The 1960s marked a glamorous chapter in Texas aviation history, when air travel was as much about the journey as the destination. Colorful airline posters adorned airport terminals and travel agencies across the Lone Star State, promising adventure and luxury in equal measure. These vibrant advertisements, along with the stories of those who flew during this golden age, offer us a fascinating glimpse into a time when flying was special, service was impeccable, and the skies were filled with possibility.
Braniff International’s Flying Colors
Nothing symbolized the flamboyant spirit of 1960s air travel like Braniff International’s revolutionary ‘Flying Colors’ campaign. When other airlines stuck to conservative imagery, Dallas-based Braniff boldly commissioned designer Alexander Girard and fashion icon Emilio Pucci to transform their entire fleet.
Planes were painted in seven vibrant hues – from turquoise to lemon yellow – creating what Braniff proudly called ‘the end of the plain plane.’ Flight attendants, dubbed ‘hostesses,’ wore Pucci’s psychedelic uniforms that changed throughout the day.
The airline’s eye-catching posters featured these technicolor aircraft soaring above Texas landscapes, promising passengers not just transportation but a fashion-forward experience at 30,000 feet.
Love Field: Dallas’ Jet Age Gateway
Before DFW International’s 1974 arrival, Love Field reigned supreme as North Texas’ aviation hub. The terminal’s sleek mid-century modern design welcomed travelers with soaring ceilings, massive windows, and terrazzo floors – architectural elements that screamed ‘Jet Age optimism.’
Vintage posters showcased the terminal’s distinctive architecture alongside Braniff and American Airlines aircraft. Families dressed in Sunday best gathered at observation decks, making plane-watching a popular weekend activity.
For many Texans, the most memorable moment came November 22, 1963, when Air Force One brought President Kennedy to Dallas and, tragically, departed with Lyndon Johnson as the new president – a somber footnote in Love Field’s vibrant history.
Longhorns and Long-Hauls: American Airlines’ Texas Identity
American Airlines embraced Texas imagery with gusto throughout the 1960s, creating posters that merged aviation progress with Lone Star iconography. Their famous ‘Texas – American Airlines’ poster featured longhorn cattle silhouettes against sunset skies with sleek Astrojets soaring overhead.
Fort Worth served as American’s maintenance base, creating a fierce rivalry with Dallas-based Braniff. The airline capitalized on Texas’ business boom, advertising direct flights connecting oilmen to international markets.
American’s vintage advertisements promised travelers they could ‘Fly the American Way’ from Texas to destinations worldwide. Their posters often featured elegantly dressed passengers boarding Electra turboprops and Boeing 707s beneath vast Texas skies.
The Hostess with the Mostest: Flight Attendant Culture
Texas-based airlines transformed flight attendants – then called ‘stewardesses’ – into cultural icons and marketing centerpieces. Southwest Airlines, though late to the 1960s party (launching in 1971), famously hired long-legged women in hot pants and go-go boots who embodied the decade’s spirit.
Braniff’s ‘Air Strip’ advertisement playfully showed hostesses removing layers of their Pucci uniforms mid-flight. Weight requirements, height restrictions, and mandatory retirement upon marriage were standard industry practices.
Despite these constraints, stewardessing offered Texas women unprecedented independence. Former Braniff hostess Mary Frances Householder recalled: ‘We were celebrities in our hometowns. Girls would ask for autographs when I walked through the terminal in that uniform.’
Trans-Texas Airways: The Small-Town Connector
While major carriers dominated headlines, Trans-Texas Airways (later Texas International) served as the lifeline for smaller communities across the Lone Star State. Affectionately nicknamed ‘Tree Top Airlines’ for its tendency to fly low routes, TTA connected places like Harlingen, Tyler, and Laredo to the wider world.
Their vintage posters featured modest DC-3s and Convair 240s set against rural Texas backdrops. The airline prided itself on friendly service despite flying smaller, often bumpy routes.
