"operated up to three daily frequencies each way between Gatwick and JFK and Gatwick and Miami as well as twice daily round-trips between Gatwick and Los Angeles. This made Laker the fourth biggest transatlantic scheduled airline between the UK and US as well as fifth biggest overall. By that time, the airline had carried over two million ""Skytrain"" passengers. In 1980, Laker Airways withdrew its application to run ABC flights to Australia. Instead, the airline proposed a scheduled low-fare service from London Gatwick with one stop. It was to be one flight a day in each direction using the airline's"
"with getting there cheaply than comfortably or even exactly on time. Loftleiðir were not famous for speed or punctuality, but flying with the company became a sort of rite of passage for those young ""hippies"", one of whom was Bill Clinton, later US President. The first airline offering no-frills transatlantic service was Freddie Laker's Laker Airways, which operated its famous ""Skytrain"" service between London and New York City during the late 1970s. The service was suspended after Laker's competitors, British Airways and Pan Am, were able to price Skytrain out of the market. In the United States, airline carriers such"
"Laker Airways Laker Airways was a wholly private, British independent airline founded by Sir Freddie Laker in 1966. It was originally a charter airline flying passengers and cargo worldwide. Its head office was located at London Gatwick Airport in Crawley, England. It became the second long-haul, low-cost, ""no frills"" airline in 1977, operating low-fare scheduled services between London Gatwick Airport and New York City's John F. Kennedy Airport (after pioneering Icelandic low-cost carrier Loftleiðir). The company did not survive the recession of the early 1980s and operated its last flight on 5 February 1982, the day it went bankrupt. Freddie"
"concept was targeting people clamouring for discounted air fares across the Atlantic. This was a market the established transatlantic scheduled carriers had ignored, mainly because it was not profitable given their high cost structures and complex organisations. Although Laker Airways had lower costs and a simpler organisation, it needed high year-round loads to make money at discount prices. Most of the passengers were likely to travel during the summer peak period. This made it challenging to achieve high loads during the winter. The beginning of the end came when Pan Am, a transatlantic competitor, decided in October 1981 to drop"
"a sister airline to Laker Airways (Bahamas) to follow in the original, UK-based Laker Airways's footsteps. Laker Airways Mark II leased two McDonnell Douglas DC-10 widebodied jets to operate low-fare, high quality transatlantic scheduled services, which commenced on 5 July 1996 between Fort Lauderdale in Florida and London Gatwick at a frequency of two return flights per week. Additional scheduled services subsequently linked Orlando with Manchester and Glasgow Prestwick. Laker Airways, Inc ceased operations in 1998. According to the September 15, 1994 edition of the Official Airline Guide (OAG]), the airline was operating nonstop Boeing 727-200 jet service between its"
"demand for cheap transatlantic air travel at fares below the official IATA minimum fares. This was also the time Laker Airways was battling the authorities on both sides of the Atlantic to gain approval for its revolutionary ""Skytrain"" low-fare, ""no frills"" transatlantic scheduled service that it intended to operate between London and New York City on a daily basis. The resulting compromise led to the framing of a set of new ""Advance Booking Charter"" (ABC) flight rules that did away with all of the onerous rules that had governed ""affinity group"" charters other than a four-week advance booking period (subsequently"
"it carried thousands of holidaymakers from the Western parts of the then divided German capital to resorts in the Mediterranean and Canary Islands. In 1972, Laker Airways co-founded Gatwick Handling, a Gatwick handling agent that has become part of the Aviance group, with Dan-Air. Each airline owned 50% of Gatwick Handling at its inception. Laker Airways pioneered cost-saving to reduce its engines' wear and tear, reduce fuel consumption, and achieve greater range than indicated by the manufacturers' range specifications. Laker Airways was first to use the ""reduced thrust"" take-off technique it had developed for the BAC One-Eleven. Reducing the BAC"
"commitments.) The new ABC rules enabled Sir Freddie to build a successful ABC flights business across the North Atlantic over the next couple of years, making Laker Airways the market leader in transatlantic ABC flights. During the early to mid-1970s, the airline ran low-key advertising on hoardings and public transport in London, Manchester and other large British cities under the motto ""Take a Laker"". Laker's transatlantic charters provided meals, movies – new in those days that helped distinguish it from the competition – and a free bar. The success of Laker Airways's transatlantic ABC flights resulted in an application to"
"(where competition with the Acela Express is fierce) and on the Eastern shores of Australia. Laker's most important legacy was that pioneering low-fare services across the Atlantic helped pave the way for low-cost airlines such as EasyJet and Ryanair, liberating the industry from the regulatory straitjacket IATA had imposed for decades in collusion with governments. These governments invariably were sole or majority owners of most IATA airlines. This was Laker's greatest contribution to its industry's future development. However, unlike Laker, the vast majority of low-cost airlines have limited themselves to short and midrange flights and shunned the longrange market. Almost"
"the later postwar years of the 20th century (post-1960): Laker Airways was formed in 1966. This was Laker's third and most prominent airline venture. Laker Airways commenced commercial airline operations that July with a fleet of two ex-BOAC Bristol Britannias. These were subsequently supplemented and eventually replaced with a brand-new fleet of BAC One-Eleven jetliners as well as a pair of second-hand Boeing 707 jets. Initially, Laker Airways was a charter airline and wholesale tour operator. British (as well as other European) airline regulations at the time required that charter-based low-price air travel be sold to the public only as"
