Airlines Flying LAX To New York Forty Years Ago

What did the premier trans-con route between LAX and New York look like forty years ago? I piece it together with the help of airline timetables, advertisements and promotional materials. As it turns out, there were many desirable flights, but for the industry as a whole, it was a turbulent time. Fasten your seat belt, as we travel back in time, to 1982.

My favorite streaming site, YouTube, provides me with my fix for all things aviation and airline-related.  Like most aviation geeks, I could watch those hair-raising crosswind landing videos and dreamy First-Class flight reviews all day long.

On a recent YouTube search, I noticed this quirky little video, “Martin Short & Lucille Ball’s Airplane Argument”. Now THERE is an interesting aviation angle, I thought.

In this late-night appearance, Short tells of an encounter he had with the legendary Lucille Ball while travelling in first class on a flight from Los Angeles to New York, sometime in 1982.

While Short never mentioned the airline or aircraft type (although there was a clue) during his telling of this story, my aviation geek brain began to imagine the time and the place.

I could envision the magnificent First-Class environment found on the typical trans-con flight between LAX and New York in 1982 – a roomy, wide-body aircraft, wide recliner seats with footrests, sumptuous meals served on china, and naturally, a cabin without the riffraff seen on today’s flights.

It was this humorous interview that got me thinking about what the trans-con experience between LAX and New York would’ve been like forty years ago, and more specifically, who the airline players were on this premier domestic route.

I would start by putting my old 1982 airline timetables to use for the purpose of listing the non-stop, and the same-plane, one-stop trans-con flights available between LAX and New York City that year.

You can see the list below, but first a bit of perspective on the industry and how things looked that year.

GOLDEN AGE FOR TRANS-CON TRAVEL

For domestic airlines in the 1970s and early 1980s, the Los Angeles to New York route brought a certain amount of prestige.

Like the New York to London Heathrow route in the international segment, it was highly competitive, hotly contested and immensely important, and airlines were more than eager to compete not just on price, but on service too. First Class travel especially, would have had an air of exclusivity about it.

It was the premier U.S. route, a fact borne out by the wide-body aircraft that airlines had dedicated to flying it.

In 1982, the domestic trans-continental market between LAX and New York would have been dominated by such classic airliners as the Boeing 747, Lockheed L-1011, the McDonnell Douglas DC-10, and for one airline, the A-300 (and no, it wasn’t Pan Am, yet). If that doesn’t sound like a “golden age” of air travel, I don’t know what does.

A TIME OF TURBULENCE

The business environment in which the airlines were operating in 1982, was not ideal. Like many countries, the U.S. was also in the midst of a recession.

Complicating matters, the U.S. airline industry was just four years into the era of deregulation, when the airlines and airline labor groups were only just beginning to come to terms with what this new, highly competitive operating environment would demand of them.

Some airlines were on the verge of collapse – Republic and Western come to mind (both would recover and in a few years, become desirable takeover targets).

Pan Am and TWA were feeling the heat of competition in this new world order, and sadly, it was the year when for the first time a major airline, Braniff International, would collapse and go out of business entirely.

Pan Am chairman and president, C. Edward Acker, summed up the year perfectly in the airline’s 1982 annual report.

“The airline industry suffered its third consecutive year of severe financial losses. Member companies of the International Air Transport Association, which provide approximately 75 percent of the world’s scheduled airline service, lost more than $2 billion. Over the past three years, IATA carriers have lost an unprecedented $5.6.”

Acker blamed the severe industry losses not just on recessionary pressures, saying “weakened consumer demand has been accompanied by rising operating and interest expenses; by increased competition – due primarily to deregulation and a proliferation of new airlines – which has led to overcapacity on many routes, a dilution of traffic and fare discounting; and by airport restrictions that were imposed in the wake of the U.S. air traffic controllers’ strike.”

Acker may well have had Capitol Air and World Airways on his mind when referring to increased competition and overcapacity.

