Airliner World – April 2018

BOT TOM • Pan Am

announced on

September 14, 1984

that it would spend

more than $1bn to

acquire 28 single-aisle

and widebody airliners

from Airbus Industries.

Deliveries took

place between 1987

and 1990.

AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/

DIRK GROTHE

48 AIRLINER WORLD APRIL 2018

In the

Spotlight

Corporation had a sensible idea, which

was to look at where private invest-

ment works. I think private money is a

better alternative than the way it is run

right now with user support. So, why

not consider private investment for the

system? I don’t think there has been

enough focus on this possibility.

AW: As airlines have evolved over the

years, so have airline bosses. In your

opinion, what are today’s managers

doing right, and where are the areas for

improvement?

RR: I remember ‘Big Bob’ Six (Robert

Forman Six, CEO of Continental Airlines

from 1936 to 1980) when you ask that

question – a marketing genius. Back

in those days, marketing had a signifi-

cant role to play in an airline’s success,

or failure. Now, like a lot of industries,

we have a short-term vision. To me,

the key managers right now are skilled

in finance, and are not the entrepre-

neurial, marketing service-oriented

people of the past.

AW: What airlines do you admire

today, and what do you miss most

about the industry?

RR: Oh, I miss Pacific Southwest

Airlines. PSA was my favourite of the

seven companies that I worked for. It

was small, and easy to manage. The

employees were basically in charge.

I miss that flavour of daily excitement,

because the airline business is a quasi-

military organisation, when you look at

the need for performance, the uniforms

worn and the sense of discipline.

At PSA we were able to more than double

our share value (from $7.50 to $15.50)

when we sold the airline to US Air in 1986,

and we made a lot of money for

our shareholders.

The author would like to thank Russell

Ray Jr and Jeff Kriendler, former vice

president corporate communications

for Pan Am, for making this interview

possible.

RR:Oh, I miss Pacific Southwest our share value (from $7.50 to $15.50)

In April 1969 at Miami

International Airport,

Boeing’s then president

William Allen (left) and

Pan Am's Juan Trippe

disembark from the

prototype Boeing 747.

BOEING

Pan Am exhausted all

possibilities to remain

in business until the

very last minute.

A letter sent to all

employees by Russell

Ray Jr explaining the

situation.

JON PROCTOR VIA

AUTHOR