Modern Air Transport, Inc. (originally Modern Air Transport/MAT, subsequently Modern Air) was a United States-based supplemental air carrier From 1964, such airlines were charter carriers. Until 1964, they had a limited but flexible ability to fly scheduled service. founded in 1946. At different stages in its history its operations were based in Newark and Trenton, New Jersey, Baltimore, and Miami. In addition to Miami, New York used to be a base for Modern Air. In 1968, the airline established an overseas base at Berlin Tegel Airport in what used to be West Berlin prior to German reunification. Between 1968 and 1974, operations increasingly focused on Berlin Tegel. Modern Air ceased trading in 1975.
History
The early years Although Modern Air was conceived in 1946 in Hempstead, Long Island, it was incorporated as Modern Air Transport, Inc. on January 3, 1947. Later that year, Modern Air commenced commercial operations from Miami International Airport with war-surplus Curtiss C-46 piston-engined aircraft.Airways (Proctor, J., Archive, Modern Air Transport), Vol. 24, No. 03, Iss. 255, p. 62, Airways International Inc., Miami, May 2017
In 1950, the airline's operational base moved to New York's Newark Airport. Following another move to Trenton–Mercer Airport, New Jersey shortly afterwards, the airline was bought by C-46 type-rated pilot, John B. Becker, in 1951.
In 1956, Modern Air became the first US "non-sked" to be granted rights for up to 10 regularly scheduled round trip flights per month by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB). Modern's first scheduled service departed Pittsburgh International Airport for Miami on July 15, 1956. The route was flown on week-ends at a one-way fare of $38.05 or, alternatively, a $60.75 16-day excursion fare.
From 1958, Gulf American Land Corporation, a Florida-based property developer, began contracting business to Modern Air. Gulf American Land, which had been formed to develop a tract of land in Cape Coral, Florida near Fort Myers into residential real estate, contracted the airline to fly hundreds of prospective customers for its real estate developments every week into Miami from the US Northeast and Midwest.Airways (Proctor, J., Archive, Modern Air Transport), Vol. 24, No. 03, Iss. 255, p. 63, Airways International Inc., Miami, May 2017 At Miami, Gulf American Land's prospective customers transferred between Modern Air's Curtiss C-46s and the Douglas DC-3s of Gulf American Land's own airline, Gulf American Airlines, which operated a shuttle service linking Miami to Fort Myers across the Everglades.Beyer, Morten S. Flying Higher: The Rosen Boys, 2009, p. 180 Together with complimentary bus transfers between Gulf American Land's Golden Gate Estates development in Cape Coral and Fort Myers' Page Field airport, these flights formed part of Gulf American Land's free sales pitch and were free for prospective customers, who were also served a free meal on board the aircraft on each leg of their journey.
Modern Air's charter flights on behalf of Gulf American Land into Miami eventually accounted for 25% of the airline's total business.
Five ex-Capital Airlines Lockheed L-049 Constellation piston airliners were bought in 1961 to replace the C-46s. These joined the fleet during summer 1962. Only two of these entered actual airline service; the remaining three were used for spares.
The grant of an interim certificate by the CAB in October 1962 to operate domestic military contract flights, intrastate and overseas charters from April 1, 1963, was followed by further fleet expansion, including the temporary lease of a pair of Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellations and the purchase of an L-749A in 1964.
The acquisition of five Douglas DC-7Cs in April/May 1965 resulted in retirement of the Constellation fleet due to the former's superior range. The same year also saw the acquisition of five DC-3s from Gulf American Airlines (for whom they continued to fly).Beyer, Morten S. Flying Higher: The Rosen Boys / Reorganizing Modern Air, 2009, pp. 180-182
On May 30, 1966, the CAB authorised Modern Air to operate charter flights from the US to Canada and Mexico.
Further fleet expansion ensued in August 1966 with the acquisition of five Martin 2-0-2s from TWA and Allegheny Airlines, respectively. Also in 1966, the CAB broadened Modern's civilian and military charter authority, including granting the airline permission for limited scheduled air services. This enabled it to temporarily replace scheduled air services normally provided by major US certified route carriers during labour disputes resulting in strike action at the certified carriers and to obtain temporary CAB authority for scheduled flights from New York and Washington, D.C. to Miami.
Total revenues and profits for 1966 exceeded $4 million and $30,000, respectively.
