Almanac: TWA
And now a page from our "Sunday Morning" Almanac: October 25, 1930, 85 years ago today ... the day Transcontinental and Western Air inaugurated America's first coast-to-coast passenger air service.
New York to Los Angeles in 36 hours ... with an overnight stopover in Kansas City.
An airline with a prestigious link to Charles Lindbergh, TWA gained added cachet in 1939 when aviation mogul Howard Hughes acquired control.
Hughes expanded TWA's reach overseas, changing its name to Trans World Airlines in 1950.
TWA was a jewel of air travel's Golden Age, a symbol of in-flight glamour and style. That glamour reached its peak in 1962 with the opening of its new terminal at New York's Idlewild Airport (as JFK was then known).
Designed by the renowned Finnish architect Eero Saarinen, TWA's building looked from the outside like a bird with outstretched wings in flight -- while on the inside, Saarinen'a futuristic design captured the optimism and excitement of the Space Age.
Sadly, it was not to last.
A changing air travel marketplace, and contentious ownership and labor battles, helped to send TWA on a downward course.
American Airlines took over what was left in 2001, and its fabled New York terminal was closed.
Now, after years in limbo, the building is on track to spread its wings again, reimagined as an airport hotel. It's expected to open in 2018.
For more info: