Old, defunct and long ago airline names

[Mooncrest]

Idle curiosity question. If I were to start an airline of my own, would there be any legal or intellectual reason why I couldn't name it, for example, British Eagle or Northeast ? These two companies in particular have been out of business for well over forty years. I don't know if any person or company has any claim on British Eagle but I imagine British Airways owns the rights to the Northeast name, if anyone does. Obviously, I mean the ex-BKS company, not the Delta acquisition.

Thankyou.

[Mooncrest]

I could go for Dan Air but I guess BA still own that one too.

[chevvron]

Hillman Airways, British United, Caledonian, Monarch?

[thetimesreader84]

I think BA / IAG still "own" the names of the various airlines they've acquired over the years, and I'm fairly confident they'd defend that ownership.

[MechEngr]

Not entirely sure about the US view of things, but generally companies can have duplicated names. Where it becomes tricky is when those names are used in advertising (or to be misleading).Then comes the Trademark. If the trademark is still held by someone or used by someone, that limits how the name can be used elsewhere. The classic face off was between Apple Records and Apple (Computer) - where Apple (Computer) agreed to never have anything to do with music. Then they came out with the iPod and iTunes and that started a new negotiation; not a happy one at first, but it worked out.

A more recent and, for my money, more ugly arrangement involved a company called Cat & Cloud Coffee, because it's a coffee shop owned by people who also have cats. They decided to sell some merchandise, like hats that had their company name on them. Caterpillar filed an action with USPTO because Caterpillar had the trademark for CAT that Caterpillar associated with, among other things, clothing/apparel. While not suing the small company directly, Caterpillar was going to force them out of selling merchandise and, likely, any other use of the Cat & Cloud Coffee name. It's ugly because the coffee shop isn't a party to the action in the USPTO and so Cat & Cloud Coffee had to submit their own filings to keep Caterpillar from running over them. It started in 2018 and ended in 2020 almost exactly 4 years later.

Fortunately, it has turned out that Caterpillar lost the exclusive use of the word "cat" (if I understand the proceedings result) and Cat & Cloud remains a registered trademark of the coffee shop, but they had to give up on [, socks, underwear, shorts and shoes ] . I suppose this means you can buy and skid-mark CAT trademarked underwear.

Depending on the name and who has money and what is registered, it could be easy-peasy or it could be someone with a pile of money rains on your parade.

Perhaps of interest: https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4806:2dnxtz.2.5 (not sure if the link will work; some searches come back with time-stamp and vanish. If so, try https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/gate.exe?f=login&p_lang=english&p_d=trmk select Basic Word Search and type in Dan Air.) It's no longer active

[tubby linton]

Somebody recently registered the Monarch name on Companies House.

[OUAQUKGF Ops]

Was his name Chas?

[stilton]

I’d vote for a return of Hooters Air

[tonytales]

Hooter's Air took over the certificate of Pace Airlines out of Winston-Salem North Carolina. Pace was owned by Piedmont Aviation Services, Named in honor of the Pacemakers of Piedmont Airlines. Hooter quickly killed the operation.

[VictorGolf]

A friend of mine attempted to enter the Round the World luxury travel business with a VIP equipped DC-8. He spoke with BA about the use of the Imperial Airways brand and BA agreed in principle. For various other reasons the attempt foundered, which was a great shame.

[TCAS FAN]

I long lament the passing of Liberian National Airlines. They used to operate a pair of pristine DC 3s EL-AAB & EL-AAZ during my three year sentence in Liberia 1971-1974. Based at ROB they operated domestic schedules, each day positioning from ROB to Spriggs Payne.

Flown by expat Captains with local FOs, they were always open to free seats on the positioning sectors. Consequently when faced with a shopping trip to Monrovia just had to find who was doing the next morning’s, ring up captain to request a lift and away with my cold box to do the shopping.

Driving by expats in Monrovia could be costly, frequently being pulled over by police to indicate an offence had been committed, which it never had. Became far more frequent when the police hadn’t been paid for a month or two!

Got fed up having to “dash” the police so relied on LNA frequently.

