I never flew them. Can anyone share memories?

As a child on I flew on TI. They called their DC9's "Pamper Jets", and had some really interesting gate appointments at the airports they served. They later adopted their Texas Flag livery. If I remember correctly they had like overstuffed Naugahyde Chairs, sofas etc in their gate areas, and they called their fares Peanut Fares. Their Dc9's had one class service, but on a flight from SLC-DEN, they served a full lunch, breakfast or dinner.

Great carrier, survived when no one thought they could.

They live on today; we call them, "United."

sccutler wrote:

They live on today; we call them, "United."

How ironic it is that Texas International is now called United

While I was not living in Texas when TI was in their prime, before the consolidation into CO by the 80s, I made many visits to Texas during that period and often flew the carrier within Texas, as well as Mexico, Louisiana and California. It was a fun airline (at least from the passengers perspective) and many fond memories. I recall when terminal C was completed (I believe 1980 or so), TI has the North side of the building and CO, the South (or was it the other way around?). Loved that Lone Star livery...

1974 was the last time I flew on Texas International when I was stationed in San Angelo. Always good service, and free alcohol. I thought they had an outstanding livery.

Two words: Frank Lorenzo

Jayafe wrote:

sccutler wrote:

They live on today; we call them, "United."

How ironic it is that Texas International is now called United

Well, he's right...sort of.

Depends on whether you think UA bought CO....or
CO bought UA

If it's the latter, then yeah Trans Texas (the original name) still exists today.

727LOVER wrote:

Well, he's right...sort of.

Depends on whether you think UA bought CO....or
CO bought UA

If it's the latter, then yeah Trans Texas (the original name) still exists today.

Thats was a joke about Texas' proud nationalism through history and reluctance to belong/stay as part of the US, hence "United" But never mind....

I used to fly on their Convair 600's from DAL to College Station Tx, with two stops in Waco and Temple. The 600 boarded from the right side of the airplane. I remember the seats were a mix of red and blue. The engine nacelle had "Convair 600" painted on it or something like that. I'm sure someone can confirm or deny whether they were Rolls Royce engines. I flew this during the paint scheme that had the grey and purple stripes with Texas International in the purple above the windows and then the 3 stripes going up the tail. It was a kid's dream. It wasn't tool long after this (1970) that they put in Beech 99 service and yanked the Convairs.

My very first flight...1971 (or 2)...routing San Antonio-Austin-Houston(IAH) on a Convair. Plane was painted like the one below.

Not really great info but as a Chicagoan I always thought it was interesting how they served MSP but no CHI service. But I was certainly happy to see them when I would fly up there for visits and see that great livery.

My first airplane flight was in 1962 on a TransTexas DC-3. We flew from San Angelo to San Antonio. Nothing more impressive to a young boy that those radial engines starting up with a whine and then huge belch of smoke. When we landed in San Antonio, there was a BOAC de Havilland Comet sitting there. I thought it was a space ship, very very cool.
Not sure how some think Texas International was the predecessor to United.

Couple of interesting videos of the TI wreckage still located in the forest in Arkansas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TrPR4e9Dr0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjW4xMK_e4c

Been a child, here in Veracruz, Mexico, over the Gulf Coast, I remember TRANS TEXAS parked at the airport, I don't remember plane type, and I don't have any info what was the route to Houston.
Years before, Texas International , DC9, flying VER-HOU, parked at the airport. I remember that route, I Use to fly it, avoiding MEX.

Ironically, up until Lorenzo and his team took control of the airline in the early 1970s, it was kind of floundering along. Like a lot of the local-service carriers, it was saddled with a lot of small cities (places like Big Spring, Galveston, Pine Bluff and Clovis) that didn't make much money. They'd gotten some longer legs in the late 1960s - Denver, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City - but a lot of the DC9s were flying to places like San Angelo, Roswell and Laredo.

Lorenzo and team got permission to drop or suspend some of the smaller cities, and later in the 1970s, during the final days of regulated fares, got approval for the "Peanuts Fares" reduction scheme that really propelled TI into the public eye. That experience positioned them well to start a lot of new service on longer segments between big cities as soon as Deregulation came along, and expand southward into some of the new Mexican resort areas that were opening (like Cancun). Probably didn't hurt that Houston and Dallas, the two biggest bases, were booming economically in the late 1970s as domestic energy production ramped up.

