Trans World Airlines

She was known as The Spirit of Long Beach. N984TW was the last MD ever produced, delivered to TWA 20 years ago. Today she flies her final revenue flight. A thread.

Columbus, Ohio, 1940. Our Douglas DC-3 being readied for takeoff, with the ground crew in their whites and a TWA fuel truck standing by. Port Columbus had been part of our story since our first coast-to-coast air-rail service in 1929. #FlyTWA

September 1959, and our Lockheed L-1649A Jetstream N7316C at the gate. The last and longest-range member of the Constellation family, she flew our passengers nonstop across the Atlantic in style. #FlyTWA

Buffalo, October 1975. Our Boeing 727-31 N840TW ready for another hop. The three-holer was our workhorse on so many routes across the country. Did you ever fly with us on a 727? #FlyTWA

1940, and our Boeing 307 Stratoliner "Cherokee" NC1940 in flight over canyon country. As the first pressurized airliner, she let our passengers ride smoothly above much of the weather. #FlyTWA

St. Maarten, February 1999. Our Boeing 757 N716TW soaking up the Caribbean sun at SXM. A winter escape that never goes out of style. #FlyTWA

The 1930s, and our Douglas DC-2 NC13719. We were the first airline to put the DC-2 into service in 1934, and it paved the way for the DC-3 that followed. #FlyTWA

1945, one of our brand-new Lockheed Constellations out for a flight. That triple tail and graceful curve made the Connie the queen of the skies, and a few months later she was carrying our passengers across the Atlantic to Paris. Did you ever fly on a Connie? #FlyTWA

October 25, 1930. We launched the first all-air coast-to-coast passenger service, New York to Los Angeles in about 36 hours with an overnight stop in Kansas City. Here's one of our Fokker F-10 trimotors from that same year. #FlyTWA

Las Vegas, August 1995. Our MD-82 N909TW at LAS. The MD-80s were the workhorses of our St. Louis hub, flying folks all over the country day in and day out. #FlyTWA

Pittsburgh, April 1940. One of our Douglas Sleeper Transports, the DC-3's overnight cousin, at Allegheny County Airport. Those narrow upper windows meant a real berth for crossing the country by night. #FlyTWA

London Heathrow, April 1969, looking down the side of our StarStream 707 N770TW from the rear steps. Crossing the Atlantic in style. #FlyTWA

Our first Lockheed L-1011 TriStars joined the fleet in 1972, bringing wide-body comfort to routes all across America. Here's one of ours in May 1981. Did you ever fly on one of our TriStars? #FlyTWA

In February 1985 we flew the first twin-engine 767 transatlantic service under the new ETOPS rules, and our 767s soon became regulars across the pond. Here's N602TW at Zurich that same month. #FlyTWA

Fast and sleek, our Convair 880s joined the fleet in 1961 and quickly earned a reputation as one of the speediest jets in the sky. Here's one of ours in August 1964. #FlyTWA

Our Boeing 747s brought Jumbo-sized comfort to the long hauls starting in 1970. Here's N93117 at JFK in June 1976. Did you ever fly on one of our 747s? #FlyTWA

Three engines, one red stripe, and a whole lot of short hops. Our Boeing 727 was a domestic workhorse, like N840TW here at Buffalo in October 1975. #FlyTWA

Up above the weather. In 1940 we put the Boeing 307 Stratoliner into service, the first pressurized airliner, so our passengers could cruise high over the bumps. Here's one refueling in Chicago in 1941. #FlyTWA

73 years ago this week, on October 19, 1953, our Super Constellation flew Los Angeles to New York nonstop in about eight hours. The first scheduled nonstop coast-to-coast service in the country, and the Connie carried it in style. #FlyTWA

Short hops, big smiles. Our Douglas DC-9 'Star Stream' twinjets linked the cities in between, and you could board right from the ramp up the airstair. #FlyTWA

Sleek, swift, and built for speed. Our Convair 880 brought the jet age to more of our routes in the early 1960s, with four engines and a red stripe that looked fast even standing still. #FlyTWA