Primarily charter airlines, Capitol and World would turn to scheduled service operations in 1979, bringing ultra-low fares to the trans-con market – something that would have been unheard of on the lucrative LAX-New York route prior to deregulation.

Nipping at the heels of the major legacy airlines, the low fare tactics would ultimately backfire on World and Capitol.

In a strange twist, World Airways would petition the Civil Aeronautics Board in March 1982 to re-regulate fares as it had done before the 1978 deregulation act. World would cite the damaging effect that price wars were having on its profitability.

World Airways in essence was asking for a re-regulated market, to protect it from the very thing that they helped create – cut-rate competition.

In the very near future, the legacy carriers would view each of these small airlines as little more than a competitive nuisance. In just two years, People Express would come along and do something that both Capitol Air and World Airways together could not bring to the trans-con route, much less to the domestic market as a whole – real and sustained price competition.

MORE STORIES YOU’LL LOVE…

• World’s Best Airline Logos
• Herman The Duck, North Central and Republic Airlines
• 9 Tips For Sleeping On A Plane In Economy
• Airlines Likely To Lose Your Luggage

CHOOSE YOUR LAX TO NEW YORK AIRLINE

Now, to the fun part – the airlines and the flights.

As any follower of airline schedules knows, routes, times and equipment changes are constant. My list of flights is merely a snippet in time, this being early 1982. For the trans-con route, things remained relatively stable so this list does provide a good overview of flight availability during the early nineteen-eighties.

Two major airlines, Delta and Braniff International are missing from the trans-con list. Braniff would shut down entirely that May but all flights before were change-of-plane services scheduled through DFW

Delta offered many interesting connections in terms of aircraft type but according to the timetables, they also required a change of aircraft. The airline would have offered some pretty desirable TriStar flights and I’m guessing, the occasional Super DC-8 out of LAX.

Surprisingly, Republic Airlines, which served both LA and New York City did not even offer a scheduled connection between the two coastal cities. That changed however in the summer of 1982 when the airline launched nonstop service to LAX from their Minneapolis and Detroit hubs.

This would begin Republic’s famous Celebrity Service with Boeing 727-200s operating the same-plane, one-stop service between LAX and New York’s LaGuardia Airport via both of their Midwest hubs.

Fellow Minneapolis airline, and fierce Republic competitor, Northwest Orient, would also put a Boeing 727-200 on their one-stop, same-plane service, although at a much less desirable time.

Republic’s much-advertised same-plane Celebrity Service between LAX and LaGuardia would be another thorn in the side of an already prickly Northwest Orient. Over the next several years, the Northwest grudge against hometown rival Republic would grow ever larger – but that’s a story for another day.

(On a side note, a year later in 1983, Northwest would give everything it had, at least on the LAX to Minneapolis portion, by upgrading to an all DC-10 schedule, allowing the airline to offer its Regal Imperial Service on the domestic route. Continuing on to New York, however, would require a change of aircraft – and a downgrade to a 727-200).

The remaining major or national airlines of the day served either LAX or New York City, but not both.

Western, and Denver based Frontier Airlines served LAX, but not New York City.

US Air, Piedmont and Ozark served New York City but not Los Angeles.

As it turns out, it wasn’t long before US Air and Piedmont would join the fray as they moved into LAX and begin offering coastal connections through their hubs in Pittsburgh and Charlotte, respectively.

St. Louis based Ozark Air Lines never did move into the LAX market, although they did serve San Diego. Ozark would be another proud national carrier to disappear from the skies when it merged with TWA in 1986.

There were some trans-con surprises that I had not expected. American and United were huge players on this route, even bigger than I expected. United was unique for offering double daily flights to JFK and Newark from Los Angeles.

TWA had a good selection of flights, while Pan Am was surprisingly sparse in its LAX to New York offerings, at least in 1982. Both airlines however were clever competitors when you consider that they were offering both a First and a Business Class product. In that respect, these legendary airlines were ahead of their time (Martin Short’s clue from the video above).

