Splash of Colors: The Self-Destruction of Braniff International [Hardcover]

John J. Nance (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 426 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow & Co; 1st edition (August 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688035868
• ISBN-13: 978-0688035860
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #154,432 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John J. Nance, aviation analyst for ABC News and a familiar face on Good Morning America, is the author of several bestselling novels including Fire Flight, Skyhook, Turbulence, and Orbit. Two of his novels, Pandora's Clock and Medusa's Child, have been made into highly successful television miniseries. A lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, Nance is a decorated pilot veteran of Vietnam and Operations Desert Storm/Desert Shield. He lives in Washington State.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just upper managment, July 4, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Splash of Colors: The Self-Destruction of Braniff International (Hardcover)

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.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A through investigation into what went wrong at Braniff., May 29, 2003

By 

JonathanDP81 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Splash of Colors: The Self-Destruction of Braniff International (Hardcover)

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.)

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FIND THIS BOOK!, January 10, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Splash of Colors: The Self-Destruction of Braniff International (Hardcover)

John Nance manages to describe the intimate details of the rise and fall of this incredible airline, and he manages to leave you on the edge of your seat! An incredible book, and highly reccomended to those with an interest in avation or airlines.