Tower Air – If you haven’t heard of that airline before, then consider yourself lucky. Though it may not be the worst airline to ever exist, it is definitely in contention. They’re widely considered to be more of an infamous airline than a true success.
Tower Air proved to be an enigma in the aviation industry. They employed only one type of aircraft: the Queen of the Skies herself, the Boeing 747. That might sound pretty cool at first, but once it comes to light that they operated some of the rattiest and most beat up 747s, had horrific maintenance practices, and were better known for making customers mad than successfully leaving on time, you realize that this might not have been the best idea.
Since the COVID-19 Pandemic has been relaxing regulations (woohoo, no masks!), there has been a massive increase in flying. The downside was the lack of personnel and equipment. This led to operational meltdowns and crew, along with all the guests, stranded for days in airports. Similar meltdowns were relatively regular for Tower Air.
The only thing Tower Air had going for them was the lack of social media and cameras on cell phones to capture the pandemonium. Instead, their disastrous operation was documented on forums, review boards, and by the news channels and newspapers. Tower Air was essentially a replacement airline for Flying Tigers. Once Flying Tiger Line ceased commercial passenger charters, the president of the passenger portion of the airline Morris Nachtomi met with the Tower Travel Corporation (a travel company that dealt primarily with trips to Israel, the home country of Nachtomi) owner Zev Melamid and got him to buy into the idea of creating an airline to serve the travel company’s primary destination. The pair then brought on Mordechai Gil and Sam Fondlier to round out the shareholders.