Eastern was famous for its discounted red-eye flights in the early 1980s, extending to their trans-con services. Unlike Capitol Air and World’s cut-rate philosophy, however, this established legacy airline would bring a consistent level of inflight service to the route, both in first and economy.

Eastern was especially appealing for the Airbus A300 aircraft used, a rarity in those days, at least in the USA.

1982 TRANS-CON FLIGHTS

If you were flying coast to coast between LAX and New York in 1982, based on the following flight options, which flight would you select? If you’re like me, I would have to try every single one, and then do it again, in another class of service.

I hope you enjoy this trip back in time, and if you haven’t already, be sure to watch the Martin Short interview above! My guess is that he was flying American, Pan Am or TWA

Additionally, feel free to share any related information on these flights or on this period in airline history in the comment section below.

AMERICAN AIRLINES – (non-stops)

American Airlines would have been the one to beat with a schedule like this. The onboard service would no doubt have been equally impressive. A seat map of their 747 from that time did show what looked to be a true business-class section while the DC-10 appears to have been a blocked middle seat.

LAX-JFK

Flight 2 – departs 8:30am; arrives 4:36pm (DC10 or B747)
Flight 40 – departs 10:00am; arrives 6:08pm (DC10 or B747)
Flight 32 – departs 1:00pm; arrives 9:04pm (DC10 or B747)
Flight 10 – departs 10:00pm; arrives 6:00am (DC10 or B747)

JFK-LAX

Flight 1 – departs 9:00am; arrives 11:45am (DC10 or B747)
Flight 3 – departs 12:00pm; arrives 2:42pm (DC10 or B747)
Flight 21 – departs 6:00pm; arrives 8:55pm (DC10 or B747)
Flight 29 – departs 7:30pm; arrives 10:30pm (DC10 or B747)

Capitol Air – (non-stops)

Capitol’s timetable touted “Full course hot meals and snacks; Full bar service, superbly maintained Super DC-8 and wide-body DC-10 jets – movies and stereo on DC-10 for $2 headset fee.” While all economy, it would most likely have been a nice service when compared to today’s economy experience. Capitol would cease operations around 1984.

LAX-JFK

Flight 210 – departs 8:45am; arrives 5:30pm (DC10)
Flight 212 – departs 2:35pm; arrives 10:50pm (Super DC8)

JFK-LAX

Flight 211 – departs 9:30am; arrives 12:45pm (Super DC8)
Flight 209 – departs 7:30pm; arrives 10:45pm (DC10

CONTINENTAL – (same plane, one-stop)

With decent times and a great aircraft, Continental would have provided an enjoyable one stop way to get to New York, especially in First Class. In October 1982, Texas International Airlines acquired Continental while retaining the Continental name.

LAX-(DEN)-EWR

Flight 912 – departs 7:00am; arrives 4:30pm (DC10)
Flight 910 – departs 11:20am; arrives 8:55pm (DC10)

EWR-(DEN)-LAX

Flight 911 – departs 5:50pm; arrives 9:57pm (DC10)

Eastern Air Lines – (non-stops)

Notable for its Airbus A-300 equipment, Eastern would have been an avgeek favorite. While the timetable states A-300 service, this advertisement from the time also highlights the L-1011.

LAX-JFK

Flight 224 – departs 8:50pm; arrives 4:49am (A300 or L1011)

JFK-LAX

Flight 225 – departs 10:15pm; arrives 1:10am (A300 or L1011)

Northwest Orient – (same plane, one-stop)

Northwest listed the operating aircraft type in the back of their timetables. Just a year later, in 1983, Northwest would offer four daily non-stops from LAX to MSP, all on DC-10 equipment, but a change of aircraft would still be required on to LGA.

LAX-(MSP)-LGA

Flight 200 – departs 12:45am; arrives 10:37am (B727-200)

No same plane service is listed for return.

Republic Airlines – (same plane, one-stop)

For the airline that served more U.S. cities than any other airline, Republic’s trans-con Celebrity Service would add a much-needed coastal link to its route network in 1982. That same year, Republic would unveil its ‘Business Coach’ inflight cabin with business class seats and enhanced service.