I've always found Texas International fascinating myself. They kept the Continental name in the 1982 acquisition, which made sense given the scale they were going for, but they were really on fire from about 1974 onwards. Despite all his warts in the 1980s, Frank Lorenzo did some pretty interesting stuff there in those days.

Like many carriers in the 60's and 70's, I loved the milk runs they did with their DC-9's: Los Angeles-Albuquerque-Roswell-Midland/Odessa-Dallas-Houston and on to more cities in Louisiana. They also named each DC-9 for a city they flew to. Albuquerque and Roswell both had DC-9-31's named for them. They first came to New Mexico in 1963 by taking over several routes that Continental had been operating into Santa Fe, Clovis, Roswell, Carlsbad, and Hobbs with DC-3's. Trans Texas started out with DC-3's to all these cities but quickly upgraded to Convair 240's and later to Convair 600's. DC-9's appeared in Santa Fe and Roswell by 1967.

I grew up in "Texas International" territory and although my family didn't travel by airplane much when I was growing up, I did have the opportunity to fly on them (perhaps 6 or 8 times) both as Trans Texas Airways (TTA) and Texas International Airlines aboard Convair 600 and DC-9 aircraft.

I can honestly say they were an exceptionally fine airline. On the few flights I had with them, the employees smiled, were friendly, seemed genuinely appreciative to have you as a customer, the flights operated on time, and luggage was delivered promptly and in good condition. We always considered them to be a very dependable, solid airline.

As was previously mentioned, Dallas Love Field and Houston Hobby Airport (later DFW and IAH, of course) were their two busiest stations. I was more familiar with their DAL operation. For many years, they ran a very busy, efficient operation from only two gates--Gates 24 and 25 on the Red Concourse (later, these same gates were re-numbered Gates 41 and 42). I was always impressed with the way they coordinated aircraft movement and passenger handling with only two gates. These were lower-level, ground boarding gates. Later, after the construction of the new Braniff concourse, Texas International had six gates at DAL--Gate 50 (upper level with jetway), 51, 54, 55, 56 (lower level) and Gate 57 (upper level). They only used these facilities for four or five years prior to moving to DFW.

It was always enjoyable and fascinating to watch the Trans Texas/Texas International operation from the outdoor observation deck at Dallas Love Field. Their gates (24 and 25 / 41 and 42) were directly below where you were standing on the observation deck.

On my last flight aboard TI, I remember the bulkhead at the front of the cabin had a sign that said, "Yes, sir. Texas International!"

Even though Braniff also had their headquarters in Texas at that time, my family always considered Trans Texas / Texas International to be the "flag carrier" of Texas. We were always very proud of Texas International.

Like jsnww81 mentioned above, even though Frank Lorenzo did terrible things to people in the airline industry, when he took over as a young CEO he actually had very good ideas and innovations to get TI back on its feet, such as eliminating service to secondary markets like Tampico and Vera Cruz and replacing those cities with service to Mexico City, in addition to expanding to larger markets such as Los Angeles.

Finally, just as aside, since people always seem to want to poke fun at corporations, prior to becoming Texas International, people would joke that TTA stood for either "Tree Top Airways" or "Tinker Toy Airways." I never thought that was particularly funny, but I remember shortly after the name change to Texas International, corporate marketing tried to capitalize on that and ran advertisements in local newpapers that stated, "Tree Top Airways? Tinker Toy Airways? NOT ANYMORE!"

Back in the day of the DC3, their motto was Trans Texas Airways TTA - the route of the Starliners.

Anyway, Trans Texas Airways / Texas International Airlines--they were a class act; great airline.

e38

This is my first post after years of lurking. I had to post since I have tons of info on TI. My dad worked there for 52 years. Well, he started at TTA who then became Texas International. They bought Continental and merged them together keeping the CO name. Then United merged into CO, becoming the carrier UA is today. TI was quite the family outfit. I remember when Dad was station manager in SLC in the 70s. There was no local Mexican restaurant there and my Mom was a very good cook of all things Tex-Mex. Anyway, with no local source for pinto beans, Dad had friends in the (Rio Grande) Valley COMAT a huge sack of dried beans from HRL to SLC. I think my Mom had to cook the whole 50lb bag that week. There were all the SLC TI folks and several from FL, WA and RW at our house at Dad's invitation to find out what a taco was! And I remember station agents helping to remodel our house while not on duty. That's the kind of company it was.