"Laker Airways and Dan-Air. At the time, Laker's and Dan-Air's Tegel-based fleets mainly comprised BAC One-Eleven twinjets. These aircraft were better suited to short- and medium-haul Mediterranean flying that accounted for most package tour flights from West Berlin and had fewer seats in a tighter seating configuration than the US supplemental's four-engined Convair jets. This made the UK independents' aircraft more economical for the bulk of West Berlin charter flying and enabled them to undercut its American rival. In addition, the much closer proximity of the UK independent airlines' main operating bases at London Gatwick Airport and Luton Airport to"
"reduced to two weeks). However, the subsequent introduction of Laker Airways' ""Skytrain"" operation on key transatlantic routes between the UK and the US as well as the competitive response this triggered from other airlines, including many long-established IATA members, resulted in a growing range of low fares being offered on most scheduled services on a year-round basis. The established IATA carriers were able to afford these low fares by cross-subsidising them with their far more expensive premium (mostly business class) fares. This undermined the long-term economics as well as the popularity of ABC flights to such an extent that these"
"licences, the airline was experiencing financial difficulties and had to dispose of three A300 widebodies to cut costs by reducing the number of aircraft types as well as its overall size. Laker Airways intended to commence operations on both routes during the spring of 1982, operating two flights a day each way using spare capacity on its remaining BAC One-Elevens. The airline ceased to exist before the inaugural date. Laker introduced a short-lived scheduled service between Manchester and Zürich during 1981, which it operated at one flight per day in each direction using a newly delivered A300 widebody. This route,"
"the airline's only short-haul scheduled operation, had come about after British Airways's decision to abandon its loss-making Manchester–Zürich services. Laker's application to have BA's licence transferred to itself resulted in its becoming the UK flag carrier between Manchester and Zürich. The airline's subsequent withdrawal and its demise in turn resulted in Dan-Air becoming the UK flag carrier between Manchester and Zürich. BCal began offering ""Miniprix"" fares on off-peak services on Gatwick–Amsterdam after it had obtained approval from the UK authorities and their Dutch counterparts. Laker Airways sought to strengthen its position as a transatlantic airline by applying to the CAA"
"the following morning, and the longer flight times mean there is less scope to increase aircraft utilization as in short-haul. The business model is financially risky, and many companies have entered bankruptcy, like Laker Airways. In 2004, Irish Aer Lingus maintains a full service on transatlantic flights while it lowered its prices to compete with Ryanair on short haul. Late in 2004, Oasis Hong Kong Airlines offered London to Hong Kong flights from £199, and Canadian Zoom Airlines started selling transatlantic flights between the UK and Canada for £89. In August 2006, Zoom announced a UK subsidiary to offer low-cost"
"seven weekly round-trips during the winter. The summer schedule was to be operated with Laker's brand-new DC-10 widebodied jet aircraft to take advantage of increased demand he anticipated for his new low-fare service during the peak months from June to September as well as of the DC-10's low break-even load factor of only 52%. The winter schedule was to be operated with 707 narrowbodies as specified in Laker's original application to the ATLB. The newly formed CAA approved Laker's application on 5 October 1972, granting a ten-year licence. However, it specified Stansted rather than Gatwick as the service's UK departure/arrival"
"to provide service on the previously untapped South American trade and passenger routes. Originally named British Latin American Air Lines (BLAIR) it was split off from the British Overseas Airways Corporation to operate its South Atlantic routes. It commenced transatlantic services in March 1946, with a BSAA Avro Lancastrian making the first operational flight from London's Heathrow Airport. The airline operated mostly Avro aircraft: Yorks, Lancastrians and Tudors, and flew to Bermuda, the West Indies and the western coast of South America. ""Star Tiger"" was one of three enlarged and improved versions of the Avro Tudor, designated Tudor IV; it"
"Cathay Pacific was among airlines attacking Laker's plans. The established transpacific airlines were concerned that Laker was likely to create excess capacity, threatening the profitability as well as long-term viability of these routes. Sir Freddie said Cathay seemed concerned about sharing the Hong Kong – Tokyo route with a competitor because this route was the main source of profits for Cathay Pacific's Asian and transpacifc operation. Laker abandoned ""Globetrain"" due to its inability to obtain regulatory approvals. In September 1978, Laker Airways became the UK launch customer for the twin-engined Airbus A300, short- and medium-haul widebodied jet. The airline ordered"
"Joe Strummer introduces a song titled ""I'm So Bored with the USA"" in a live concert venue with the words ""This song is made possible by Freddie Laker."" Freddie Laker Sir Frederick Alfred Laker (6 August 1922 – 9 February 2006) was an English airline entrepreneur, best known for founding Laker Airways in 1966, which went bankrupt in 1982. Known as Freddie Laker, he was one of the first airline owners to adopt the ""no-frills"" airline business model that has since proven to be very successful worldwide with companies such as Southwest Airlines, Norwegian Air, Ryanair, easyJet, AirAsia and WestJet."
