from an Asian city-state, ended in which US city?

New York is the destination: the non-stop service from Singapore to JFK, about 15,300 km and over 18 hours, was the longest scheduled flight in 2025.

Which airline boss, CEO of Europe's biggest low-cost carrier from 1994, is known for provocative publicity?

Michael O'Leary, who took charge of the Irish carrier in 1994, has said negative publicity 'sells more seats than positive publicity'.

Which network model does the all-737 US low-cost carrier use?

Point-to-point flying, linking city pairs directly instead of funnelling passengers through a hub, is the model the all-737 carrier has used from its first flights.

The SkyTeam founder that began as a crop-dusting outfit hubs its largest operation at which airport?

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, the carrier's largest hub, handled more passengers than any other airport in the world for most years after 1998.

In which country did the first fixed-wing scheduled airline begin service in 1914?

The United States hosted the first scheduled fixed-wing airline: the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line, which flew Tony Jannus's Benoist flying boat across Tampa Bay from 1 January 1914.

Europe's largest low-cost carrier is headquartered in Swords, on the edge of which capital city?

Dublin is the capital beside Swords, where the airline keeps its head office; its busiest single base is Stansted Airport in Essex.

Which airline's Flight 1549 ditched safely in the Hudson River in January 2009?

US Airways Flight 1549, an Airbus A320 flown by Captain Chesley Sullenberger, ditched in the Hudson River on 15 January 2009 after striking geese; all 155 aboard survived.

How many Concordes were built in total?

20 Concordes were built in total: a pair of prototypes, a pair of pre-production aircraft and 16 production airframes, of which 14 entered airline service.

The Dubai-based giant is the world's largest operator of which twin-engine wide-body?

Boeing 777 jets form the backbone of the Dubai carrier's fleet, which has numbered well over 100 of the type, more than any other airline.

In which year did a jointly-run Malayan-and-island airline split into two national carriers?

1972 was the year the joint Malaysian-Singaporean carrier, MSA, was divided into separate national flag carriers for each country after their priorities diverged.

Which airline trade body assigns the airline codes used on tickets and in flight numbers?

The International Air Transport Association, the airlines' trade body, assigns the short airline codes on tickets; the UN's ICAO assigns the longer ones used in flight plans.

The all-737 low-cost carrier from Dallas began flying in which year?

1971 was the year of the carrier's first flights, on 18 June, four years after its 1967 incorporation.

The Qantas kangaroo emblem first appeared in 1944 on the airline's new service to which city?

BOAC crews took over at Karachi for the leg to London.

Which low-cost subsidiary did Qantas launch in 2004?

Jetstar, set up by Qantas as a low-cost subsidiary, began domestic flights from Melbourne in May 2004 and later expanded across Asia.

Delta commenced passenger operations in which year, making it one of the oldest US carriers?

1929 was the year of Delta's first passenger flights, on 17 June, from Dallas to Jackson, Mississippi, with stops in Shreveport and Monroe.

Which US airline used the slogan 'Fly the Friendly Skies'?

United Airlines introduced 'Fly the Friendly Skies' in 1965 and revived the slogan in 2013 after its merger with Continental.

Southwest was established in 1967 by Rollin King and which lawyer, later its long-time CEO?

Herb Kelleher, a Texas lawyer, co-founded the airline with Rollin King in 1967 and served as its CEO from 1981 to 2001.

When Southwest began flying in 1971, it linked Dallas, Houston and which third Texas city?

San Antonio completed the original 'Texas Triangle' with Dallas and Houston; rival airlines' lawsuits delayed the first flights until the Texas Supreme Court ruled for the airline in 1970.

For how many consecutive years, ending in 2019, had the all-737 carrier posted an annual profit?

47 consecutive profitable years ran from the airline's first profit in 1973 until 2019; the pandemic ended the streak in 2020.

What is Southwest's stock-exchange ticker symbol?

