History of TIA/TAA
We are a group of Flight Deck crew members, Flight Attendants, and Ground Support Personnel who share the common bond of being employed by Trans International/ Transamerica Airlines, and or Saturn Airways at one time or another.
Contact Us
admin@transamericaairlines.org – for membership
loiscox@transamericaairlines.org – for any suggestions or more information and website updates
reunion@transamericaairlines.org – for Annual Event
patinliv@aol.com – for newsletter, data base, and finances
catie.neilson@gmail.com – for data base and newsletter
Brief History of Trans America Airlines
Kirk Kerkorian started operations of Los Angeles Air Services in 1948. The airline was renamed Trans International Airlines (TIA) in 1960. Kerkorian took TIA public in 1967 and used the additional cash to build a casino in Vegas called The International (later the Las Vegas Hilton). He managed to get Barbara Streisand and legendary Elvis Presley to perform at the new hotel and those two helped to set Vegas attendance records. In the early 1970’s, he bought MGM Studios in Hollywood and returned to Las Vegas to build the MGM Grand hotel (now Bally’s).
The financial services giant Transamerica began diversifying in the 1960s and ended up owning a movie distributor, a car rental agency, a machinery manufacturer, and yes this airline – though it did not change it’s name to Transamerica Airlines until 1979.
After buying TIA in 1965, Transamerica Corporation acquired Universal Airlines in 1972 and Saturn Airways in 1977. TIA was a cargo and passenger charter airline. In addition, TIA operated MAC (Military Airlift command) and SAM (Special Air Mission) flights for the Department of Defense during its entire 30 year tenure. The Charter operation covered routs to Europe, Asia, South America and South Pacific. TIA was the first airline with long haul jet aircraft to haul livestock to Argentina, and race horses to Australia. The name of the airline changed from TIA (Trans International Airlines) to TAA (Transamercia Airlines) in 1979. With deregulation in the late 1970’s, Transamerica Airlines was awarded by the CAB its first scheduled service routes from New York to Shannon Ireland and Amsterdam commencing on November 2, 1979. With no boundaries in deregulation, competition between scheduled service carriers and charter service airlines became extremely challenging. In the 1980’s, Transamerica Corporation decided to divest itself of its non-core businesses. Buyers were sought for the car rental, machine manufacturing, and airline businesses. In the time frame Transamerica Corporation allotted, no buyer could be secured for the airline. Transamerica Airlines ceased operation on September 30, 1986 with approximately 900 employees world wide.