I Grew up in Mexico City. I remember flying twice MEX-IAH in 1973-1974. Both time daytime flights, both time DC9 (30?). Both times a beautiful Lone Star tail. And that is the other thing I remember living under the San Mateo Approach (Satelite edo de Mex), seeing these Lone Star tails passing day after day.

No memories flying them, but I do have a question regarding a (possible) former route of theirs.

At my hometown airport (T82 in Fredericksburg, TX) there's a small "terminal" building that's mostly used as a kickback spot for pilots to do flight plans and the like. On the walls there are multiple beautiful full color pictures of Trans- Texas and Texas International aircraft (mainly DC-3s and Convairs), including several pictures that look like they might have been taken on the ground at T82.

Does anyone know if TI ever served Fredericksburg? I don't ever recall reading about or hearing about such a service, but considering they used to serve towns like Uvalde and Brady ( both much smaller) I don't think it would be *too* far outside the realm of possibility.

Jonas

Braniff1 wrote:

My first airplane flight was in 1962 on a TransTexas DC-3. We flew from San Angelo to San Antonio. Nothing more impressive to a young boy that those radial engines starting up with a whine and then huge belch of smoke. When we landed in San Antonio, there was a BOAC de Havilland Comet sitting there. I thought it was a space ship, very very cool.
Not sure how some think Texas International was the predecessor to United.

Well, CO was financially near-dead before a Texas International (Texas Air, Jet Capital) purchased them, and in all likelihood, CO would have foundered without the acquisition.

And, if you look, United operates on CO's AOC.

There's no question that Texas International is a clear and direct predecessor to United. Certainly not the only predecessor.

It'd be more perfect if the surviving AOC was originally Texas International's, but it isn't.

Now, if only Braniff's management had possessed the foresight to file an 11 proceeding while still possessing enough cash to operate, perhaps we'd be talking about Braniff in the present tense today. T'was not to be.

--

Folks can rag on a Francisco Lorenzo all they like, but it was the financial wizardry and management skill of Frank and his team that saved Continental. It was, of course, his arrogance that forced him from the industry for good, but notwithstanding the firestorm of hate that is reserved to Lorenzo, Continental's survival was principally due to him.

I normally flew on BN or EA growing up. I can only remember flying them once when I paid for a trip to the east coast when I was in college. I just flew them on the short hops between CRP and IAH. They seemed like a generic airline to me. I remember my father was not very happy about a flight he took on them once. The flight from CRP to IAH had been delayed due to mechanical problems. When the flight did take off, it flew the whole flight at low altitude. He made his unhappiness known to the pilots when he disembarked from the plane. He felt that the flight should have been cancelled.
The passengers should have been allowed to get off the plane, and the plane should have been ferried back to IAH without passengers.

UA735WL wrote:

No memories flying them, but I do have a question regarding a (possible) former route of theirs.

At my hometown airport (T82 in Fredericksburg, TX) there's a small "terminal" building that's mostly used as a kickback spot for pilots to do flight plans and the like. On the walls there are multiple beautiful full color pictures of Trans- Texas and Texas International aircraft (mainly DC-3s and Convairs), including several pictures that look like they might have been taken on the ground at T82.

Does anyone know if TI ever served Fredericksburg? I don't ever recall reading about or hearing about such a service, but considering they used to serve towns like Uvalde and Brady ( both much smaller) I don't think it would be *too* far outside the realm of possibility.

Jonas

Pretty sure Trans Texas did not serve Fredericksburg TX. No sign of it during the 1950's when TTA flew in the area as close as Kerrville to the south and Brady to the north. Kerrville was the stop between San Angelo and San Antonio, dropped right around January 11, 1960.

Braniff1 wrote:

My first airplane flight was in 1962 on a TransTexas DC-3. We flew from San Angelo to San Antonio. Nothing more impressive to a young boy that those radial engines starting up with a whine and then huge belch of smoke. When we landed in San Antonio, there was a BOAC de Havilland Comet sitting there. I thought it was a space ship, very very cool.
Not sure how some think Texas International was the predecessor to United.

If memory serves me right, when Lorenzo merged Continental into Texas International the TI operating certificate was the one used for the merged airline. I believe that when United and Continental merged, that same operating certificate is what the merged United flies under today.

KL682 wrote:

I Grew up in Mexico City. I remember flying twice MEX-IAH in 1973-1974. Both time daytime flights, both time DC9 (30?). Both times a beautiful Lone Star tail. And that is the other thing I remember living under the San Mateo Approach (Satelite edo de Mex), seeing these Lone Star tails passing day after day.

