oldest airline?

Kerensky · 9 July 2006, 09:35 AM

whats the worlds oldest airline? is it aeroflot.

Pat Daily · 9 July 2006, 02:58 PM

The first airline, or at least the first in the US, was the little airline that flew the Benoist flying boat in Florida. Can't remember the name.

Pat

Rod_Filan · 11 July 2006, 11:17 PM

Oldest Airlines

Compagnie Generale Transaerienne
Astra airship Ville-de-Pau (later Ville-de-Lucerne)
2 Apr 1910 (first flight)
Scheduled sight-seeing tour service / Apr 1910

Deutsche Luftschiffahrts Aktien Gesellschaft (DELAG)
Zeppelin airship LZ 7 Deutschland
19 June 1910 (first flight)
Scheduled passenger/express service / June 1910

Roy Knabenshue (Pasadena-LA-Santa Monica-Long beach)
Knabenshue airship Pasadena
28 Sep 1913 (first flight)
Scheduled sight-seeing tour service / Dec(?) 1913

Silas Christofferson (San Fransisco-Oakland)
Christofferson Hydro flying boat
Unscheduled passenger/express service / mid(?) 1913

St. Petersburg-Tampa Air Line
Benoist XIV flying boat (Tony Jannus)
Scheduled passenger/express service / 1 Jan 1914

VBR
Rod

Doc · 12 July 2006, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BADBOY

whats the worlds oldest airline? is it aeroflot.

Gents, I don't know the answer, but I think Badboy asked about the oldest airline, not the first. An interesting question is which current airline can legitimately trace its lineage as a real airline back the furthest.... Not my area, but an interesting question, which would have to take into account many purchases, reorganisations, and takeovers. Doc

baldeagle · 12 July 2006, 07:56 PM

QANTAS, I think

Bruno Stachel · 13 July 2006, 05:00 AM

Lufthansa?

ONEALM · 13 July 2006, 11:21 AM

Have to agree with Bladeagle on this one -

From what little I have been able to dig up....

Lufthansa - 1926
Aeroflot - 1932
Qantas - 1920

I was going to nominate AeroTACA since it was established by Lowell Yerex early in the 20's, but not as early as QANTAs...

Kerensky · 13 July 2006, 05:41 PM

I heard Mexicana once.

Rod_Filan · 14 July 2006, 12:14 AM

Sorry, Chalk's beats Quantas by a year...

Chalk's Ocean Airways - 1919
Arthur Chalk, mechanic to Tony Jannus
You might recall, Quantas' unblemished passenger safety record took second place to Chalk's until last December.

Pat Daily · 14 July 2006, 08:35 AM

If TWA were still here, it might be their predecessor TAT--which started with airmail about 1926 or so.