Houston businessman R.E. Smith recalled: ‘You knew every flight attendant by name, and they served home-cooked meals on real china. When bad weather hit, pilots would land in fields rather than risk passenger safety – try finding service like that today!’
Houston Hobby: The International Gateway
Houston’s Hobby Airport buzzed with international energy throughout the 1960s, connecting Texas directly to Mexico and the Caribbean. Vintage posters showcased palm trees alongside oil derricks, positioning Houston as both business hub and vacation gateway.
The terminal’s distinctive modernist design featured a soaring control tower that appeared in countless advertisements. Eastern Airlines and Pan American heavily promoted their ‘Houston Clipper’ services with images of businessmen boarding flights with sleek briefcases.
Local resident Gloria Martinez remembered: ‘My father worked for Humble Oil and flew from Hobby to Mexico City monthly. As children, we’d dress up to meet him at the airport – a huge treat involving dinner at the terminal’s Dobbs House Restaurant while watching planes through enormous windows.’
Continental’s Golden Jet Era
Houston-headquartered Continental Airlines transformed from regional carrier to major player during the 1960s. Their iconic ‘Golden Jet’ marketing campaign featured striking black and gold livery that made their aircraft instantly recognizable across Texas skies.
Continental’s vintage posters emphasized speed and luxury, often depicting businessmen arriving refreshed after flights on their new Boeing 720B jets. The airline pioneered the hub-and-spoke system at Houston’s airports, connecting smaller Texas markets to destinations nationwide.
Their ‘Texas Welcome’ service featured flight attendants in gold-accented uniforms serving Texas-themed meals like ‘Longhorn Burgers.’ Bob Six, Continental’s charismatic president, personally appeared in advertisements promising ‘the proud bird with the golden tail’ would deliver Texans in style.
The First-Class Experience: Luxury in the Skies
First-class travel from Texas airports in the 1960s bore little resemblance to today’s premium experience. Braniff’s ‘El Dorado Super Jet’ service featured genuine silver service, seven-course meals, and complimentary Dom Pérignon champagne – all advertised in lavish full-color magazine spreads.
Passengers dressed formally, with men in suits and women in gloves and hats. Smoking was not only permitted but encouraged – complimentary cigarettes appeared on elegant serving trays alongside cocktails.
Former oil executive William Clements reminisced: ‘Flying first class from Dallas to New York meant filet mignon carved seatside, unlimited cocktails, and so much legroom you could dance the Texas two-step between seats. We’d arrive having experienced a flying restaurant rather than transportation.’
Preserving Aviation’s Golden Age
The Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas houses Texas’ most comprehensive collection of 1960s airline memorabilia. Vibrant Braniff uniforms stand alongside scale models of aircraft in their iconic liveries, while walls display original posters that once enticed Texans to the skies.
Former airline employees gather annually for reunions, sharing stories of an era when flying meant glamour rather than endurance. The 1940 Air Terminal Museum at Houston Hobby showcases the art deco architecture that welcomed passengers before modern terminals replaced these gems.
Aviation enthusiast groups like the Braniff International Silver Eagles preserve company newsletters, timetables, and even in-flight menus – tangible remnants of an industry that valued style as much as efficiency during Texas’ most colorful decade of air travel.
The Jet Set: Celebrity Travel Through Texas
Texas airports became celebrity hotspots during the 1960s as film stars, musicians, and politicians regularly passed through en route to ranches, film sets, or campaign stops. Airline publicity departments eagerly photographed these VIP arrivals for promotional materials.
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton created a sensation when flying Braniff between Dallas and Mexico City during filming of ‘The Night of the Iguana.’ Elvis Presley’s chartered American Airlines flights to Houston concerts became events themselves, with fans crowding terminal windows.
Most significantly, Texas’ own Lady Bird Johnson appeared in Texas International advertisements promoting tourism to the Hill Country. These glamorous associations helped transform commercial aviation from mere transportation into a sophisticated lifestyle that ordinary Texans aspired to experience.
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