LUV, the airline's NYSE ticker, plays on the name of its original Dallas home airport and its heart-themed branding.

How did Southwest settle its 1992 'Just Plane Smart' trademark dispute with Stevens Aviation?

An arm-wrestling match, billed as 'Malice in Dallas', decided it in March 1992; the airline's CEO lost, but Stevens Aviation's Kurt Herwald let both firms keep the slogan.

The 1979 Wright Amendment restricted Southwest's home-airport flights to protect which airport?

Dallas/Fort Worth International, opened in 1974, was shielded by the amendment, which Fort Worth congressman Jim Wright sponsored; the restrictions ended fully in 2014.

Which airline did Southwest buy in 2011, flying its last flight under the old name in December 2014?

AirTran Airways was acquired in May 2011 for about $1.4 billion, giving the buyer its first international routes; the last AirTran-branded flight landed on 28 December 2014.

What boarding practice made the all-737 carrier unusual among big US airlines for decades?

Open seating: pick any seat, groups A, B, C describes the practice: passengers lined up by boarding group and chose any empty seat, a system the airline announced in 2024 it would replace with assigned seats.

Southwest's frequent-flyer scheme launched in 1987 as The Company Club and was renamed what in 1996?

Rapid Rewards, the name adopted in 1996, awarded credits per flight flown rather than by distance until a 2011 overhaul switched it to fare-based points.

Which bird appears, encircled and in flight, on Lufthansa's logo, first drawn in 1918?

A crane in flight, drawn by Otto Firle in 1918 for Deutsche Luft-Reederei, became the emblem the airline adopted at its 1926 formation and kept after its 1950s refounding.

Virgin Atlantic was originally planned to fly between London and which remote destination?

The Falkland Islands were Randolph Fields's first target, a Gatwick-Port Stanley service, but the runway there was too short; the maiden flight instead went to Newark in June 1984.

Which Greek-Cypriot entrepreneur founded easyJet in 1995 with a £5 million loan from his father?

Stelios Haji-Ioannou launched easyJet from Luton in November 1995 with a pair of leased Boeing 737s flying to Glasgow and Edinburgh.

After the 1991 Soviet collapse, Aeroflot fragmented into hundreds of regional airlines nicknamed what?

Babyflots was the nickname for the hundreds of regional carriers carved out of the Soviet monopoly after 1991, many flying inherited Tupolevs with patchy safety records.

Which airline served more countries than any other in 2024, about 130?

Turkish Airlines, flying from Istanbul to roughly 130 countries in 2024, served more countries than any other carrier and built one of the world's largest route networks.

What was the world's first commercial jet airliner, which entered service in 1952?

The de Havilland Comet began BOAC service in May 1952; fatal crashes in 1954 were traced to metal fatigue, and the type was grounded and redesigned.

Ireland's flag carrier takes its name from Irish words meaning what?

Air fleet is the meaning of aerloingeas, the Irish term behind the name of the carrier founded by the Irish government in 1936.

Air India was founded in 1932 under what name?

Tata Airlines was J. R. D. Tata's creation: he flew its first airmail run from Karachi to Bombay in a de Havilland Puss Moth, and the Tata Group bought the successor airline back in 2022.

What is the name of Air India's turbaned mascot?

The Maharajah, a bowing, moustachioed figure in a turban, was created in 1946 by Bobby Kooka and artist Umesh Rao as Air India's mascot.

Cathay Pacific was founded in 1946 by an Australian and a man of which other nationality?

American pilot Roy Farrell and Australian Sydney de Kantzow founded Cathay Pacific in September 1946, having flown over the Hump for the Allies; Swire took control in 1948.

JetBlue was founded by David Neeleman in 1999 under which working name?

NewAir was the working name Neeleman used before the airline became JetBlue, launching from JFK in February 2000 with seatback TV on Airbus A320s.

The French flag carrier was formed in 1933 through the merger of how many existing airlines?

