Pan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal international
airline of the
United States from the 1930s until its collapse in 1991. Founded as a
seaplane service out of
Key West,
Florida, the airline became a major company credited with many innovations that shaped the international airline industry, including the widespread use of
jet aircraft,
jumbo jets, and computerized reservation systems. Identified by its blue globe logo (widely known as "the blue ball")
[1] and the use of the word "
Clipper" in aircraft names and
call signs, the airline was a cultural icon of the 20th century, and the unofficial
flag carrier of the United States.
[2]The Pan Am brand was resurrected four times after 1991, although the reincarnations were related to Pan Am in name only.
The first operated from 1996 to 1998, with a focus on low-cost, long-distance flights between the U.S. and the
Caribbean. It used the
IATA airline designator PN.
The second was unrelated to the first and was a small regional carrier based in
Portsmouth,
New Hampshire, that operated between 1998 and 2004. It used the
IATA code PA, and the
ICAO code PAA.
Boston-Maine Airways, a sister company of the second reincarnation, still operates the "Pan Am Clipper Connection" brand. Since 2006, the Pan Am brand, colors, and logos have been used by
Pan Am Railways (formerly Guilford Rail System), a regional
railroad operating in northern
New England. The second reincarnation of Pan American Airways, Boston-Maine Airways, and Pan Am Railways are/were owned by
Pan Am Systems (formerly Guilford Transportation Industries until 2006).