The GAC era Following Gulf American Land's purchase of Modern Air's entire stock from John Becker for $807,500 in May/June 1966, the airline became a wholly owned subsidiary of Gulf American Land Corporation on June 29, 1966. Concentration of most of Modern Air's business activities in Florida and the change in ownership resulted in consolidation of the airline's operations at Miami International Airport,apart from maintenance activities which remained at Trenton the transfer of the DC-3s and Martinliners to sister airline Gulf American Airlines and the sale of the company's last remaining Constellation the following year.Aeroplane - Commercial continued: Modern's cut back, Vol. 114, No. 2924, p. 12, Temple Press, London, November 1, 1967 Gulf American Land Corporation's stockholder meeting in December 1966 resolved to shorten its name to Gulf American Corporation (GAC) to reflect its increasing diversification and approved an employee stock purchase plan worth $600,000.Beyer, Morten S. Flying Higher: The Rosen Boys, 2009, p. 181
Although Modern Air and Gulf American Airlines shared the same owners, who attempted to merge both airlines under the Modern Air name, both airlines largely remained organisationally independent of each other, with former Modern Air pilots continuing to fly the DC-7s on long-haul charters and their former Gulf American Airlines colleagues flying the smaller piston types (the DC-3s and Martinliners) into Fort Myers.Beyer, Morten S. Flying Higher: Reorganizing Modern Air, 2009, pp. 181/2
Gulf American's takeover by the General Acceptance Corporation in 1969 resulted in a major reorganisation of GAC's business units.Beyer, Morten S. Flying Higher: General Acceptance Corp. Buys Modern Air, 2009, p. 193 This saw Gulf American Corporation and Modern Air become wholly owned subsidiaries of newly created holding company GAC Corporation, with all real estate related business activities being absorbed into newly formed GAC Corp subsidiary GAC Properties.Airways (Proctor, J., Archive, Modern Air Transport), Vol. 24, No. 03, Iss. 255, p. 65, Airways International Inc., Miami, May 2017 These changes resulted in former GAC treasurer James M. Browne being appointed Modern Air president.
Transition to an all-jet fleet
The award of a five-year licence by the CAB in October 1966 to engage in cargo and passenger charter operations including all-expense tour charters between the US and points in Canada and Mexico enhanced Modern Air's new status as a permanently certificated US supplemental carrier.Modern Air was one of 10 US "non-skeds" attaining permanent supplemental carrier status at the time Following the award of these new foreign charter rights, the airline concluded a US$17.5 million purchase agreement with American Airlines to acquire five of the latter's Convair CV-990A jetliners between January 1967 and February/March 1968, in anticipation of major growth for low-cost overseas travel by US tour groups.Aeroplane - Commercial: ITs for Supplementals, Vol. 112, No. 2869, p. 11, Temple Press, London, October 13, 1966Aeroplane - Order Book: Modern's Coronado purchase, Vol. 112, No. 2873, p. 10, Temple Press, London, November 10, 1966Aeroplane - Late News: Modern branches out, Vol. 116, No. 2934, p. 38, Temple Press, London, January 10, 1968 The first two examples sported a new natural metal "Silver Palace" livery, which replaced the Modern Air Transport/MAT fuselage titles used in previous schemes with Modern Air titles. Modern Air's first jet, Convair CV-990A N5609, was handed over to the airline in February 1967. It was based in Miami and contracted by GAC to operate charter flights for prospective investors in its real estate development projects in Florida and Arizona. Modern received its second CV-990A, N5605, the following month. This aircraft was repainted in the contemporary Air France livery, in preparation of a short-term wet lease beginning in April that enabled the French national airline to introduce high-capacity jet aircraft on four daily round trips between Paris Orly and London Heathrow while awaiting delivery of its own Boeing 727-200s.Airways (Weidmann, U., The Charismatic Coronado), Vol. 17, No. 11, p. 38, Airways International Inc., Sandpoint, January 2011 Modern Air's CV-990s were configured in a spacious 139-seat, single-class seating arrangement. The aircraft's standard flight deck crew complement comprised three, including a flight engineer holding a mechanic's and inspector's licence. On flights involving long overwater sectors a navigator supplied by a third party joined the other three flight deck crew.
The slow and difficult integration of the old Gulf American Airlines and pre-GAC Modern Air workforces into a combined post-merger workforce encountered a further obstacle when Modern Air hired former military pilots to crew its new jets. This resulted in the two separate, unionised legacy pilot groups, as well as another unionised group representing flight attendants across both airlines and pre-GAC Modern Air flight engineers being joined by another, non-unionised group. In addition, the airline's problems were compounded by reliability issues and high costs. It was at this point that GAC called on the services of experienced senior airline manager and aviation consultant, Morten Sternoff Beyer, to head up the airline and manage the integration as well as turn around its fortunes.
In addition to its new CV-990 jets, Modern Air also leased a pair of Boeing 727-100Cs from Executive Jet Aviation in September 1967 as DC-7 replacements and to enable eliminating the intermediate stop in Miami to change flights as the 727's short-field capability permitted direct flights into Fort Myers' original airport at Page Field from GAC's prospective customers' points of origin with a viable payload.Beyer, Morten S. Flying Higher: Reorganizing Modern Air, 2009, p. 182 It also began negotiations with Boeing for the purchase of a single 727-200 and two 727-100s direct from the manufacturer. Following a labour dispute with its pilots, new Executive Vice President Morten S. Beyer (who had arranged the 727 lease with Executive Jet) returned the leased Boeing jets, did not finalise its order with Boeing for three new-built 727s and began grounding all piston airliners permanently from the end of 1967.Airways (Proctor, J., Archive, Modern Air Transport), Vol. 24, No. 03, Iss. 255, pp. 63/4, Airways International Inc., Miami, May 2017 The latter move saw the DC-3s and DC-7s put into storage at Fort Myers while the Martinliners were stored at Cape May, New Jersey. It also resulted in 100 job losses among flight crew.Airways (Proctor, J., Archive, Modern Air Transport), Vol. 24, No. 03, Iss. 255, p. 64, Airways International Inc., Miami, May 2017
Modern Air carried more than 360,000 passengers in 1967 while revenues increased to over $9.5 million. However, costs associated with the transition to a jet fleet and excess capacity resulted in a $3 million loss (a $2.98 million operating loss and a $3.6 million net loss, respectively).