Dinner service on an early Pan Am flight. Photo: Pan Am Historical Foundation
That glamorous vision of air travel of yesteryear was thanks primarily to Pan American World Airways, known as Pan Am Airways. It was founded in 1927 and became the first airline to offer transatlantic flights, but it eventually went bankrupt in 1991. But it’s coming back in 2025 — kind of.
From June 27 to July 8, 2025, 50 passengers will be able to take to the skies on a trip around the world managed by Bartelings, which runs luxury travel vacations via chartered aircraft, and Criterion Travel, which creates niche travel itineraries for groups like alumni organizations or museums. And that’s fitting, since the “Tracing the Transatlantic” trip will be hosted by Pan Am’s CEO Craig Carter, and co-sponsored by the Pan Am Museum Foundation.
The luxury Pan Am Airways trip will fill follow the path of the airlines’s original route between New York City and Marseilles, France; as well as the airline’s former northern route between New York and London. In addition to those cities, the trip will also make stops in Bermuda, Foynes (Ireland), and Lisbon (Portugal). Travelers will stay in five-star hotels along the way, including Dromoland Castle in Ireland and New York City’s historic Waldorf Astoria. Travel will be aboard a Pan Am-branded Boeing 757 with all-business-class seats, with meals and drinks included.
All seats on the one-time trip will be lie-flat business class seats, with all meals and drinks included. Photo: Pan Am Airways
As you may expect, the trip won’t be cheap. The trip will run you $65,000 per person for a single room, or $59,950 if you’re sharing with a friend or partner.
While Pan Am Airways doesn’t exist as an airline anymore, Pan American World Airways, LLC., does exist. It’s in negotiations to open a few airport lounges around the country, and is re-opening the “Pan Am Experience” (a 747-200-themed restaurant) in Los Angeles later this year.
The company says it expects interest to be high for the limited number of spots, which are now open for booking on the trip website.
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Pan American World Airways, or Pan Am, was a cultural icon and a pioneer of global aviation in the 20th century. Pan Am Airways was synonymous with international travel, embodying the glamour and romance of jet-setting. Its rise was meteoric, its fall deeply symbolic of broader economic shifts.
After becoming the first airline to offer transatlantic flights in 1939, it continued to innovate through the following decades, introducing technology like advanced navigation systems and high-tech jet aircraft. The Pan Am Airways’ blue globe logo became a symbol of adventure and exploration, and celebrities, diplomats, and the global elite flocked to the airline, solidifying its status as a symbol of prestige and success.
However, the golden age of Pan Am was not without its challenges, and increasing competition, economic downturns, and the turbulent geopolitical landscape of the late 20th century led the business to shrink. A series of high-profile incidents eventually eroded public confidence, and it went bankrupt in 1991. Many of its assets were bought by Delta and United Airlines.
But despite its closure, the airline’s legacy lives on into the fabric of popular culture, inspiring films, television shows, and countless works of fiction. Its luxurious service was captured in movies like “Catch Me if You Can” (2002) and several classic James Bond movies. 