C’est Afrique n’est ce pas?

Shortly after my release I heard that the airline had been nationalised with all local crews. Shortly thereafter EL-AAB was written off while departing from ROB, apparently leaving the side of the runway into the bush apparently due to the rudder gust lock being left in place!

[Sleeve Wing]

I think it'll be some time before we see this again...........


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/300x239/derby_airways_2_08aa92f0df4f4d2a6029c7051de3cb68c5a147ec.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/959x307/derby_airways_ddec84934082d638fa4de27f7bd44ac21f4fc381.jpg

[Herod]

Air Anglia, if it isn't owned by KLM. Likewise Air Wales and BIA.

[Prangster]

Amongst great granddads paperwork was a cancelled share certificate for Instone Airways, I always wondered how it came to be in his files as he never had any money and absolute zero interest in aviation.I think it paid out about £100 in 1923 values

[Arthur Bellcrank]

Having been an employee of the original BIA (British Island Airways) I also carried out maintenance later on around 1990 or so on two aging Series 1 HS748s (G-ARRW and G-BEKG) operated by another BIA, British Independent Airways, operating from Lydd to Ireland, it didn't last very long as the aircraft were unserviceable much of the time.
G-ARRW went on to Nepal and G-BEKG became G-DAAL and operated with Emerald for several years after the demise of BIA.

[oxenos]

Brown Air

[dixi188]

Brown Air
Slight thread drift.
I heard a story from a UPS captain that when they started the air cargo operation the management wanted the call sign to be "Brown Tail" but the pilots said no. Can't think why!

[happybiker]

I would vote for Yorkshire Airlines!
Watch | Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=10154600975252925)

[Less Hair]

Berlin Regional UK.
https://www.berlin-spotter.de/airlines/berlineuropean.htm

[chevvron]

I would vote for Yorkshire Airlines!
Watch | Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=10154600975252925)
What about 'Scotia Airlines'?

[Asturias56]

"Free Scotland AIrways" will be coming shortly

[ETOPS]

Brown Air

Used to fly for them - passengers used to laugh at the name but some were less than impressed with the Cessna 441 - more than a couple actually refused to board and insisted we provided a “proper” airliner :eek:​​​​​​​

[Mooncrest]

I think I'll go for Northeast. I want the livery too.

[pulse1]

Channel Airways. I will never forget being shown inside one of their Viscounts at Bournemouth on a very hot day during a dock strike. It was full of raw meat and stunk quite a bit. It's next flight would be full of happy holiday makers off to Jersey.

[Asturias56]

probably smelt worse..............

[dixi188]

Before I joined Channex, they used to do some passenger sub charter work with the Heralds. One day the carpets hadn't been removed for a freight flight carrying wet fish. The next flight was with passengers and the aircraft stank of fish. I'm sure the Pax were most impressed.

[old,not bold]

Instone is one of the oldest names, maybe the oldest, in the UK's air transport industry. It started life as Instone Air Line, created in 1919 primarily to support the Instone Shipping Line by flying bills of lading to ships' destinations before the ship arrived, to speed up clearance, but also offering passenger and cargo transport. The airline was amalgamated into Imperial Airways, and thus eventually into BOAC and therefore BA.

Unfortunately the OP can't have the name, because the company retained the name on amalgamation, and from 1976 to the present day operates as Instone Air, a specialist in transporting valuable live animals by air, all over the world.

[Mooncrest]

That's cool. Instone isn't on my list!

[old,not bold]

Here's a link to more information about this fascinating company, Instone Air. (https://instoneair.com/instone-air-line-founded-1919/) I first came across them when they brokered a dry charter of one of our aircraft to MAS in the late '70s. Their senior managers still looked and acted like a 19th century shipping line, which is what they were, of course.

Instone Air should be better known than it is, having achieved a large number of Firsts in the UK's aviation history, and still going strong.

Sorry; now back to the topic......................

[treadigraph]

Of course, Instone made a reappearance as an airline in the 1980s - with a brace of Bristol Freighters!

