Transcontinental Air Transport

Transcontinental Air Transport
Company type	Airline
Industry	Aviation
Founded	1928
Founder	Clement Melville Keys
Defunct	1930
Fate	Merged with Western Air Express to form Transcontinental & Western Air (T&WA), later known as TWA
Headquarters	United States, United States
Key people	Clement Melville Keys, Charles Lindbergh
Products	Passenger air transport, airmail service

Transcontinental Air Transport (T-A-T), established in 1928 by Clement Melville Keys, combined forces in 1930 with Western Air Express to create the airline that would later be known as TWA. Keys brought on board Charles Lindbergh to develop a transcontinental route network designed to win government airmail contracts. Lindbergh also played a crucial role in the development of multiple airports across the United States.

History

On July 7, 1929, T-A-T introduced a coast-to-coast travel option lasting 48 hours, which integrated daytime flights with overnight train segments. Travelers would take an overnight Pennsylvania Railroad train from New York City to Columbus, Ohio, then board Ford Trimotor airplanes for a flight to Waynoka, Oklahoma, with stops along the way. From Waynoka, passengers continued their journey by Santa Fe Railway overnight train to Clovis, New Mexico, before completing the final leg via another Ford Trimotor flight to Los Angeles, arriving at Glendale’s Grand Central Airport.

The return journey left Los Angeles at 8:45 a.m., reaching New York by mid-morning on the third day. The one-way ticket cost $352 in 1929 currency. TAT was among the pioneers in providing onboard meals through the Fred Harvey Company, which also supplied food during ground stops—an innovation aimed at enhancing passenger experience beyond mere mail delivery.

Despite its forward-thinking business approach and strategic alliances, TAT encountered financial difficulties, reporting losses amounting to $2.7 million within its initial eighteen months.

In November 1929, as part of its growth plan and pursuit of the valuable New York-Los Angeles airmail contract, TAT acquired Maddux Air Lines. However, Postmaster General Walter Folger Brown required a merger with Western Air Express, leading to the formation of Transcontinental & Western Air (T&WA). By October 1930, this new company offered a fully air-based coast-to-coast passenger service that took 36 hours and included an overnight stop in Kansas City.

Although Western Air Express regained independence in 1934, Transcontinental retained the T&WA designation, which eventually evolved into Trans World Airlines (TWA). This transition allowed the company to capitalize on its expanded operational reach and market presence within the burgeoning aviation sector.

Accidents and incidents

On September 3, 1929, the aircraft NC9649, known as City of San Francisco, crashed into Mount Taylor near Grants, New Mexico amidst a thunderstorm, resulting in the deaths of all eight individuals aboard. This tragedy marked the first of three major accidents involving TAT within a five-month span.

Legacy

Two Ford Tri-Motors that served on TAT’s transcontinental route remain airworthy:

N9645, serial number 8, manufactured in 1928 and originally named City of Wichita during its time with TAT. Currently owned by the Liberty Aviation Museum, it is painted in TAT colors as City of Port Clinton and stationed at Erie-Ottawa International Airport in Ohio.
N9651, serial number 34, built in 1929 and called City of Philadelphia. Owned by Kermit Weeks, it is housed at Fantasy of Flight in Florida and operated the Clovis to Los Angeles segment for TAT.

The Western New Mexico Aviation Heritage Museum maintains a restored light that was used to guide pilots along this route. Additionally, wreckage from the City of San Francisco crash is preserved by the United States Forest Service in Grants, with further debris uncovered during an archaeological investigation conducted in 2009.

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