National Air Lines (later Airlines) began at Albert Whitted Airport (SPG) in St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1934 with the award of a 142-mile mail route between St. Petersburg and Daytona Beach, via Tampa, Lakeland and Orlando. Air service over the route was inaugurated on October 15, 1934. The fleet consisted of two second-hand Ryan aircraft. The airline had five employees, including the president and founder, George T. Baker.

On July 8, 1937, the company was chartered under the laws of the State of Florida as National Airlines, Inc. Routes were extended to Jacksonville and to Miami in that year and from Jacksonville to New Orleans in 1938. The company relocated its general offices and principal base of operations to Jacksonville in 1939.

During World War II the carrier operated a portion of its fleet for the Air Transport Command and operated Air Corps contract schools for pilots, mechanics, radio operators and navigators. In 1944 National became a major airline with the award of the New York-Florida route. On February 14, 1946, National inaugurated with DC-4s the first non-stop service between Miami and New York and the first four-engine commercial flights between the two cities.

National was certified into Havana, Cuba, in 1946 and was awarded a new route from Miami and Tampa to New Orleans in the same year. in mid-June 1946, National moved its General Office to Miami and four years later moved its engine overhaul base to Miami from Jacksonville.

In 1947 National received permission to inaugurate the so-called "Great Circle" route over water between Miami and New York, and reduced the flying time from five to four hours. National pioneered in 1950 on the East Coast with low night coach and excursion fares to Florida, and with a Florida summer vacation program that contributed to creating a year-round operation for the state's tourist industry. On January 1, 1952, National became free of subsidy and was placed on a mail service rate that made it self-sufficient over its entire system. The first non-stop service from New York to Havana occurred in 1953. In 1956 the National system was extended to Houston and to Boston.

National leased Boeing 707 jets from Pan American World Airways to become the first domestic operator of jets in the United States and inaugurated jet service between New York and Miami on December 10, 1958. This is from an article in Time Magazine, December 8, 1958:

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Jets to the South
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,864548,00.html

Monday, Dec. 08, 1958: One of the few U.S. airlines climbing out of the labor fog last week was National Airlines, whose routes stretch along the Atlantic Coast to Florida. On Dec. 10 National will inaugurate the first domestic jet airliner service with daily flights on the rich New York-Miami run. Using 600-m.p.h. Boeing 707s under a complicated lease-stock deal with Pan American, which already flies jets across the Atlantic, National will make the 1,100-mile run in 2 hr. 15 min. To make sure that it can fly jets, National signed contracts with its pilots, flight engineers and mechanics running into 1960. National is paying well to be the first domestic jet operator. Plans call for three 707s under lease around the first of the year, each one costing an estimated $216,000 per month to operate and maintain. To sweeten the kitty. National has also agreed to a stock exchange that, if CAB approves, will eventually give Pan Am a big voice in its affairs. In a $16 million swap, the two lines will exchange 400,000 shares of stock, and Pan Am will get a two-year option to buy another 250,000 shares of National stock at $22.50 per share. The effect would be to give National a minor (6%) interest in Pan American, while Pan Am could gain 36% of National if it exercises its option.

For National and President George T. Baker, who owns 17% of the line's stock, the deal is almost a must. Competing with Eastern Air Lines along most of its route, National has been hitting bumpier and bumpier weather, is operating a load factor of 52% v. a break-even point of 54%. In the twelve months ended Sept. 30, the line lost $748,944; the year before it had a net profit of $2,484,369. National's main hope is new equipment to attract more passengers; it has orders for three Douglas DC-8 pure jets, another 23 turboprop Lockheed Electras. But its place on the production line is so far back that it will not get the first 400-m.p.h. Electras until six months after competitor Eastern puts the same plane into service; the DC-8s will not arrive until 1960, about the same time as Eastern's.
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On March 11, 1961, National's system was expanded with the award of the Southern Transcontinental Route. The route extended the carrier from Houston to Los Angeles and to San Diego, and from Houston to San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose via Las Vegas. Havana service was suspended indefinitely in 1961, after the United States and Cuba broke off diplomatic relations.

Lewis B. "Bud" Maytag, who resigned as president of Frontier Airlines in March 1962, purchased controlling interest in National on April 26, 1962. Mr. Maytag was elected president and chief executive officer on that date. Dudley Swim, of Carmel, California, was elected chairman on September 12, 1962.

National in 1964 became the first exclusively jet-powered U. S. airline. In 1967 and 1968 the airline doubled its jet fleet and phased out all prop-jet aircraft. On April 21, 1968, the last of the prop-jet electras was retired and National became all pure-jet with a fleet of DC-8s and B-727s.

Miami's first Boeing 747 service was inaugurated by National on October 2, 1970, with daily nonstop flights between Miami and New York. The second of the 352-passenger B747s went into nonstop operation between Miami and Los Angeles on October 25, 1970. The B747s (N77772 and N77773) were sold in 1976 to Northwest Airlines.

After exhaustive study of second-generation wide-cabin jets, National selected McDonnell-Douglas DC-10's as the finest, most economical and most adaptable to its route system. In 1969 the company ordered nine DC-10s, and in 1971 ordered two intercontinental versions DC10-30s. Four additional DC-10s were ordered in January 1973. The first DC-10 service between New York and Miami, Palm Beach and Tampa was introduced by National on December 15, 1971. Service expanded as additional new jets joined the fleet.

Ground was broken in 1968 for a $45 million expansion program by the Dade County Port Authority for National Airlines at Miami International Airport. The project was completed in 1973.

A $17 million IBM electronic computer reservation system, called Res-A Vision, was completed and put into operation in 1970. The communications network enables National reservations agents throughout the carrier's system to exchange information immediately with two computers in the Miami headquarters. The system allows passengers to make reservations with a minimum of delay and error.

National became the third U. S. transatlantic passenger carrier on June 16, 1970, with the inauguration of daily nonstop round-trip service between Miami and London. This transatlantic route has proved appealing to passengers who wish to avoid the congested gateways and inclement weather of northern airports. Service with the intercontinental DC10-30s was inaugurated on the route in the fall of 1973.

Dudley Swim, Chairman of the board, died in Carmel, California, on January 31, 1972. Mr. Maytag was elected chairman on February 11, 1972. E. F. Dolansky, formerly executive vice president, was appointed president and chief operating officer on December 7, 1976. Mr. Maytag retained the title of chairman and chief executive officer.

National's European horizons were further expanded June 22, 1977, when the airline inaugurated Miami-Paris nonstop service with DC10-30 aircraft. National provided the only U. S. flag airline service to Paris from the South. In May 1978 the airline introduced nonstop flights between Florida and Frankfurt and Amsterdam. New York to Amsterdam service was inaugurated in December 1978.

National also extended its route system in 1979 by adding service between Miami and San Juan, and to Seattle from Houston and Los Angeles.

National's success was its downfall, as all of its aircraft and equipment was paid for. A bidding war between Texas Air Corporation, Pan Am and Eastern Airlines began over the takeover of National's system. Pan American World Airways "won" the bidding war, acquired National Airlines and operated its routes poorly. Eleven years later Pan Am died despite wage givebacks and cuts by employee groups trying to save the airline.

A National TV commercial for "Miami Go-Go" from the 60's can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s23T-2HiKAc We also have more National Airlines photos on display at http://www.pbase.com/airlinerphotos/35mm_nationalairlines

Former National and Pan Am employees are invited to join a new National/Pan Am Alumni website at http://panamnationalalumni.ning.com/