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<p>Pan American World Airways could be considered a corporate Cinderellaa rags-to-riches-and-back-again phenomenon. From its founding in 1927 and its relatively obscure inauguration as a mail carrier on a 90-mile mail run from Floridas Key West to Cuba, Pan Ams route system grew to span the globe. The company that would eventually become famous for its blue-and-white-world logo grew into a conglomerate of hotels, airlines, business jets, real estate, a helicopter service, and even a guided missiles range division. But financial problems plagued Pan Am in its last two decades, and in 1991, Pan American World Airways ceased flying after 64 years of service.<br> The story of Pan Am is as much the story of president Juan T. Trippe as it is an account of airplanes, pilots, flight attendants, and<br> glamorous destinations. As the company moved throughout the world building airfields from jungles, crossing oceans, and forcing<br> the development of new airplanes, it was Trippes airline and his vision. A global pioneer, Pan Am was the first airline to use radio<br> communications, to employ cabin attendants and serve meals aloft, and to complete an around-the-world flight. The companys<br> achievements were legendary, but its failures, tragedies, and disasters were also part of a complex corporate life.<br></p>