"proposal's merits as a result of lobbying from BOAC and Qantas, both of which were estimated to have lost £11 million in revenue due to competition from charter airlines on the ""kangaroo route"". From December 1970, one of Laker's two 707s was used for a once-a-week low-fare service linking Luxembourg with Barbados on behalf of International Caribbean Airways, a joint venture between Barbados businessmen Norman Ricketts and Geoffrey Edwards, who enjoyed the support of the Barbados government, and Laker Airways. Laker Airways initially held a 33% stake in International Caribbean. The aircraft Laker Airways allocated to International Caribbean Airways sported"
"a component of an air-hotel package. Other big British charter airlines were also owned by tour operators, mainly selling low-priced packages to Mediterranean beach destinations. For many years Laker had been the most profitable as well as the best-run charter airline in Britain. Laker Airways pioneered many new, cost-saving as well as profit-enhancing, commercial concepts and operational techniques. In 1969, Laker Airways announced its intention to buy the proposed BAC Three-Eleven, an all-British widebodied jet powered by two rear-mounted Rolls-Royce RB211 engines. The airline's letter of intent was for four aircraft to be delivered in 1974. It was anticipated that"
"airline in 1953, is credited with introducing this strategy. The New York Times called him a ""low-cost travel pioneer."" Between 1952 and 1962, Loftleiðir co-operated with the Norwegian airline Braathens SAFE on the transatlantic routes on a codeshare-like basis, as well as maintenance, inspection, overhaul and repairs. When the European focus shifted from Scandinavia to Luxemburg, this partnership was terminated. International Air Bahama, a small airline based in the Bahamas operating transatlantic Boeing 707 jet service between Nassau and Luxembourg, was acquired in 1969 with International Air Bahama subsequently operating stretched Super Douglas DC-8 jetliners on its transatlantic flights. In"
"This move marked a major strategic shift in the company's fare structure. Tampa, Florida, was added in 1981 from Gatwick, Manchester and Prestwick, following lobbying from Bob Beckman's client. By that time, the firm had sold both the older, shorter fuselage Boeing 707-138Bs and disposed of one BAC One-Eleven. This left it with 20 aircraft comprising 14 widebodies and six narrowbodies – 11 DC-10s, three A300s, two 707s and four One-Elevens, doubling the size within only five years. Over this period the number working for Laker Airways and associated companies doubled again to 2,000. During the 1981 summer period, Laker"
"launch the world's first daily transatlantic, low-fare scheduled service between London and New York City, charging a then incredibly low one-way fare of £32.50 in winter and £37.50 in summer. This was one third of what the major, established ""flag carriers"" were charging at the time. The proposed service was to be marketed using the ""Skytrain"" trademark and was to be initially operated with 158-seat, single-class Boeing 707-138Bs that were acquired second-hand. ""Skytrain"" was to be a ""walk-on"", ""walk-off"" operation that did not require any advance reservations. Instead, seats were to be sold to the travelling public at each end"
"to the distant points on its network. Despite these drawbacks, Laker Airways took two of those five Mitsui (originally intended for ANA) ordered aircraft. The three remaining Mitsui aircraft went to Turkish Airlines (THY). The airline concluded it could fly non-stop from the UK to any point east of the Rockies by keeping the baggage limit at and reducing single-class seating from 380 to 345. The saving could be used to carry more fuel. The calculations had shown that even with reduced seating, it had to fill only 52% of the seats to break even. Moreover, Laker Airways had figured"
"main base in Freeport, Bahamas (FPO) and the following U.S. destinations: Laker Airways (Bahamas) Laker Airways (Bahamas) was an airline founded in 1992, which operated until 2005. Laker Airways (Bahamas) was a US-registered airline based in the Bahamas to which Sir Freddie Laker lent his name and operational expertise. The airline was established in 1992 with financial assistance from Oscar Wyatt, a Texas oilman and business partner of Sir Freddie Laker. The initial fleet comprised two Boeing 727-200 Advanced narrowbodied jet aircraft. Laker Airways (Bahamas) stopped operating in 2005 when the firm was wound up. In 1996 Sir Freddie Laker"
