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Braniff’s inaugural non-stop flight to Hawaii
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Braniff’s inaugural non-stop flight to Hawaii

DALLAS — Today in 1969, iconic American airline Braniff International (BN) began nonstop service from Dallas Love Field (DAL) to Honolulu (HNL).

Flight BN501 was operated by one of the airline’s Boeing 707-327Cs, painted in its striking bright orange “End of the Single Plane” livery. At the controls was Captain MW “Mal” Sellmeyer, who, along with his colleagues, was presented with a Hawaiian lei by Hawaiian Airlines (HA) officials prior to departure.

Braniff Boeing 720-027 in the airline’s “End of the Plain Plane” livery. Photo: Christian Volpati/GFDL 1.2

Service sold out

The intercontinental 707 was packed with people and sold out weeks before the inaugural service. On board were numerous BN officials, including the airline’s vice president for regulatory procedures, Tom Robertson. Mr. Robertson had been instrumental in the airline’s application for the Trans-Pacific Route, filed on February 23, 1966. It was ultimately approved by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) on January 4, 1969.

Upon arrival in Hawaii, the plane was greeted by Hawaiian dignitaries. The reigning Miss Hawaii was also there to greet Miss Texas, who was on board the flight. A welcome ceremony followed in the Governor’s Lounge at HNL.

One of BN’s brightly colored Boeing 747s at Paine Field prior to delivery. Photo: Clinton H. Groves/GFDL 1.2

Additional services

The airline added new nonstop flights to HNL from Atlanta (ATL) and Houston (IAH) on September 1, 1969. On October 1, 1969, BN added a second daily nonstop flight between DAL and HNL. At its peak, the airline operated 48 weekly scheduled services between the U.S. mainland and the Hawaiian Islands.

When the airline took delivery of its first Boeing 747, ‘Braniff Place’, on January 15, 1971, it replaced the 707 on the prestigious route and became the flagship of the airline’s Hawaiian service.

Featured image shows Braniff International’s Boeing 707-327C (N7097) at HNL.

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