Braniff International Airlines, Inc. Timeline
BRANIFF INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES, INC.
TIMELINE
1990 to 2009
1990 to 2009
February 1990
BIA-COR Holdings, Inc., a group of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, investors formed by the Paine Weber Group, forms BNAir, Inc, which is the entity that is used by the group to purchase the assets of Braniff, Inc., the second successor to Braniff Airways, Incorporated, and Braniff International Corporation. Braniff, Inc., had ceased operations and filed for bankruptcy protection in the fall of 1989.
Photo: Gerard Helmer, Copyright
April 23, 1990
The bankruptcy court handling the liquidation of Braniff, Inc., the successor of Braniff Airways, Incorporated, approves the transfer of Braniff’s Inc’s., operating certificate and only the trade name Braniff to BN Air, Inc., for $313,000 USD
May 16, 1990
Former Braniff, Inc., executives are hired by Braniff International that include the Company’s three Board of Directors, Scot Spencer, Jeffrey Chodorow (shown left) and Arthur Cohen, according to Ms. Irma Ellis, a longtime employee of Braniff Airways, Incorporated, and Braniff, Inc., who is now employed as Mr. Spencer’s executive assistant at the new Braniff.
Mr. Spencer will serve as president and chief executive officer; Mr. Rick Rivich, manager of maintenance at Braniff, Inc., now becomes vice president of Maintenance and Engineering and Mr. C. D. McLean, who was senior vice president of Operations at Braniff, Inc., will now serve as executive vice president of Operations
September 1, 1990
BNAir, Inc., purchases the assets of Emerald Airlines, Inc., a former scheduled passenger and cargo airline based in Austin, Texas, that had recently ceased operations and filed for bankruptcy protection.
The purchase netted BNAir, Inc., the Air Carrier Operating Certificate that it needed to begin scheduled air carrier operations. In addition, the sale included four McDonnell Douglas DC-9-10 Twinjets, a maintenance hangar at Houston Intercontinental Airport and an inventory of spare aircraft parts.
Photo: Braniff International Airlines, Inc., Douglas DC-9-14 registered as N931EA is taxiing at Ft. Lauderdale International Airport November 1991. Copyright, Jost Gruchel
December 1, 1990
Braniff begins charter operations primarily for tour operators from its base at Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport
June 15, 1991
Braniff International announces that Braniff Airways, Incorporated, veteran Mr. Sheldon Srulevitch is appointed president of the new airline. Mr. Srulevitch, a 35-year airline industry manager, joined Braniff Airways in 1970 as Vice President of Schedules and retired from the company in 1980 as Senior Vice President Market Planning
July 1, 1991
The sixth airline company to use Braniff’s name begins its first scheduled flights with eight leased airliners including three McDonnell Douglas DC-9-14 Twinjets and five Boeing 727-200 Trijets with service to Islip/Long Island Mac Arthur Airport, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Newark and Los Angeles.
Braniff offers $69 one-way introductory fares without restriction through July 15, 1991, between Islip/Long Island Mac Arthur Airport to Orlando and to Fort Lauderdale and $79 one-way from Dallas to Newark and Los Angeles.
Photo: Braniff International Airlines, Inc., Boeing 727-291 registered as N406BN is parked on the ramp in 1991. Copyright, Mark Abbot
July 1, 1991
Braniff announces that Mr. Gregory B. Dix, a noted travel industry CEO and race car driver, would assume the role as president and that Mr. Sheldon Srulevitch has left the company
July 16, 1991
Braniff International suspends service at Los Angeles International Airport citing the inability to secure a permanent passenger boarding gate and other handling facilities. Los Angeles International Airport Director Clifton A. Moore denied that the airport has created any interference with Braniff’s ability to use the airport
August 7, 1991
Citing the loss of a charter contract and the suspension of Los Angeles service, Braniff International Airlines files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection but continues to operate on a limited basis. The Company continues to operate but the Dallas/Ft. Worth to Ft. Lauderdale route is suspended until further notice.
Braniff ceases operating charters with its Boeing 727-200 aircraft but continues to operate charters to Atlantic City for Sterling Charter Group using McDonnell Douglas DC-9-10 airliners.
Mr. Dix commented about the reorganization filing, “We’ve continued to consolidate our operations within the New York/Long Island, Dallas/Ft. Worth and Florida triangle, maintaining our commitment to serving tourist markets and building our niche as a leisure carrier.”
Photo: Braniff International Airlines, Inc., Boeing 727-225 registered as N8855E is taxiing at Miami International Airport in 1992. Photo: Copyright, Petr Popelar
September 1, 1991
Braniff offers New York snowbirds a special fare of $79 USD one-way to Orlando.
Photo: Braniff used newspaper advertising extensively in its target cities such as Chicago. This ad touts Braniff’s commitment to low fares throughout its system. Copyright, Braniff Airways, Incorporated
September 12, 1991
The company ceases operations at its Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport base, citing a dispute with an aircraft lessor. A member of Braniff’s investor group, Mr. Jeffrey Chodorow, assumes the presidency of the company after Mr. Gregory Dix resigns as president and CEO
November 1, 1991
Braniff begins offering a special $99 USD one-way fare between Dallas/Ft. Worth and Ft. Lauderdale
December 4, 1991
President Chodorow announced that the airline had arranged for financing to again return to its DFW base and resume service and announces a substantial schedule to begin in January 1992.