"all attempts to enter the longrange market with a low cost model have ended within a couple of years in either withdrawal or bankruptcy. Sir Freddie Laker became an inspiration and cautionary tale for Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Atlantic Airways, when they set about deciding their long-term strategy. 0n 17 August 1969, a BAC One-Eleven 320L (registration: G-AVBX) operating a charter flight from Klagenfurt, Austria, to Berlin Tegel, Germany, under contract to West Berlin package holiday company Flug-Union Berlin. The aircraft made an emergency landing at Hanover Airport because of an electrical fire in an aerial tuning unit in"
"Freddie Laker Sir Frederick Alfred Laker (6 August 1922 – 9 February 2006) was an English airline entrepreneur, best known for founding Laker Airways in 1966, which went bankrupt in 1982. Known as Freddie Laker, he was one of the first airline owners to adopt the ""no-frills"" airline business model that has since proven to be very successful worldwide with companies such as Southwest Airlines, Norwegian Air, Ryanair, easyJet, AirAsia and WestJet. Laker came from Canterbury in Kent, and attended the Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys, from which he was expelled, before starting work in aviation with Short Brothers"
"his first airline venture, which he took over in 1951. Since its inception in 1947, Air Charter had been based at London's old Croydon Airport. The airline participated in the 1948–49 Berlin Airlift. (Following the end of the Airlift in 1949, Laker sold the Air Charter Yorks that were still airworthy to other independent airlines, two of which were acquired by Dan-Air in 1956).) On 14 April 1955, Air Charter inaugurated its first vehicle ferry service between Southend and Calais using a Bristol 170 Mark 32 Super Freighter. In 1958, Laker announced his decision to sell both Air Charter and"
"L-1011 Tristar 1, a Pan Am Boeing 747-100 and an Air France Airbus A300 B2 were the other widebodies specially flown in on that day to mark this occasion.) The early 1970s saw the airline and its owner battle with aviation authorities in the UK and US to gain approval for a low-cost, ""no frills"" transatlantic service to link London and New York daily during the peak summer period from May to September and four times a week during the remainder of the year. This was to be marketed as ""Skytrain"" for £32.50 one-way in winter and £37.50 in summer."
"during the so-called ""cannon ball"" hearings earlier the same year. The UK government designated Laker Airways as a scheduled transatlantic UK ""flag"" carrier on 11 January 1973. However, under intense pressure from the established airlines, including Laker's archrival and next-door Gatwick neighbour BCal, against a backdrop of huge losses and overcapacity on the North Atlantic in the aftermath of the global energy crisis caused by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries' oil embargo, the UK's Labour government of that era decided to revoke Laker's licence on 29 July 1975. Freddie Laker took the government to the UK High Court, which"
"stronger undercarriage. At the end of 1958, he sold Channel Air Bridge together with his other two companies – Air Charter and Aviation Traders – to Airwork. All three officially became part of the Airwork group in January 1959. In June 1960 Airwork and Hunting-Clan merged to form British United Airways. Channel Air Bridge continued operating under its own identity for more than two years. On 1 January 1963, Channel Air Bridge merged with Silver City Airways, which had pioneered commercial cross-Channel vehicle ferry flights in 1948. The merged entity traded as British United Air Ferries. In the meantime, Laker"
"Trans International Airlines Trans International Airlines (TIA) was an airline that offered charter service from and within the United States. It also operated scheduled passenger service flying as Transamerica Airlines as well as charter flights during its last decade. Its headquarters were on the grounds of Oakland International Airport (OAK) in Oakland, California. Future travel and entertainment mogul Kirk Kerkorian purchased Los Angeles Air Service, a small charter operator, in 1947 for $60,000. As tourism to Las Vegas, Nevada, boomed, so did the fortunes of the airline. From a single Douglas DC-3, the company expanded rapidly, adding Douglas DC-6s and"