35 Years On: Why American Icon Pan Am Ceased Operations

Pan American World Airways (also known a Pan Am) was once the closest thing that the United States had to a flag carrier airline. The carrier pioneered long-haul routes, the jet age as a whole, and a brand that came to symbolize American commercial aviation. However, despite its presence in the market, the airline decided to shut down on December 4, 1991, following several years of financial struggles and a brutal series of shocks.