PEOPLExpress Airlines ( 1981 - 1987 ) . Here ’s how Homer Simpson put it : " It all fall out during the magical summer of 1985 . A maturing Joe Piscopo leftSaturday Night Liveto conquer Hollywood ; PEOPLExpress introduced a propagation of hicks to plane travel ; and I was in a barbershop quartet . "
A no - frills aircraft carrier , PEOPLExpress charged you $ 3.00 per checked bag and catered to the masses . That is , until they ’d taken on so much debt they could n’t survive on what the Mass were willing to yield . By 1985 , through many mergers , PEOPLExpress was the United States ' fifth - largest airline , and even offered a flight to Brussels . A First Class cabin was added , a frequent - aviator program was started , and a more traditional pricing model was adopted . This did n’t operate out . Continental draw PEOPLExpress performance on February 1 , 1987 .
Freelandia Air Travel Club ( 1973 - 74 ) . The brainchild of Ken Moss , a 31 - twelvemonth - old Syracuse dropout , Freelandia enticed passengers with promise of broken - cost travel , rude food for thought , an in - flight waterbed , and a hopeful catchword ( " Not - For - net " ) .
For an initial rank fee of $ 50 , you were eligible for too - good - to - be - rightful menu . After Moss appeared onThe Tonight Show with Johnny Carson , membership quadruple , to 8,000 . The member rise frustrated by Freelandia ’s staggering operation record : 85 % of flight were canceled . And they only ever had two carpenter’s plane . The Air Travel Club wasgrounded for goodbefore its first natal day .
. In 1988 , Eastern Airlines sold its northeasterly route to Donald Trump for
$ 365 million
. Trump did as Trump does – classed up the lieu with fancy chrome seatbelt door latch and gold bathroom fixtures . They offer laptop rental to passenger and were among the first to allow ego - overhaul check - in at kiosks .
But this was not a capital time to be in the airline business . The outpouring - up to the first Gulf War beam fuel price soaring , and the U.S. was in the thick of a recession . Trump Shuttle could never sour a profit , defaulted on its loans , and ceased to exist in April 1992 . Its route were do by USAir Shuttle , whose parent fellowship purchased a 40 % stake in what was impart .
Other airline I learned about while drop a line this post : U - Land Airways ( Taiwan ) , Wizz Air ( Hungary ) , Flybaboo ( Switzerland ) , and Buddha Air ( Nepal ) . If you ’ve got a story about a defunct or oddly identify air hose , I ’d love to hear it .
