If TWA was still around today as of 2008 (question)

[Delta777LR]

My question is this, If TWA was still around today, what would the fleet be like, and what routes would they fly. I really miss that airline..

The fleets that came to my was

MD-80s
717
737NGs
757 & A330

[PhilDernerJr]

Good thread. I can't say I have enough knowledge about their route structure to make a good guess, but I would think that the 717 would probably be alive and fairly strong, and also the MD-80s. 757/767 probably as well. You'd see a lot of what AA has, but there would almost have to be a larger one as well, right?

Again, I don't know much about their route structure, but either a 777 or 744? If they had A330s, maybe the A340 would have been a good choice.

[Delta777LR]

From what i remember as for the longhaul planes TWA at one point had the A330 on order, but they were canceled.

[hiss srq]

They indeed has that sexy 330 on order. Along with the 318

[T-Bird76]

Based on what TWA had on the books their fleet would be the following.

Long Haul
A330-200/300

Med haul
757

Short to Med Haul
A320

Short Haul
717
A318

Left over
Late Model MD-80s
TWA had the last MD-80s built.

All of the 767s would have been gone by now along with the DC-9s. TWA was also planning on leasing 2 777s for their 2003 planned STL-NRT route which they had rights to.

[Matt Molnar]

TWA was also planning on leasing 2 777s for their 2003 planned STL-NRT route which they had rights to.
Looking at STL today it's hard to picture that it was once an international hub.

[MarkLawrence]

And - they have that new runway (which we knew as W1-W when it was first started) that was originally brought it to decrease the load on the main 2 runways.

I don't think it would have only been TWA's expansion at STL - there were talks in the old days of EI and LH coming into STL as well. If that had happened, I suspect B6 would be in there now as well.

[N790SW]

I would still hope for that JFK-ATH on their 741s ;) But its nice to dream eh :cry:

[T-Bird76]

TWA was also planning on leasing 2 777s for their 2003 planned STL-NRT route which they had rights to.
Looking at STL today it's hard to picture that it was once an international hub.

Matt at the time STL use to serve London and Paris plus a variety of Mexican cities. STL was never a huge international hub for TW but rather JFK was the main gateway at one time serving the following European/Mid East cities all at the same time. During the 70's, 80's and 90's TWA toppled Pan Am as the largest airline flying to Europe.

London
Paris (Euro hub city for TWA)
Madrid
Barcelona
Lisbon
Amsterdam
Brussels
Frankfurt
Zurich
Milan
Rome
Copenhagen
Stockholm
Istanbul
Athens
Cairo
Tel-Aviv
Riyadh
Vienna

TWA also served the following through their Paris hub using 727s.
Geneva
Munich
Zurich
Rome
Athens
Tel-Aviv
Berlin via Frankfurt

In the mid to late 90s TWA pulled down most European routes to only London, Paris, Milan, Rome, Tel-Aviv, and Riyadh. At the time they changed their focus to the Caribbean opening a focus city in San Juan. At their peak they had over 25% of the market in San Juan taking on American very well. This is one of the main reasons AA bought TWA, to remove a highly successful and growing competitor in one of their key markets. There's a great book called "TWA an airline and its Airplanes," which goes over TWA's history throughout the years. Its a very good book.

[dimamo1983]

That reminded me, I was flying back from Florida on Tuesday on G4 MD80 and the food carts still had TWA logos on them :)
Another interesting detail is that most signage was in Spanish first followed by English. Someone told me that American sent some of its MD80s south of the border so I thought it might of been a TWA maddog that became AA, then went down south and then became a G4, all in just a few years. That would of been pretty cool :roll: Sorry, didn't think about getting the tail number so the experts could track it down here ;)

[Alex T]

Ahh yes it would be interesting to see what TWA would be operating right now. Tommy seemed to be spot on about the aircraft choices, but I do wonder along with the A330 announcements would the A350 also be ordered over the 787?

Matt- Tommy is right, for the longest time, JFK was TWA's true intl hub, STL hardly served anything intl. All I remember is standing at gates C-34, 36 seeing flights to CUN, YVR, YYZ, LGW, CDG as the main intl ones. So one could say STL was the domestic hub partly, and anyone going intl to euros went thru JFK. We had such large planes flying STL-JFK it was one of the flagships of TWA, STL-JFK, L1011, 747, 767, 757, MD80's man we had every aircraft on the route, such a shame to only see 2 RJ STL-JFK, Eagle and Comair.

Dima- I love seeing old TWA signage at airports and planes. I am willing to bet your aircraft was indeed sold to a mexican airline then somehow wound up with G4. AA sold a few of their MD80's to other countries, one of the well known one was N912TW which crashed with One Two Go in Phuket.

I'll definetly have to buy the TWA book tommy mentioned.

Alex

[cancidas]

...the food carts still had TWA logos on them.

i would love one of them in mt house somewhere!

[JetBlueAirwaysFan]

If TWA were still alive.....
I only remember flying TWA one time. The route was from LGA-PBI r/t in 1998. I really liked it (but I would have rather flown Delta since I used to be a DL freak). I had no complaints about the airline. I only wish that they were still around today.

I think I would be able to appreciate TWA more if I had been old enough to understand its routes, fleet, and legacy. I was only 11 when they were acquired by AA, and 7 when I flew them. All I know was that TWA and Pan Am were to of the industries largest air carriers (in the USA) and I think they were very fierce rivals at one time.

I wonder how this new open skies agreement that is about to take effect would have affected TWA?

[Alex T]

I wonder how this new open skies agreement that is about to take effect would have affected TWA?

I can almost see the return of JFK-LHR once again!! :)

Since the last TWA flights out of LHR was to JFK in July of 1991. Here is a youtube Video of it.
Kleenex beware!

[youtubetp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CT-cSpTjBU[/youtubeAlex

[JetBlueAirwaysFan]

"It's been nice knowin ya"

Kleenex please.

[Delta777LR]

Well guys thanks for all the replies. And now here is another one of my computer drawings but this time its a TWA L-1011 I did just tonight.
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o37/sergair/aviation%20photos%20part%202/TWAL-1011.jpg

[JetBlueAirwaysFan]

Great picture!

[T-Bird76]

Well guys thanks for all the replies. And now here is another one of my computer drawings but this time its a TWA L-1011 I did just tonight.
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o37/sergair/aviation%20photos%20part%202/TWAL-1011.jpg

Sergio the 1930 date is incorrect. TWA always considered its start in 1925, as they celebrated their 75th anniversary in 2001. TWA was founded on July 13th 1925.

[Delta777LR]

Thanks for the correction Tom!!