Pan American World Airways

Also known as Pan Am

Cause of death

Killed by cost

with killed by disaster as a contributing factor

Made by

Pan American World Airways, Inc.

Deregulation, fuel shocks and the Lockerbie bombing drained the cash faster than asset sales could replace it.

Pan Am was the American flag carrier in everything but name, and for decades its blue globe was the most recognisable logo in aviation. Airline deregulation removed the protected routes it was built around, the 1988 Lockerbie bombing destroyed public confidence, and the airline spent its final years selling off its most valuable routes to stay airborne. The last flight landed in December 1991. The brand has been resurrected several times since by unrelated companies, none of which flew for long.