LAX-(DTW)-LGA

Flight 330 – departs 8:40am; arrives 5:58pm (B727-200)

LAX-(MSP)-LGA

Flight 304 (ex. Sat) – departs 11:30am; arrives 9:00pm (B727-200)

LGA-(DTW)-LAX

Flight 331 – departs 2:15pm; arrives 6:00pm (B727-200)

LGA-(MSP)-LAX

Flight 301 (ex. Sun) – departs 7:00am; arrives 10:50am (B727-200)

Pan Am – (non-stops and same plane, one stop)

Pan Am increased service on this route in later years, but in spring 1982 it was a sole 747 nonstop and same plane service via Houston. Clipper Class (Business Class) brought something refreshing to the route. All operating aircraft types were listed at the back of their timetables.

LAX-JFK

Flight 114 – departs 9:00am; arrives 5:17pm (B747)

LAX-(IAH)-JFK

Flight 24 – departs 10:30am; arrives 8:43pm (B727-200)

JFK-LAX

Flight 811 – departs 4:00pm; arrives 7:02pm (B747)

JFK-(IAH)-LAX

Flight 25 – departs 8:30am; arrives 1:36pm (B727-200)

TWA – (non-stops)

TWA did not distinguish between operating aircraft types in their timetables, opting only for boldface type to denote wide-body L-1011 and Boeing 747. Like Pan Am, TWA offered a business class style cabin option called ‘Ambassador Class’ which became available on all wide-body aircraft by late 1982. TWA would no doubt have been a passenger favorite on this route.

LAX-JFK (4x flights outbound)

Flight 736 – departs 8:30am; arrives 4:36pm (L1011 or B747)
Flight 840 – departs 10:45am; arrives 6:45pm (L1011 or B747)
Flight 8 – (ex. Sat) departs 3:25pm; arrives 11:17pm (L1011 or B747)
Flight 702 – departs 9:50pm; arrives 5:38am (L1011 or B747)

JFK-LAX (3x flights return)

Flight 7 – departs 11:45am; arrives 2:28pm (L1011 or B747)
Flight 731 – departs 4:45pm; arrives 7:34pm (L1011 or B747)
Flight 841 – departs 6:15pm; arrives 9:11pm (L1011 or B747)

United – (non-stops)

United served both JFK and Newark and their timetable is a joy to review as it had very specific information on aircraft type and inflight services offered. While LAX to New York was operated with DC-10s, the airline’s 747 operations centered mostly around Chicago, Newark, San Francisco and Honolulu.

LAX-JFK

Flight 6 – departs 9:00am; arrives 5:05pm (DC10)
Flight 28 – departs 9:30pm; arrives 5:20am (DC10)

LAX-EWR

Flight 4 – departs 9:10am; arrives 5:05pm (DC10)
Flight 12 – departs 3:00pm; arrives 10:45pm (DC-10)

JFK to LAX

Flight 5 – departs 12:00pm; arrives 2:50pm (DC-10)
Flight 15 – departs 6:15pm; arrives 9:10pm (DC-10)

EWR to LAX

Flight 19 – departs 9:00am; arrives 11:50am (DC10)
Flight 11 – departs 6:30pm; arrives 9:10pm (DC10)

World Airways – (Daily nonstop and daily one-stop)

It’s unclear from the timetable what the class offerings and aircraft type were. The DC-10 seems to have been the operating aircraft based on World Airways promotional materials from the time. A separate business class cabin was offered on flights via BWI. Suffering heavy losses, World Airways would end scheduled service in 1986.

LAX-EWR (1x flight daily)

Flight 10 – departs 9:05am; arrives 4:55pm (DC10)

LAX-(BWI)-EWR

Flight 14 – departs 12:30am; arrives 9:55am (DC10)

EWR-LAX (2x flight daily)

Flight 11 – departs 11:00am; arrives 1:50pm (DC10)
Flight 17 – departs 6:30pm; arrives 9:15pm (DC10)