Braniff Airways: Flying Colors takes readers on a magical flight through the history of Braniff International Airways, beginning with its small-town Oklahoma roots to its high-flying and stylish span of the globe. Braniff brought together the mystery of aviation with the glamorous fields of fashion, art, and design, and taught the flying world how to fly with style and beauty. It is this remarkable joining of forces that has made Braniff as popular today as it was when flying in style across the Atlantic and Pacific.
Robert Booth started his career in Montevideo, Uruguay, as a ticket agent with Pan American World Airways. A brief stint as a travel agent in Punta del Este & Montevideo followed, after which he joined Braniff Airways in Montevideo in 1951. He spent 23 years with that airline in a variety of positions which took him to Los Angeles, Panama, Columbia, Dallas, Lima & a final two-year stint in Dallas. He left Braniff in 1974 to acquire an advertising agency in Peru. It specialized in airline accounts & consulting. In 1977 he was hired as (Acting) General Manager for AeroPeru, which took him back to the United States as General Manager-North America. In 1978 he joined Air Florida, first as a consultant, then as senior vice president-marketing until 1983 when he left to form his own company. In 1984 he accepted the position of Chief Operating Officer for Northeastern International & in 1985 was one of the founders & chief executive officer of Challenge Air International which failed in 1987. He & his son & daughter-in-law then organized Aviation Management Services, a Miami-based aviation consultancy specializing in Latin American & Caribbean aviation. The company has performed more than 150 assignments in Latin America, including the privatization of half a dozen Latin American airlines. It also produces a monthly newsletter, Aviation-Latin America & Caribbean & has organized the highly popular annual International Airline CEO Conference which is now in its sixth successful year. He likes to say that if he had to do it all over again, he would not change a thing: "If I had been rich I would pay good money to do exactly what I have done."
Braniff International Airways revolutionized the civil aviation industry in the 1960s with its colorful and enigmatic President, Harding Lawrence. It went from an airline which was not dissimilar from other U.S. airlines, to an airline that infused color and soul into its image, and its passengers. This is the story of that airline. From the founders Paul and Thomas Braniff, to the bright airliner colors, unforgettable advertising campaigns, pizzazz, and High Couture air hostess uniforms, Braniff was unmatchable. This was an airline that Texans were proud of - Braniff International Airways, The Texan Giant.
