Trans World Airlines, Inc.

Trans World Airlines, Inc. (TWA)

Former U.S. airline acquired by the AMR Corp. Formed in 1930 as Transcontinental & Western Air, Inc., from two smaller airlines, the company established the first coast-to-coast service that same year, flying from Newark, N.J., to Los Angeles in 36 hours. In 1946 TWA began flights between New York City and Paris, and it expanded by the 1950s to routes through Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. It adopted its present name in 1950. Howard R. Hughes was its principal stockholder and guiding genius from 1939 to 1960–61, when he lost control to a group of investors. Financially troubled since the 1980s, TWA continued to operate despite twice landing in bankruptcy court in the 1990s. It was acquired by AMR, the parent company of American Airlines, in 2001.