Five carriers, Air Orient, Air Union, CIDNA, SGTA and Aéropostale, were merged in 1933 to create the French national airline.

Which aircraft-industry founder was the principal figure behind the formation of United Air Lines?

William E. Boeing's Boeing Air Transport won the 1927 Chicago-San Francisco airmail route, and his holding company merged four carriers into United Air Lines in 1931.

Which 1988 film, cut by other airlines for in-flight showing, has a character who will fly only Qantas?

Rain Man played uncut only on Qantas flights, since the scene lists other carriers' crashes; the film is credited with introducing the airline's safety record to US audiences.

Which restaurant chain launched its own airline in the 2000s, with two of its uniformed waitresses on every flight?

Hooters Air was owner Robert Brooks's flying billboard for the restaurants, and its two Hooters Girls only helped with hospitality beside traditionally dressed cabin crews.

Which Hollywood actor and pilot owned a former Qantas jetliner and served as the airline's goodwill ambassador?

John Travolta flew his own ex-Qantas 707 in the airline's old livery, then donated the jet in 2017 to an aircraft restoration society near Wollongong, Australia.

The world's shortest scheduled airline flight, about ninety seconds, links two islands in which Scottish group?

Orkney's Westray to Papa Westray hop is scheduled for a minute and a half, and Loganair's actual flying time is closer to one minute.

In the 2014 'nut rage' incident, a Korean Air executive forced a taxiing jet back to the gate over which snack?

Macadamias arrived in a bag instead of on a plate, so Heather Cho, the airline chief's daughter, had the cabin chief put off the plane; South Korean sales of the nut then rose nearly 250 percent.

Air New Zealand billed itself as the official airline of which fictional land, wrapping jets in film images in 2002?

Middle-earth returned in 2013, when Air New Zealand put a 54-metre image of the dragon Smaug along each side of a jet for the second Hobbit film.

Which entrepreneur launched Virgin Atlantic in 1984 and crossed the same ocean by hot-air balloon in 1987?

Richard Branson's balloon was named Virgin Atlantic Flyer, and four years later he and Per Lindstrand set off from Japan to cross the Pacific the same way.

Which Greek shipping tycoon, later married to Jacqueline Kennedy, founded Olympic Airways in 1957?

Aristotle Onassis was refused the famous Olympic rings for the airline's logo, so he simply added a sixth.

On which day of the week does Israel's flag carrier El Al fly no passengers, under a promise made by Ben-Gurion?

Saturday is the Jewish Sabbath, and religious parties joined David Ben-Gurion's first coalition only once he promised El Al would not fly on it and would serve only kosher food.

Which future US president ran a Northeast shuttle airline under his own name from 1989 to 1992?

Donald Trump paid $365 million for the shuttle and refitted its jets with maple veneer, chrome seat-belt latches and gold-coloured lavatory fixtures.

Which reclusive billionaire aviator and film producer held a controlling interest in Trans World Airlines by 1944?

Howard Hughes helped finance and design the Lockheed Constellation for the airline, then gave up control in the 1960s.

Bruce Dickinson, once an airline captain for the charter carrier Astraeus, sings with which heavy metal band?

Iron Maiden toured the world in Ed Force One, a converted Astraeus 757 with Dickinson himself at the controls.

Which Formula One world champion founded an Austrian airline under his own surname, starting with two Fokkers?

Niki Lauda owned Lauda Air for much of its life, before it became the leisure charter arm of Austrian Airlines.

Scandinavian Airlines was created in 1946 as the joint flag carrier of Denmark, Sweden and which third country?

Norway's national airline joined those of Denmark and Sweden to pool their transatlantic flights, and the trio merged fully in 1951.

The 'Cathay' in the name of Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific is an old European name for which country?

China was the Cathay of medieval Europe, and the founders added Pacific because they hoped the airline would one day fly across that ocean.