I flew them (and Pan Am from MEX to IAH...DC9´s going to Camp Manison Oh the memories! I remember after flying the Westen Airlines Dc10, the dc9 felt like a small Bus...

So much fun 60 kids without parents on those flights...

TRB

Trans Texas airlines was known as Tree Top airlines as I was growing up in TX.

I flew TI DC-9-30's once or twice from New Orleans to Houston and back in about 1980 or 1981. I was 10 or 11 and my younger brother and I flew as unaccompanied minors. Wish I had been as good about noting registrations as I am now. I seem to recall the seats were a light tan/brown but...I was a kid so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Braniff1 wrote:

My first airplane flight was in 1962 on a TransTexas DC-3. We flew from San Angelo to San Antonio. Nothing more impressive to a young boy that those radial engines starting up with a whine and then huge belch of smoke. When we landed in San Antonio, there was a BOAC de Havilland Comet sitting there. I thought it was a space ship, very very cool.
Not sure how some think Texas International was the predecessor to United.

Trans Texas Airways was purchased by Frank Lorenzo's Jet Capital Corporation. He changed the company's name to Texas International. Then, Texas International bought Continental in a hostile takeover. They kept the Continental name because of greater name recognition and a better reputation. Continental then merged with United. That's the connection.

AMALH747430 wrote:

If memory serves me right, when Lorenzo merged Continental into Texas International the TI operating certificate was the one used for the merged airline. I believe that when United and Continental merged, that same operating certificate is what the merged United flies under today.

IIRC, after CO's second bankruptcy, CO switched to the PE AOC. It's that AOC that UA operates with today (while using UAL's MOC).

Well UA today claims it's 50 years in Mexico based on TI launch to MTY.

https://hub.united.com/united-celebrate ... 57549.html


Much the way UA uses CO 1968 Pacific Ops to claims a much longer heritage is Asia than United really had. So it seems clear both are acknowledged as predecessors.


I frankly find a bit dishonest to claim "United" has 50 years in Mexico. But Delta does the same in Asia all using NW legacy

FlyHossD wrote:

AMALH747430 wrote:

If memory serves me right, when Lorenzo merged Continental into Texas International the TI operating certificate was the one used for the merged airline. I believe that when United and Continental merged, that same operating certificate is what the merged United flies under today.

IIRC, after CO's second bankruptcy, CO switched to the PE AOC. It's that AOC that UA operates with today (while using UAL's MOC).

Naw, it's CO's AOC.

sccutler wrote:

FlyHossD wrote:

AMALH747430 wrote:

If memory serves me right, when Lorenzo merged Continental into Texas International the TI operating certificate was the one used for the merged airline. I believe that when United and Continental merged, that same operating certificate is what the merged United flies under today.

IIRC, after CO's second bankruptcy, CO switched to the PE AOC. It's that AOC that UA operates with today (while using UAL's MOC).

Naw, it's CO's AOC.

You are correct. It is CO. The FAA still views is CAL but it can now "do business as United"


http://av-info.faa.gov/detail.asp?DSGN_ ... RLINES+INC

tpaewr wrote:

Well UA today claims it's 50 years in Mexico based on TI launch to MTY.

https://hub.united.com/united-celebrate ... 57549.html


Much the way UA uses CO 1968 Pacific Ops to claims a much longer heritage is Asia than United really had. So it seems clear both are acknowledged as predecessors.


I frankly find a bit dishonest to claim "United" has 50 years in Mexico. But Delta does the same in Asia all using NW legacy

Whoops I put the wrong link and now the edit button missed. Anyway here is New UA publicly claiming TI if there were any doubt.


https://hub.united.com/united-through-g ... 15595.html

Did they not have the nickname Tree Top Airlines locally? Don´t remember where that might have come from though!

Jayafe wrote:

sccutler wrote:

They live on today; we call them, "United."

How ironic it is that Texas International is now called United

You mean like how Western, Northwest, Air West, Northeast, and Southern all are the same airline now?

My first airline flight was in 1969 from Pine Bluff, Arkansas to Dallas Love Field, with stops at El Dorado, AR and Tyler, TX. It was on a Convair 600. It was a great flight. I always loved the sound of the Rolls-Royce Dart engines. The second part of that particular trip was from DAL to ABQ, with stops at MAF and SAF on a DC-9-10. That flight left over an hour late, but I cannot remember if we were told the reason. When we got to SAF, we sat there for a long time, supposedly due to weather. We thought that was odd since a Frontier Convair 580 arrived and departed while we sat there. Finally the flight was cancelled and the remaining passengers were sent the 60 miles to ABQ in a minibus, with a driver who got lost on the way. We arrived five hours late, and without our luggage. My many other trips on TI were much better, and I always enjoyed the service.

