On May 12, 1982, the nation's seventh largest commercial airline, Dallas- based Braniff International, suddenly halted all flight operations over three continents and filed for protection under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Some nine thousand employees found themselves unemployed after a long, difficult battle to keep Braniff in the air.

  SPLASH OF COLORS is the behind-the-scenes story of the destruction of Braniff International and an unusually candid and carefully researched account of a unique human and business tragedy. It follows Braniff's principal players from the era of Harding Lawrence's accession as president in 1965, through his transformation of the airline into an internationally famous pace-setting carrier flying brightly colored jet airliners staffed with gaudily dressed flight attendants. It reveals what happened as a result of the critical decision to explode into the worldwide market at the time of the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978.

  This is the story, as well, of how more than a decade of neglect led to the decay of a middle- and lower-management structure that saddled the airline with sloppy service, angry employees, intransigent unions, and increasing confusion. After the airline doubled in size, mounting losses born of ruthless competition, recession, and world fuel-price increases led, finally, to the ouster of Lawrence and the election of a series of presidents unable to rise to the monumental task before them. The increasing pace of the day-to-day maneuverings culminated in the dark spring of 1982, as Braniff, aided by its competitors, slid in agony toward collapse.

  Finally, SPLASH OF COLORS is the story of the people of Braniff, what they saw and felt, and how they contributed to the death of their fifty-four-year-old company even as they tried valiantly to save it.

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