In 1967, Pan Am was flying high. They placed a super cool ad in Life magazine trumpeting the arrival of 3 innovative airplanes they had on order.

1) 747 - 1st delivery of the huge plane
2) Concorde - Was among the first 3 airlines with options, but never purchased the plane.
3) SST - The American Supersonic Transport was being subsidized by U.S. government. Subsidy ended and plane died on drawing board.

The airline always had a benefactor / protector in the U.S. government. The airline was the unofficial flag carrier of the U.S. It seemed to receive preferential treatment, up until Airline Deregulation. The luxury international airline slid down a steep hill. The slide ended on December 4, 1991, in Bankruptcy Court.

One example of the benefactor / protector roles, Pan Am was the first carrier with the 747 and the U.S. government gave them an excellent deal. The government would subsidize the cost of several of the 747s in the first group of planes, if Pan Am allowed the military to beef up the frame of the aircraft. The U.S. needed backup planes for potential military airlifts. The subsidized 747 was a cheaper way to get the needed cargo space.

The company was always among the first airlines with innovative equipment. The company even issued reservations for trips to the moon, for a supposed space transport craft. For the movie 2001 A Space Odyssey, the movie poster had a depiction of the supposed future-to-be Pan Am space transport.



PAN AM SPACE TRANSPORT
 

AN ACTUAL TV COMMERCIAL FOR PAN AM INTERNATIONAL JET SERVICE - LUXURY PERSONIFIED








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