Photo: Braniff began hiring key personnel for all positions at its stations nationwide. Copyright, Braniff Airways, Incorporated
January 1, 1992
Braniff reports a profit of $28,000 for the month of December 1991
January 15, 1992
Braniff International begins operations to several major cities throughout the United States including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago Midway, Columbus, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Fort Lauderdale, Islip/Long Island/MacArthur, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York JFK, Newark, Orlando, St. Thomas, San Juan, Tampa and West Palm Beach.
Photo: Route planning at Braniff was often sketched out on a drawing pad. The company’s strength was offering highly discounted travel between the Northeast and Florida. Copyright, Braniff Airways, Incorporated
February 1, 1992
A profit of $128,000 for the month of January 1992, is announced by the company
February 1, 1992
The DOT reports that 25 complaints were received concerning Braniff’s service for the month of January 1992. There were 10 reports of cancellations or delays, which is considered high for Braniff’s size
February 16, 1992
From mid-January to mid-February, 1992, Braniff Reservations Center was overwhelmed with more than 3 million inquiry calls, causing dropped calls and hang ups. New phone lines were installed to handle the demand but still only 500,000 calls per month could be effectively handled
March 1, 1992
The company reports a healthy profit of $197,000 for the month of February 1992. Costs per Seat Mile are down to .6 cents per mile compared to 8.2 cents for TWA and 9 cents or more for the other major carriers
March 1, 1992
Eighteen complaints were received about Braniff service at the DOT for the month of February 1992. This was down considerably from the month of January 1992
March 20, 1992
Inauguration of service at Atlanta, Boston, Chicago Midway, Columbus and Minneapolis/St. Paul
April 1, 1992
Braniff adopts the advertising slogan You Can’t Beat The Rate, which refers to the Airline’s low fares. The company offers a low fare of $198 roundtrip between Newark and Miami or Orlando, without restrictions even though only select seats are sold at this pricing level
April 23, 1992
Braniff passengers are met with long lines at airport ticket counters because the Airline’s agents still write tickets by hand. The company is awaiting its new electronic ticketing machines from a French company.
Braniff has implemented a simple strategy that is keeping its flights full – low fares. The company only offers three fare types and passengers can reschedule flights for only $25
July 2, 1992
Citing intense competition and fare wars ignited by Northwest Airlines and American Airlines, Braniff International Airlines, Inc., once again ceases operations and files Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Liquidation proceedings. Braniff becomes the fourth US airline in 18 months to seek bankruptcy protection along with Pan American World Airways, Inc., Midway Airlines and Eastern Airlines. Three airlines were also reorganizing at the time Braniff filed for protection including America West Airlines, Inc., Continental Airlines, Inc., and Trans World Airlines, Inc. A nationwide recession exacerbated the problems of Braniff as well as the other carriers.
United Airlines, Continental Airlines and America West Airlines assist Braniff passengers with their Braniff tickets.
At the time of cessation of operations, Braniff International Airlines, Inc., was serving the following destinations:
Atlanta, Boston, Columbus, Chicago Midway, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Fort Lauderdale, Islip/Long Island MacArthur Airport, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Newark, New York Kennedy Airport, Orlando, St. Thomas Virgin Islands, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Tampa and West Palm Beach.
Photo: Braniff timetables were printed on single sheets of paper. The July 1, 1992, System Timetable was the last that the company printed. Copyright, Braniff Airways, Incorporated
July 7, 1992
Braniff encourages passengers with confirmed tickets that were purchased with credit cards to contact their credit card companies for refunds. The company announces that it is considering refunding tickets that were paid for with cash or checks
July 8, 1992
Aeron Aviation President Amos Giron, owner of eight Boeing 727-200 Trijets that Braniff operated, repossessed the aircraft after the New York federal bankruptcy judge overseeing Braniff’s case approved the repossession of five of the eight jets and the company was filing to repossess the remaining three. Aeron Aviation has not received $800,000 USD in lease payments owed by Braniff. At the time that Braniff ceased operations, it operated 13 aircraft, which included 10 Boeing 727-200 Trijets and 3 McDonnell Douglas DC-9-10 Twinjets
July 13, 1992
Company President Jeffrey Chodorow states that he has had inquiries from ten potential bidders wanting to purchase Braniff’s FAA Operating Certificate to put the Airline back in the air
August 12, 1992
The US Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of New York appoints a Trustee for Braniff. The new Trustee is Mr. Abraham D. Sofaer.
Photo: Abraham D. Sofaer in 2020. Copyright, Hoover Institution
July 19, 1994
Former Braniff officers Jeffrey Chodorow and Scot Spencer are indicted in the Eastern District of New York on four counts of conspiring to defraud the DOT and for corruptly influencing the due administration of law by endeavoring to conceal Scot Spencer’s involvement with the operation of Braniff and of conspiring to fraudulently conceal from creditors property belonging to the estate of the debtor, i.e., funds belonging to Braniff and of fraudulently concealing from creditors property belonging to the estate of Braniff, a debtor
May 23, 1996
Pursuant to a plea arrangement that convicted him on two counts, Jeffrey Chodorow was sentenced to a four month prison term in addition to four year supervised release. It was further required that he pay a fine of $40,000, in addition to the $1.25 million, over a period of five years, that he had already agreed to pay Braniff’s bankruptcy Trustee. Scot Spencer, convicted on two counts, was sentenced to 51 months of prison and three years of supervised release. Scot Spencer appealed his case, and it was decided on October 30, 1997. His conviction was not overturned but was affirmed by the court