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People working in commercial aviation are probably familiar with Robert Six. He's the man who transformed Continental Airlines from a single-route “puddle-jumping” entity to one of today's major airlines worldwide.
Six is credited with the dramatic expansion of air travel. He counts as one of the very first execs to introduce cheap and discounted airfares. Thanks to Six's efforts, airlines became an affordable and accessible form of mass public travel.
Robert Six and His Planes
Success did not happen overnight for Robert Six. His career started back in the earliest days of commercial aviation in the US. His strong-minded and persistent nature paid off big time for Continental Airlines, the firm that would for five decades be built in Six's image.
Robert Six began a business career in sales working for a public utility firm where he was given the ax after being caught taking flying lessons during company time. He envisioned his own airline growing from a small, three-top flying operation into a serious trunk carrier that had services that spanned the US and stretched across Asia, Latin America and Europe.
Six learned to fly planes and received his pilot's license in 1929 at age 22. He acquired an OX-5 TravelAir from Walter Beech and went on to found the Valley Flying Service, which he used for selling scenic rides to people and racing on the weekends.
In the 1940s and 1950s, Continental Airlines with Robert Six at the helm, expanded its fleet of aircrafts with the help of earnings from World War II. At that time, the airline provided the air transport requirements of the military. Continental did military aircraft modification jobs at its maintenance facilities in Denver. Six also spent time during the second World War in the US Army Air Corps, planning improvements on ferry routes that would enable the flying of American aircrafts onto the European theater.
Continental merged with another firm, Pioneer Airlines in 1953. By the late '50s, the company was one of the few operators of the Boeing 707. But Six, not content with jet service alone, made a number of innovations with the 707 operations of Continental, resulting in ground and in-flight services that were often described as luxurious.
The carrier's route network grew rapidly. Alliances were formed with other larger commuter airlines. Texas Air Corporation, led by Frank Lorenzo, was able to obtain a controlling stake in Continental Airlines in 1981. Continental Airlines was legally merged with Texas International a year later.
Six died on October 6, 1986 in his office at the Los Angeles International Airport. The airline company he molded moved on to become one of the biggest and most esteemed airlines in America. Continental's popular and innovative services mainly focused on the busy Houston, Newark/New York and Denver hubs.
The Robert Six Quick Bio
Full name: Robert Forman Six
Birth date: June 25, 1907
Birth place: Stockton, California
Company: Continental Airlines
Industry: Transportation
Key success traits: determination, a scrappy nature, a constant risk-taker
Additional:
In recent years, Six's Continental Airlines has turned into one of the most financially thriving legacy carriers in the US. It currently boasts of having operations in practically every state, along with extensive air services to Latin America, the Pacific basin and Europe.
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