Garuda, named after the bird that carries the Hindu god Vishnu, is the flag carrier of which country?

Indonesia's founding president Sukarno suggested the name, and the airline's first aircraft was a DC-3 paid for by the people of Aceh.

Which cargo airline, founded by Fred Smith, runs its global 'Super Hub' at Memphis International Airport?

FedEx Express moved to Memphis in 1973, after founder Fred Smith failed to get the support he wanted from the airport at Little Rock.

Which nickname for overnight airline flights that land around dawn was also the title of a 2005 Wes Craven thriller?

Red-eye comes from the bloodshot look of tired passengers, since such flights are too short for a full night's sleep.

Which US president signed the Airline Deregulation Act, which freed carriers to set their own fares and routes?

Jimmy Carter signed it in October 1978, a year after he had signed a matching law that deregulated air cargo.

Which British entrepreneur launched Skytrain, a no-frills low-fare service across the Atlantic, in September 1977?

Freddie Laker's Skytrain flew cut-price seats between Gatwick and JFK, and he was knighted for services to the airline industry before Laker Airways went bankrupt in 1982.

Avianca, an airline that dates its founding to 1919, is the flag carrier of which country?

Colombia's flag carrier began in 1919 as SCADTA, and it took the Avianca name after merging with a regional rival in Barranquilla in 1940.

British Airways merged in 2011 with which Spanish flag carrier to form International Airlines Group?

Iberia and British Airways each became a subsidiary of the new group, which went on to buy Vueling and Aer Lingus.

Which Italian airline flew popes on their foreign visits from 1964 until it closed down in 2021?

Alitalia's papal charters, which began with Paul VI, were nicknamed Shepherd One by the press, though the real callsign was simply the Italian for papal flight.

Qatar Airways, established by its government in 1993, flies from Hamad International Airport in which capital city?

Doha was the departure city when Qatar Airways became the first airline to resume international flights to Iraq, on a route to Basra.

Which airline's 'Gimli Glider' jet glided to a landing in 1983 after a pounds-and-kilograms fuel mix-up?

Air Canada Flight 143 ran dry between Montreal and Edmonton because a faulty gauge and a wrong conversion left its tanks with 45 percent of the fuel the trip needed.

Which airline's Flight 305 was hijacked between Portland and Seattle by the unidentified parachutist D. B. Cooper?

Northwest Orient handed over $200,000 and four parachutes in Seattle; the only money ever recovered was $6,000 found on a bank of the Columbia River in 1980.

Which European flag carrier, nicknamed the 'Flying Bank' for its financial stability, made its final flight in 2002?

Swissair was regarded as a Swiss national symbol for most of its 71 years before the bankruptcy.

Which of the 'Big Four' US airlines was headed in its early years by First World War flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker?

Eastern Air Lines had Rickenbacker, credited with 26 aerial victories in the war, as its long-time head.

Which Malaysian low-cost airline did Tony Fernandes and a partner buy in 2001 for a nominal one ringgit?

AirAsia cost about 26 US cents because the buyers also took on its considerable liabilities; Fernandes had been a Time Warner executive.

Wizz Air, the ultra-low-cost airline founded by József Váradi, is headquartered in which European capital?

Budapest's airport, named after the composer Franz Liszt, is also one of the main bases of Wizz Air.

Which US airline's tail fins carry Pualani, an island woman whose name means 'flower of the sky'?

Hawaiian Airlines has flown the Pualani tail art since the 1970s, and newer jets add a silver maile lei wrapped around the fuselage beneath her.

Which national emblem has appeared on the tail fins of Aer Lingus aircraft, first in green and later in white?

The shamrock began as a large green leaf on the Aer Lingus fin and later turned white against a green tail.

Which Māori motif, first painted on the airline's DC-10s in 1973, forms the tail logo of Air New Zealand?

Koru is a spiral that evokes an unfurling silver fern frond, and in Māori art it stands for new life, growth, strength and peace.