There is a really good book written in the 90's called Hard Landing. In goes into GREAT detail about the airline industry post deregulation in the late 70's and 80's. I would highly recommend reading.

Now if only United would paint a retro aircraft in Texas International or Trans Texas colors.

I used to fly them between LFT and MSY.

Trans-Texas / Texas International operated the very first DC-9.

Being from the UK and having never visited the USA before (plus I'm only 35), I have no real connection to Texas International.....

.....apart from the fact I own some DC-9-32 skin (must be from the wing or horizontal stabilizer) in the shape of an aviation tag!
She was delivered to Texas International as N3512T in 1979, and with various re-registrations she had a long career with Continental Airlines since then. She more recently also served with Spirit Airlines as N133NK before flying for the US Department of Justice in basic Spirit livery. She was then stored at Mohave in Dec 2003 before eventual break up.
I shall try to upload a pic.*

*Sorry, no idea how to upload my own pic. Here is the link to this tag though.
https://www.aviationtag.com/en/product/n133nk04/

I was stationed in San Angelo in winter of 1980 for a "C" school at Goodfellow AFB. Around the barracks we called them Transportation Impossible. Late or canceled flights, and you stood MAYBE a 25% chance of your seabag being on the same flight you were. And, no, they'd not bring delayed bags to the base; we had to go get them. Aside from that, they were a great airline.

Flew TI with my dad from DAL to ABI on a Convair 600 - the first day I had ever flown. First flight of the day was on a BI 727 from MKC-DAL. We changed to TI at DAL for the flight to ABI. Reversed the flights on our return to Kansas City about a week later. I believe that was in the summer of 1971.

The Departed Flights website has scans of a couple of their old timetables. It's really interesting the kind of "milk run" routes they used to fly. Spending my childhood in MEM, I remember their aircraft there. According to the 1978 schedule, they had 1 flight a day ex-MEM that flew MEM-Hot Springs-Texarkana-Shreveport-DFW. Before that I think TI also flew MEM-Pine Bluff and MEM -Jonesboro, AR.
These type of runs were not entirely unusual at the time. In the mid '70's I recall DL doing something like MEM-Monroe-Shreveport-DFW at least a few times a week with DC-9's. And Braniff operated DFW-LIT-MEM-DCA to get around perimeter rules.

I have no memories of the actual carrier, but shortly after merging with Continental Airlines on October 31, 1982, Texas International DC-9s began showing up on Continental's Peoria-Omaha-Denver route. They quickly gained "Continental" titles though. Saw them at Peoria once or twice before red, orange and gold paint was applied.

tpaewr wrote:

Well UA today claims it's 50 years in Mexico based on TI launch to MTY.

https://hub.united.com/united-celebrate ... 57549.html


Much the way UA uses CO 1968 Pacific Ops to claims a much longer heritage is Asia than United really had. So it seems clear both are acknowledged as predecessors.


I frankly find a bit dishonest to claim "United" has 50 years in Mexico. But Delta does the same in Asia all using NW legacy

VERY similar to the way Boeing claims the DC-/MD- series are "theirs." Watch their presentation before the Everett factory tour...it is very evident.

I flew TI once on 26 Oct 1980 from IAH to DFW. DC-9-14 N5726 (my only flight on a -10 series.) Oversold flight...once onboard they asked for volunteers to deplane...I did...but was allowed back on. Not much memory of the flight...it was a the end of a IAH/DFW spotting weekend where I flew DEN-IAH-DFW-DEN on CO 727-200, TI DC-9-10, DL 727-200. I slept in the IAH terminal overnight. IAH had some interesting planes back then (as they do to this day.)

Quoting cougar15 (Reply 36), "Did they not have the nickname Tree Top Airlines locally? Don´t remember where that might have come from though!"

Sure you do; think about it.

The name came from a time in the 1950s and early 1960s when TTA flew the DC-3 (unpressurized aircraft) at low altitude (below 10,000 feet). Many of the other trunk airlines at that time were acquiring (or were already operating) aircraft such as the DC-6, DC-7, Constellations, and first generation jets that were pressurized and flew at much higher altitude.

e38