Summary
Back when he was vice president of communications at JetBlue, my dear friend Gareth Edmonson-Jones gave me a cool carry-on bag that was a throwback to the ones airlines used to give away and even sell. I also still own the Pan Am bag my grandmother kept from her trip visiting us in Brussels, Belgium, back in the 1970s. Of course, I had to create a Pinterest board, Vintage Airline Carry-on Bags. Below are 15 bags that caught my eye.
Braniff International Airways
This is a vintage bag given by the Dallas-based carrier, which closed abruptly on May 12, 1982, in the 1960s. The logo featured on the bag was introduced in the 1950s.
TWA
This bag from the New York City-based carrier, which was acquired by American Airlines in 2001, was created in 1961 to tout its Royal Ambassador service. The service was offered in a 20-seat first class cabin. The service was prominently featured in season 7 of the television show “Mad Men.”
Pan Am
America’s international flag carrier created a series of bags to give customers in all classes. You can find bags at places like Amazon and eBay, but there’s also a great selection at Pan Am Brands.
KLM
This is a poster of a carry-on bag used by the Dutch flag carrier. It is the work of artist Joop van Heusden, who designed and painted a series of posters for KLM.
Delta Air Lines
This is a vintage bag distributed by the Atlanta-based carrier in the 1970s. The bag features the classic Delta “widget” logo used from 1962 to 1993.
British Airways
The UK’s flag carrier offered this limited edition overnight flight bag to its crew in 1974. The carrier, formed through the merger of BOAC and British European Airways, got this new logo created by Negus & Negus.
Japan Airlines
This is a vintage JAL flight crew or passenger carry-on bag from the 1960s that features the carrier’s iconic white crane logo. The Tsurumaru logo was created in 1958 by Jerry Huff, the creative director at San Francisco-based agency Botsford, Constantine, and Gardner.
Nigeria Airways
This is a flight bag handed out by the country’s flag carrier in the 1960s. The Eagle logo was unveiled in 1967 and was used by the government-owned carrier, founded in 1958 until its demise in 2003.
Continental Airlines
This is a vintage travel bag offered by the Houston-based carrier. It features the classic meatball logo, designed by Saul Bass and used from 1967 to 1991.
Finnair
This flight bag was given to passengers by the Helsinki-based carrier in the late 1960s. It features a logo that was created in 1968 by graphic artist Kyösti Varis.
Northeast Airlines
This is a bag that features the Boston-based carrier’s iconic yellowbird logo, created in 1965 after it was bought by Storer Broadcasting. The airline, founded in July 1931 as Boston-Maine Airways, merged with Delta Air Lines in 1972.
Canadian Pacific Airlines
This flight bag was made by the now-defunct Vancouver-based carrier to celebrate Expo 67, also known as the International and Universal Exposition, held from April 27 to October 29, 1967. The airline, founded in 1942, merged with Nordair and Pacific Western Airlines and renamed Canadian Airlines in 1987.
Eastern Airlines
The Miami-based carrier handed out these overnight bags on flights during the 1960s. The bag features Eastern’s iconic hockey stick logo, officially known as Caribbean Blue over Ionosphere Blue. The airline, formed in 1926, went out of business in January 1991.
Qantas
This is a shoulder bag used by flight attendants on Australia’s flag carrier in the 1970s. The bag features the Flying Kangaroo logo, used by the airline from 1968 to 1984.
Republic Airlines
This was a flight bag used by pilots at the Minneapolis-based carrier founded in 1979 after the merger of North Central Airlines and Southern Airways. The bag features the mallard duck that was part of North Central’s original logo.
