This article needs to be updated. (September 2023) |
Trans Caribbean Airways (legally Transportation Corp of America and TCA for short) was an American airline owned by O. Roy Chalk, with its main hub was in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Founded in 1945, it was acquired by American Airlines in 1971.[1]
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| Founded | May 18, 1945 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commenced operations | 1948 | ||||||
| Ceased operations | March 3, 1971 (Purchased by American Airlines) | ||||||
| Hubs | Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 171 | ||||||
| Destinations | 9 (by July 7, 1969) | ||||||
| Headquarters | New York City, United States | ||||||
| Key people | O. Roy Chalk (Owner) | ||||||
History edit
The airline's main headquarters was located at 714 Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City for most of the time until it was acquired by American Airlines on March 3, 1971.[2] There was a building in San Juan that was owned by TCA and has a full wall done in tile with the TCA logo.[citation needed]
The female flight attendants wore an unusual uniform hat for a U.S. carrier; it was supposed to be a copy of the Spanish Cordovan hat the color Blue trim in Aqua. It represented the Spanish influence of the Caribbean islands. The uniform was designed by Mrs. O. Roy Chalk, wife of the owner. The last paint job on the tail of the aircraft was a navy blue with an orange palm tree.[citation needed]
Aircraft were also chartered to Military Air Transport for service from McGuire AFB to Frankfurt, West Germany, where the troops referred to it as "Trashcan Airlines".
At the time of its acquisition by American Airlines, Trans Caribbean was operating a small fleet of Douglas DC-8[3] and Boeing 727 jetliners.
Destinations edit
According to the Trans Caribbean system timetable dated July 7, 1969, the following destinations were served on the east coast of the U.S. and the Caribbean:[4]
- Oranjestad, Aruba (AUA)
- Willemstad, Curacao (CUR)
- Newark, New Jersey (EWR)
- New York City (JFK)
- Port Au Prince, Haiti (PAP)
- St. Croix (STX)
- St. Thomas (STT)
- San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) Hub
- Washington, D.C. (IAD)
Fleet edit
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Trans Caribbean operated the following aircraft types during its existence:[5][6]
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 707-320C | 1 | 1967 | 1968 | Leased from Aer Lingus |
| Boeing 720 | 1 | |||
| Boeing 727-100 | 3 | 1967 | 1971 | |
| Boeing 727-200 | 2 | 1969 | ||
| Curtiss C-46 Commando | 2 | 1948 | 1956 | |
| Douglas C-47 Skytrain | 2 | 1945 | Unknown | |
| Douglas C-54 Skymaster | 7 | 1946 | 1962 | |
| Douglas DC-6 | 2 | 1955 | 1957 | |
| Douglas DC-6B | 2 | 1960 | 1964 | |
| Douglas DC-8-51 | 2 | 1961 | ||
| Douglas DC-8-54CF | 3 | 1963 | 1971 | |
| Douglas DC-8-55CF | 1 | 1970 | ||
| Douglas DC-8-61CF | 3 | 1967 |
Accidents and incidents edit
- On December 28, 1970, Trans Caribbean Airways Flight 505, a Boeing 727-200 (registered N8790R) made a hard landing and ran off the side of the runway of Cyril E. King Airport. Two of the 48 passengers onboard died in a subsequent fire, and the aircraft was then destroyed by the ensuing conflagration.[7][8]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Mating Season, Time, February 2, 1970
- ^ "World Airline Directory." Flight International. March 26, 1970. "Trans Caribbean" 504.
- ^ "TRCA DC-8 Fleet Information". Archived from the original on 2011-03-24. Retrieved 2010-12-13.
- ^ "Airline Timetable Images". Timetableimages.com. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
- ^ "Trans Caribbean Airways Fleet Details and History". Planespotters.net. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
- ^ "Trans Caribbean Airways". Aerobernie.bplaced.net. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- ^ "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727-2A7 N8790R Saint Thomas-Harry S.Truman Airport (STT)". Aviation-safety.net. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
- ^ Robert Lindsey (December 29, 1970). "2 Die and 51 Hurt in Virgin Islands Jet Crash". Nytimes.com.
