Pan Am Loves You

Blue text on white background with blue, black and white illustrated airplane character. 

The airplane character featured on this button is depicting the "Pan Am Smile," named for the greeting stewardesses gave to passengers. 

Commonly known as "Pan Am", Pan American Airways was the largest airline in the United States from its inception in 1927 to its collapse in 1991. Its first flights were scheduled passenger and mail service between Key West, Florida, and Havana, Cuba. Over the years, Pan Am aircraft were involved in a number of accidents, terrorist attacks, and hijackings, the most notable of these perhaps being a runway collision between two Boeing 747's in Tenerife, Spain. The crash killed 538 people, making it the most deadly incident in aviation history, and led to changes in the industry regarding safety and communications protocol. The international air travel industry attributes the use of jumbo jets and computerized reservation systems, along with other innovations, to Pan Am. The company declared bankruptcy in January 1991 and by December of the same year, Pan Am ceased all operations.