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The Space Age
arrived for TWA at Kennedy International Airport in May, 1962
when their magnificent Flight Center opened for
business. Designed by noted Finnish architect Eero Saarinen (who
also designed the pavilion for IBM at the Fair) the TWA Flight
Center was as contemporary and exciting as any pavilion a World's
Fairgoer would see.
Out at the Fairgrounds,
TWA's four-engined piston powered Constellations roared overhead
on take-off from LaGuardia. TWA participated in the Fair in a
big way. Besides being the "Official Airline" of the
Transportation & Travel Pavilion, TWA featured Jet Helicopter
service to the Port Authority Heliport at the Fair from the JFK
Flight Center. The flight schedule for July, 1964 is shown below.
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HELICOPTER
SERVICE BETWEEN THE TWA FLIGHT CENTER AND THE NEW YORK WORLD'S
FAIR*
- FARE $6.00
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| N.Y. AIRWAYS FLIGHT
NUMBER |
151 |
252 |
156 |
259 |
170 |
272 |
173 |
274 |
175 |
277 |
178 |
279 |
190 |
291 |
294 |
- TWA FLIGHT
CENTER..............Lv
-
J.F.Kennedy
Int'l Airport
|
10 41 |
11 20 |
1 05 |
2 56 |
3 29 |
4 08 |
4 41 |
5 20 |
5 53 |
6 32 |
7 05 |
7 44 |
8 17 |
8 56 |
10 08 |
- N.Y. WORLD'S
FAIR.................Ar
|
10 47 |
11 26 |
1 11 |
3 02 |
3 35 |
4 14 |
4 47 |
5 26 |
5 59 |
6 38 |
7 11 |
7 50 |
8 23 |
9 02 |
10 14 |
*In
cooperation with N.Y. Airways
SOURCE:
TWA timetable, July, 1964, Bob Esler Collection. Top Photo:
TWA Archives
| HELICOPTER
SERVICE BETWEEN THE NEW YORK WORLD'S FAIR AND THE TWA FLIGHT
CENTER*
- FARE $6.00 |
| N.Y. AIRWAYS FLIGHT
NUMBER |
140 |
242 |
145 |
249 |
160 |
261 |
162 |
264 |
165 |
266 |
167 |
268 |
180 |
281 |
283 |
- N.Y. WORLD'S
FAIR................Lv
|
10 25 |
11 04 |
12 49 |
2 40 |
3 13 |
3 52 |
4 25 |
5 04 |
5 37 |
6 16 |
6 49 |
7 28 |
8 01 |
8 40 |
9 52 |
- TWA FLIGHT
CENTER..............Ar
-
J.F.Kennedy
Int'l Airport
|
10 31 |
11 10 |
12 55 |
2 46 |
3 19 |
3 58 |
4 31 |
5 10 |
5 43 |
6 22 |
6 55 |
7 34 |
8 07 |
8 46 |
9 58 |
SOURCE:
TWA Chicago timetable, March, 1964, Bob Esler Collection.
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Headquartered
in New York, TWA realized that the Fair would mean big travel
business as one of America's leading domestic and international
carriers. Typical 1964 one-way fares between Los Angeles and
New York on a TWA StarStream Jet ranged from $145 Coach
to $162 Jet First Class. Round trip between Madrid and New York
went for $341 for a 21-day Excursion fare to a whopping
$754 for First Class travel.
TWA has faded
into history along with the Fair having recently been acquired
by American Airlines. Their magnificent Flight Center sits abandoned
at Kennedy Airport, its fate uncertain. A ghostly reminder of
the Space Age.
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SOURCE:
online auction, eBay
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SOURCE: Souvenir Map & Guide
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My
Treasured
-
Collectible
from TWA
-
-
Bill
Young
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- It didn't take long after
that visit to O'Hare for my cousin to realize that I was hooked
on airplanes. He would often send home discarded airline items
for me to decorate my room with.
-
- One late autumn day in
1964 a box of counter display items arrived that happened to
advertise the New York World's Fair! There were two large cardboard
displays from TWA that came complete with a model Unisphere and
StarStream Jet flying overhead. The larger was over 4-feet
tall and the smaller stood about 3-feet. The other item was a
series of interlocking cardboard cubes advertising exciting United
Air Lines destinations, including New York and the Fair!
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Almost a decade went by
and, in 1972, I began to develop my long-lasting interest in
the Fair. When my Dad realized I was collecting stuff from the
Fair he said "I put some junk up in the attic years ago
that you got from Rich from that Fair. You want it?" Did
I want it??? YES!
Unfortunately, all that
was left was the smaller of the two TWA displays. I immediately
decided to "dress-it-up" a bit and spray painted the
yellow and purple orbitals of the Unisphere gold! Oh well! Say
good-bye to the value of the piece on the collectibles market.
It is still something I'll never part with and is my most treasured
collectible.
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