Splash of Colors (William Morrow, 1984)
Highly-Praised, Splash of Colors is the edge-of-your-seat story of one of the most dynamic airlines in history as it captured the imagination of a generation with cutting edge imagery – including easter-egg colored airplanes and outrageous uniforms – and then spiraled into bankruptcy. As a grossly underqualified new president (hired away from Southwest Airlines where he was about to be fired) faces massive financial losses, a sophomoric and doomed scheme is concocted to bankrupt Braniff International, scare its unions into compliance, and re-fly it a month later. Instead, the Flying Colors of Braniff would fly no more. Hailed as an important chronicle of how NOT to run an airline, Splash of Colors is a bedrock example of exceptional research, and telling a story that many never wanted told.