Which Soviet-era symbol has Aeroflot kept in its logo since the USSR dissolved, despite plans to drop it?

The hammer and sickle was meant to be replaced, but Aeroflot kept it as the most recognisable mark the company had carried for over 70 years.

Which sculptor, known for his mobiles, painted a full-size Braniff jetliner as a 'flying canvas' in the 1970s?

Alexander Calder's contract with Braniff covered one DC-8 jetliner, dubbed Flying Colors, plus 50 gouaches, for a total fee of $100,000.

Which British politician covered up a model British Airways tail in 1997 in protest at its new ethnic-art designs?

Margaret Thatcher draped tissue paper over the model's fin, saying the airline flew the British flag and would lose its identity with the new art.

Which US low-cost airline puts a different wild animal on every tail, each with a name such as Flo the Flamingo?

Frontier Airlines put wildlife photographs on its tails from 1994, and a 2014 rebrand gave its 'spokesanimals' an even bigger role.

Which Japanese cartoon character has featured on specially painted jets flown by Taiwan's EVA Air since 2005?

Hello Kitty arrived through a campaign with her owner Sanrio, and later EVA Air liveries painted the faces of other Sanrio characters along the fuselage.

Which desert antelope, the national animal of Qatar, forms the burgundy logo on Qatar Airways tail fins?

An oryx also appears, slightly smaller, on the jets of the airline's private-charter arm, Qatar Executive.

Which Belgian comic-book hero inspired two Brussels Airlines special liveries, named Rackham and Gravity?

By 2024 the Tintin livery was the last of the Belgian Icon jets flying; others, honouring the painter Magritte and the national football team, had been repainted.

Which Seattle-based carrier became the first US airline to sell tickets over the internet, in 1995?

Alaska Airlines grew out of McGee Airways, a tiny outfit whose first service linked Anchorage with Bristol Bay.

Which 1925 silent film, adapted from a Conan Doyle novel, was screened for Imperial Airways passengers in flight?

The Lost World, with pioneering stop-motion dinosaurs by Willis O'Brien, is often cited as the first film shown to airline passengers, though a Chicago sightseeing flight screened a short in 1921.

British Airways flew its first scheduled Concorde service, in January 1976, to which Gulf destination?

Bahrain received the British launch flight on the same day the French one left for Rio de Janeiro by way of Dakar.

Heinrich Kubis, the German waiter who became the world's first flight attendant, survived which 1937 disaster?

The Hindenburg fire was the second wreck Kubis lived through, after the Schwaben was destroyed in 1912, and he helped passengers jump from the dining room to safety.

The first daily international air service, begun in August 1919, flew from Hounslow Heath in England to which city?

Paris was reached at Le Bourget, the same airfield where Charles Lindbergh would land after his solo Atlantic crossing in 1927.

The first jet airliner flight with fare-paying passengers, flown by BOAC in May 1952, ended in which African city?

Johannesburg was five stops and a scheduled 21 hours 20 minutes away on that first jet service.

From which Australian city did Qantas launch the first non-stop scheduled flights to Britain, in 2018?

Perth's new service meant that, for the first time, every continent except Antarctica was linked to the others by non-stop flights.

Which early airline booking system grew from a 1953 in-flight chat between an IBM salesman and an airline boss?

Sabre went online experimentally in 1960, and its name began as an abbreviation of Semi-Automated Business Research Environment.

Which ultra-low-cost carrier became the first US airline to charge passengers for carry-on bags, in 2010?

Spirit Airlines brought in the carry-on fee while flying a blue livery, four years before it repainted its jets bright yellow.

Which Soviet supersonic jet entered Aeroflot service in December 1975, weeks before Concorde's first passengers?

Tupolev Tu-144 services ran between Moscow and Alma-Ata, but passengers were not carried until November 1977 and the type was withdrawn under seven months later.