THE LORD´S AIRLINE

The Lord´s Airline was a unique business model that failed and never managed to launch.

A New Jersey enterpreneur had the not so great idea to come up with the concept in 1985 and what was unique and characteristic from it is he wanted to make it an only religious airline. The first and last!

The airline was going to operate 3 weekly flights from Miami, Florida to Jerusalem, Israel. They acquired a single Douglas DC8 registered N893AF.

The flights were thought only for pilgrims with the idea was to provide a unique religious experience such as:

-              Offered a zero alcohol flights

-              Bibles and torahs to read instead of in-flight magazines

-              Religious movies for entertainment

-              Every seat back had a plaque with the ten commandments

-              In-flight religious lessons for the kids

A ¼ of the ticket fares was intended to finance missionary activities

The last thing I can add here as a joke (please don´t be offended) is that pilots were lincesed priests and flight attendants were nuns. Or have a small altar at the back of the plane. Haha

The DC8 remained parked at Miami International Airport without engines

Why did the airline fail? -Regulation: did not obtain FAA clearance to operate due to maintenance work on the aircraft

- Finantial: investors becaume nervous as the airline encountered difficulties to launch.

- Lack of interest: travellers preferred newer aircrafts

But God had other plans, and The Lord’s Airline never managed to operate a single commercial flight. The venture quietly folded in 1987, just two years after its creation.

This airline remains a funny  footnote in aviation history. It stands as an example of a niche airline concept that, despite its unique approach, couldn’t overcome the practical and regulatory hurdles of the aviation industry.

Today, the route between Miami and Tel Aviv is served by established carriers like EL AL, Delta or American Airlines amongst others, meeting the demand for direct flights between these destinations.

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