[ATNotts]

Of course, Instone made a reappearance as an airline in the 1980s - with a brace of Bristol Freighters!
Not to mention one of the Air Atlantique DC6s, though I seem to recall it was in their livery but still operated by Atlantique.

[treadigraph]

I see they had G-APSA... them was the days...

[Jerbourg]

I remember Haywards Aviation, they used to operate BN Islanders from Shoreham to Guernsey & Jersey.

[Mr Mac]

Used to fly for them - passengers used to laugh at the name but some were less than impressed with the Cessna 441 - more than a couple actually refused to board and insisted we provided a “proper” airliner :eek:

My God that is a name from the past. My first company ex military sent me to Norway with you I think. I remember miniatures thrown down the plane and sandwiches. It was more 633 Squadron than an airline. My next trip to Norway was sublime to ridicules as the company we were dealing with dropped a Gulfstream into Manchester which was coming back empty from US to Norway and dropped into UK to pick me up. I was 25 !!!!! and could not believe it. Raufoss AG spoilt me for life according to my wife 🙂

Cheers
Mr Mac

[ETOPS]

sent me to Norway with you I think.

Would be a heck of a coincidence - if you find a date I'll check my logbook!

[Mr Mac]

ETOPS
Sadly according to my wife I have kept my diaries. We did a tip run last weekend and they came very close to going, as in box’s in the garage. I am back in the UK this weekend recovering from Carnival in Munich so will have a look to see what I can find.

I have not opened any that far back so a voyage of discovery for me. I do remember being being very stared at when boarding the Gulfstream as parked between two Britannia 737 with passengers queuing to board, as I was in my mid 20;s. My then MD was furious that they had done that for me, as he had flown with SAS to go to the same place via Copenhagen .

You have aged me with those memories, but in a nice way. The other odd carrier I used out of LBA was a Shorts operator on the Edinburgh route but the name escapes me at the moment. I remember some incredibly cold aircraft in winter with flexi hose piping hot air onboard.

Cheers
Mr Mac

[Mooncrest]

Air UK used to fly the 360 between Leeds Bradford and Edinburgh up until 1995. Then Gill Airways assumed the route, also using the 360. Occasionally the 330 was used.

[Mr Mac]

Mooncrest
Gill Airway’s was indeed the airline I could not re call,and it would be winter 1996 when I flew with them.

Etops
You got me up early rummaging around in the garage and disturbing a sleeping Field Mouse ! However we are in luck it appears to be Wednesday 20th June 1984 if that helps. I only flew with you that once as at that time I was not even the bag carrier assistant in my career. A gentleman responsible for my training called Alan Hepworth was a more regular flyer with you. A tall gent with beard and liking for Rock music, now sadly no longer with us. He was responsible for me being on the trip as we got on well, and he thought I would be a good fit on the team. The project was the Volvo design office in Marlowe. I did get on well with the team there and hence the Gulfstream ride which was later that summer.

I came back on the Friday with SAS via Copenhagen on a DC 9. I remember that flight more as I ended up going out with one of the CC for 6 months !! Kristina I wonder if you married the FO you dropped me for 🥲

Cheers
Mr Mac

[rog747]

Amberair was short lived -
Just for 1988 and was the phoenix that rose from the ashes of Airways International Cymru, Cardiff.
Callsign was "Diamond".

Amberair was originally going to be called Diamond Airways but British Midland Airways raised a legal objection to it shortly before launch due to infringement of its Diamond Service livery, the on- board product, and Trademark at the time.
British Midland was also running four 737-400s for Owners Abroad on dedicated charter contracts at the time and there were rumour that it was going to put the four aircraft under a different title - Diamond Line - to avoid confusion between the BMA charter 737s with 174Y seating capacity and pay for your drinks, versus those 737's running the scheduled services with greater legroom, and free drinks.
Diamond Airways changed its name about a month before starting operations and for its short life, and became Amberair.
Acquired by Paramount Airways 1989.

They had 2 737-200ADV flying mainly to Spain and the Greek islands from various UK airports.
G-BOSA (ex G-BAZI Britannia AW and then Airways International Cymru)
and G-BKMS