BRANIFF HISTORY TODAY - On this day, Wednesday, August 1, 1934, Braniff Airways, Incorporated, added Coffeyville, Kansas, as a Flagship Stop on its Dallas to Chicago Air Mail Route 9, which the carrier first inaugurated mail only service over three months earlier on May 17, 1934, with scheduled passenger and express service beginning two weeks later on May 30, 1934. The original routing of the new route was Chicago, Kansas City, Oklahoma City, Dallas and then return over the same route.
Earlier in 1934, Braniff Airways cofounder Paul Revere Braniff had traveled to Washington DC to testify before Congress during the 1934 Air Mail Hearings. Mr. Braniff proposed a high frequency air mail route from Chicago to Texas and felt that Braniff could better serve this route than current operator United Airlines. Braniff was awarded Airmail Contract AM-9 between Ft Worth Texas and Chicago, Illinois. Braniff was in dire need of the guaranteed revenue that an air mail contract would bring. As a result of Mr. Braniff’s tenacity, the company was saved from failure and began five decades of success enjoyed by Braniff Airways.
Prior to the adding of the Coffeyville stop, service was also inaugurated at Wichita, Kansas, on June 15, 1934. Initially, service was begun with only the movement of mail but two weeks later on July 1, 1934, passenger service was also inaugurated. This was the beginning of a long relationship with Wichita as well as the state of Kansas. The addition of Coffeyville, only solidified this new relationship.
Photo: Braniff’s first flight over Air Mail Route 9 originated at Chicago Midway Airport on May 17, 1934 and was flown using one of the Airline’s 5-passenger Lockheed Vega airliners. Ship NC7953 is parked on the ramp at Oklahoma City Will Rogers Airport during the southbound stop of the route before it continued to Dallas Love Field. Greeting the arriving flight is Braniff’s cofounders Mr. Thomas Elmer Braniff, second from left and Mr. Paul Revere Braniff, second from right. The route was flown by several of Braniff’s pilots on inaugural day.
Braniff Airways Foundation
Copyright 1926 2026
Photo: Braniff Airways, Incorporated, Copyright
Braniff International Heritage Archives
Now Associated with The University of Texas at Dallas System
Braniff Airways Space Sciences Endowment
https://t.co/fkQs4q0OFL
https://t.co/dxaRBgJvxE
https://t.co/rurojxHifZ
https://t.co/fDvnT9QrE0
Last night, a rapidly growing crowd near Newport Pier threatened public safety after social media posts drew thousands to the area. Thanks to months of planning, 350+ officers responded quickly to restore order. Thank you to all of our local and regional first responders. 🚔🚒
@JohnDuncanS30 Hi John, we all collectively felt that WWDC was underwhelming at best. We initially we’re gonna cancel the show based on that. However, I made plans to do something else and Greg and Dave decided to go ahead and have a general chat. I’ll see you on the next one!