Will Eastern Airlines Fly Again?

Will Eastern Airlines return to the skies again?  It's hard to imagine how anyone could pull that off in the current economic environment — never mind the question of why they would want to — but plans are indeed afoot to revive Eastern, which folded in 1991 after almost 70 years in the aviation business. According to Triopso's Charlie Leocha, the Eastern resurrection effort is being led by veteran airline industry exec Ed Wegel.  Leocha writes:

In a letter circulated to former Eastern Airlines employees, an investor group announced that they have “concluded a deal with the Eastern Airlines estate to acquire the name, trademarks and affiliate names (including Eastern Express and Eastern Shuttle) for the purpose of re-starting the airline as a scheduled airline.”

Ed Wegel, a veteran of the airline world and current CEO of Eastern Airlines, Inc., told former Eastern Airlines employees, “We have developed a business plan for the re-start of Eastern which leverages off of Eastern’s core strengths while using all of the lessons we have learned from all of the start up airlines and the restructuring of all of the legacy carriers over the past 18 years.”

According to this letter, the new airline management will break new ground with contracts with the new Eastern’s crew members and a stock ownership plan that will completely align everyone’s interest in the new company.

Will it happen? Seems unlikely, but here's to hoping. Closer to home, however, it seems our recent donation of a vintage baggage-handler's coat to the permanent collection at the San Francisco Airport Museum may have been a bit premature:

Comments

[Larry Pius]

Wow, wouldn't that be something after all of these years. Number one to the sun and Miami's home airline back in the air.

Larry Pius
Port St. Lucie FL
Former EAL ramp agent

[Robert Solimine]

It would be great to see the Eastern logo revived after all these years. Good luck to the company.

Bob Solimine
Old Bridge, NJ
Former EAL Rampservice EWR

[Gregory Pius]

I wonder if they need an IT Director...?

[Doug Gibson]

This is great!
Where do I sign up for stocks?
All the best!
Doug Gibson
Former Marketing/Sales GSO ( and Agent at YUL, YOW, YYZ, MCO/WDW )

[Ramón]

Eastern Airlines; that brings back plenty of memories! When Pan American was totally booked, Eastern was the next choice - TransCaribbean being the carrier of last resort.

[nancy d'agostino]

We had the best "Smiling Faces, Going Places". I loved EAL.

Nancy D'Agostino
Senior Flight Attendant
JFK/LGA/EWR
nancydagostino.com

[By Arner]

IT was the greatest! Brings a smile on my face, and a tear to my eye. But don't tell Frank about your plan.

By Arner
Former Pilot for 30 years.

[Aj Kung]

Hopefully :) this airline will big again

[Stan Clay]

As a second generation Eastern employee, let me know when and where. I'll earn my wings every day!

Stan Clay Structures Supervisor MIA

[Baggage Transfer to USA]

Excellent information. This sounds exactly like what I've been looking for.

[bruce c.]

Not a snowball's chance in hell. Wrong time, wrong place and wrong person as CEO. Then again, there always seems to be stupid money somewhere but I would guess that era has passed. AA would crush anything in Miami.

[pauly]

Ed Wegel is a despot nut job..hell yeah he is a airline veteran who flew with the tank on empty one too many times

[Joe Dennis Rackley, Jr.]

I think if past mistakes were not repeated and lessons learned...There is no reason Eastern Could not fly again and be The Wings of Man.

I was interviewed for a Flight Attendant position twice in 1976 but was not hired. I am 53 and retired from AT&T after a 30 year career. Could I get a job?
Joe Dennis Rackley, Jr.

[Michele Bauer]

Nothing would make me happier then to be part of EAL again.
Being a Sr. Flight Attendant was the best job I every had---I miss it.

Michele Bauer
JFK/LGA/EWR/MIA

[Wally Taylor]

As a child of a C-130 Air Force pilot I was trotted from MS to CT to MT and back again every summer to visit family members during school break. This was during the 1970's when a child traveling alone was not as challenging as today.

Eastern played a huge part in my travels and I have such fond memories of the flight crews, cockpit visits, decks of playing cards and of course the Eastern Wings pin I received. I was so proud of my navigation skills when traversing the terminal to my connecting flight even though I was being followed by an airline representative to my gate... : )

I'm not sure if the magic could return as airline travel has changed so much over the past 35 years - I would like to opportunity to find out.

[Thomas Bennington]

Hey Ed Wegel:
Great that you are taking what's left and running with it. Expect criticism but if you need help, call me back. I'll do what I can to help you get it back up again.

B727FE/L-1011FE/DC-9FO MIA, Picket line 2 years PIT

Thomas Bennington
tom@maxpoweraero.com

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[Jack Elliott]

If you get it going and need help in PDX, call me. I remember one man told me on a flight, that the reason he flew EAL was because they hired 'real people', not American's Barbie Dolls or Delta's Stepford FA's. I am still a real person, just older and so - alot more real. Jack Elliott/jaxpdx@comcast.net

[kevin Meagher]

I was a Manpower Coordinator, and Flight Attendant at DCA till the bitter end.
Start up again? I will quit whatever job I have and give my all to the Eastern Airlines Redux.

[Kim Anderson (Phelps, nee)]

I would love to see this happen. My father was an aircraft mechanic and my mother, at one time, was a flight attendant (stewardess back in the day). No other company has had such dedicated employees who invested so much time to this airline and still have very strong feelings for its return. What a great concept..

My father originally worked at DCA and ended at TPA. I have fond memories of that time in my life and driving to that airport to this day (I live in that area), still brings tears to my eyes to look over to the airside where EAL was stationed...

[Ho]

The planes do look pretty good!

[mauro cechelin]

if the news is real it would be a great one, wanderful to see planes in Eastern livery to , fly again, good luck.

[Susan Doyne]

WOW! Where do I sign up as a flight attendent

[Pam Nowatka]

I was a flight attendant with Eastern for 23 years. I would love to see it come back and I also would love to be a part of it.

[Reinldo Gonzalez]

Please bring back Eastern Air Lines.
The wings of man....