Splash of Colors: The Self-Destruction of Braniff International
Author: John J. Nance
List Price: $24.50
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ISBN: 0688035868
Publisher: William Morrow (August, 1984)
Sales Rank: 323,830
Average Customer Rating: 5 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 5 out of 5
A through investigation into what went wrong at Braniff.
John J. Nance is mostly known for his aviation thrillers, but this non-fiction work, his first book, is a great read. At the over 400 pages, the sad collapse of Braniff International is thoroughly looked at, from the airline's spectacular rise after 1965 to become a major world player to the shutdown on May 13, 1982. The problems which led to its downfall are all covered, the over extension after deregulation, the ineffective middle management, the poorly trained and many times hostile ground employees, the dirty tricks campaign by American Airlines and the incompetence of the later executives. Very well done. One minor complaint I have is that there are far too many footnotes. It seems to me most of them could have worked into the text, but it's not really a big deal. The bottom line is that this is a book that should be read by anyone who's in the airline industry. There's a lot to learn from Braniff's mistakes. (Note: This book is out of print, so you're in for search to get a copy, but I think you'll find it worth it.)
Rating: 5 out of 5
Splash of Colors
I am a former Braniff customer service agent. "Splash of Colors" is the most comprehensive, accurate portrayal of Braniff International. I worked for nine long months for this company. I was given no training whatsoever. I was assigned to work the weight and balance forms in operations, and flight crews continually warned management that my lack of training could cause their Boeing 727 to be misloaded and could cause an accident. Despite this, management gave me no training, instead, telling me to "try harder". Several of the managers I worked for were intoxicated most of the time.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Not just upper managment
As a former airline employee myself, I have read most of the books out there about airlines. Most of them seem to think that the only employees who matter are upper management. Not so. Nance understands that it is the pilots, flight attendants, ticket agents, and reservations agents -- the ones who have front line contact with passengers -- who ultimately matter the most in the public perception of the airline, and sometimes in its success or failure. However, this book correctly places the blame on the failure of the first Braniff where it belongs, on upper managment and take-over gurus who cheerfully ran the airline into the ground, and apparently never even paid the final paychecks of the employees left stranded and jobless back in 1982. This is the best airline book I've ever read. John Nance is a wonderful writer. I'm sorry he's turned to fiction, as his non fiction is better. His "On Shaky Ground" is the best earthquake book I've ever read. Similar Products
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