Known as “The Airline Run by Flyers,” T&WA, founded in 1930, boasted aviation pioneers like Jack Frye and perhaps the most famous pilot in the country, Charles Lindbergh. Under the ownership of aviation enthusiast and eccentric-of-note Howard Hughes, the airline flourished during World War II and began trans-Atlantic service in 1946. Flying a fleet of elegant, cutting-edge Lockheed Constellations, TWA was the last word in glamorous air travel and also where other airlines sent their pilots for training. A falling out between Hughes and Jack Frye would lead to Frye’s resignation; TWA—officially renamed Trans World Airlines in 1950—was no longer “The Airline Run by Flyers,” but as the carrier-of-choice for Hollywood bigwigs, it soon became known as the “Airline to the Stars,” and not un-coincidentally was the first to offer regular in-flight movies. TWA, which would eventually merge with American Airlines, flew its last flight on December 1st, 2001. 
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