Easily confused? Then maybe the FareCompare Quiz isn’t for you. But maybe you know more than you think you do. Check out our quiz and see what you’re made of! You might just surprise yourself. Good luck!

By Karlene Lukovitz

OK, so you’ve spent so much time in the air that your frequent flyer miles statement is thicker than War and Peace. Who could know more about aviation than you?

Well, here’s your chance to put that mental stockpile of flying factoids to the test. Drop that Sudoko book and prepare for takeoff: heres the first official FareCompare Quiz!

Take the Test!

After you’ve taken your best shot (no Googling!), check out the answers at the end of the quiz, and well tell you if youre an expertor not.

QUESTIONS:

1.Which is the oldest U.S. commercial airline? (Choose one or more)

A.United Airlines
B.Northwest Airways
C.Varney Airlines
D.Frontier Airlines

2.Who was the first U.S. stewardess?

A.Alma Reville
B.Ellen Church
C.Margaret Chase Smith
D.Betty Boop

3.Which is the worlds largest airline, as ranked by total passengers (domestic and international) transported in 2006?

A.United
B.Delta
C.American
D.Southwest

4. Which is the worlds largest airline, as ranked by total domestic-only passengers transported in 2006?

A. United
B. Delta
C. American
D. Southwest

5. What is the busiest U.S. airport, as of first-half 2007?

A. O’Hare International, Chicago
B. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International
C. Los Angeles International
D. Dallas/Fort Worth International

6. Match these airlines — American, Continental, Frontier, Midwest, Southwest, United — with their current official slogans:

A. We Know Why You Fly
B. Its Time to Fly
C. You Are Now Free to Move About the Country
D. Work Hard, Fly Right
E. The Best Care in the Air
F. A Whole Different Animal

7. Match these airlines — American, Continental, National, TWA, US Airways, Western — with their past official slogans:

A. Up, Up and Away
B. Something Special in the Air
C. We Really Move Our Tails for You
D. The Only Way to Fly
E. Clear Skies Ahead
F. I’m Cheryl [Gina, Mary etc.]Fly Me

8. Match these airlines — Allegheny, Continental, Hughes Air West — with the official and unofficial nicknames they had at some point in their histories:

A. The Proud Bird With the Golden Tail
B. The Top Banana in the West
C. Agony Air

9. Match these airlines — America West, Pacific Southwest (PSA), Southwest — with the symbols they have been associated with over the years:

A. Heart painted on side
B. Smile painted on nose under cockpit area
C. Cactus

10. Which airline was featured in all of the following movies: Something’s Got to Give (1962, Marilyn Monroe’s last, unfinished movie); Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967); Good Morning Vietnam (1987); Beaches (1988); When Harry Met Sally (1989); Sleepless in Seattle (1993); Jerry McGuire (1996):

A. American
B. Delta
C. Pan Am
D. United

ANSWERS (Score one point for each correct answer, except where noted.)
1. Both A and C (score one point if you chose either A or C, two points if you chose both): The first U.S. commercial flight was a mail-delivery by Leon D. Lee Cuddeback, chief pilot for Boise, Idaho-based Varney Airlines, on April 6, 1926. Cuddeback flew an open-cockpit Swallow biplane between Pasco, Washington and Elko, Nevada. Varney Airlines (founded by Walter T. Varney, who also founded Continental Airlines) was soon acquired by Boeing Air Transport, and the airlines name was changed to United Aircraft-Transport Corp. in 1929. United Airlines marks Cuddebacks flight as its birth date. But Northwest Airways (now Northwest Airlines) was a close runner-up for first U.S. commercial flight: On October 1, 1926, it flew a mail-delivery fleet of two rented biplanes from the Twin Cities to Chicago.

2. B: When Boeing began carrying passengers in 1930 (as well as mail), it hired Ellen Church, a registered nurse, to assist passengers. (Alma Reville was the maiden name of a film editor best known as the wife of film director Alfred Hitchcock).

3. C: According to World Air Transport Statistics (WATS), American flew 99.8 million domestic and international passengers in 2006, followed by Southwest (96.3 million), Delta (73.6 million) and United (69.3 million). But for first-half 2007, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics reports Southwestern out ahead, with 49.8 million passengers to Americans 48.6 million.

4. D: Southwests 96.3 million passengers were all domestic. The domestic runners-up were American (78.6 million), Delta (63.5 million) and United (58.8 million).

5. B: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which saw 20.8 million passengers cross its carpets between January and June 07. The other Top 5 most-trafficked airports were Chicagos OHare (17 million), Dallas-Fort Worth (13.8 million), Denver (11.65 million) and Los Angeles (11.64 million).

6. Score one point for each correct answer: A: American; B: United; C: Southwest; D: Continental; E: Midwest; F: Frontier

7. Score one point for each correct answer: A: TWA (borrowed from the Fifth Dimensions hit 1967 song, probably because it rhymed with TWA); B: American (mid-80s to mid-90s); C: Continental; D: Western; E: US Airways (after its first of two bankruptcy filings, in 2002); F: National, acquired by Pan Am in the late 70s (the stewardess’s name changed for each different commercial).

8. Score one point for each correct answer: A: Continental (which used to paint the tails of its planes gold); B: Hughes Air West, founded by Howard Hughes, painted its planes bright yellow; C: Allegheny Airlines; this forerunner of todays US Airways, Allegheny was renowned for horrific customer service. (See FunTrivia for more airplane slogans and nicknames.)

9. Score one point for each correct answer: A: Southwest (whose headquarters is at Love Field, in Dallas); B: Pacific Southwest (acquired by US Air in the late 80s; one of its slogans was Catch Our Smile); C: America West

10. D: United

HOW YOU RANK

Air Head (20 to 25 points): You are probably an employee of the National Air and Space Museum (and could be a liability at cocktail parties, if you don’t watch it). Seriously consider pitching Trivial Pursuit on an aeronautics-only edition.

Wing Nut (15 to 19 points): You know U.S. airlines history essentials, but stopped keeping up circa 2003, when your first child was born and you switched your home page from Century of Flight to What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Now that he/she is about four, time to switch your home page to FareCompare.

Good Guesser (10 to 14 points): You really aren’t into aeronautics, U.S. or otherwise, but you’re well-read, pretty interested in history in general, and bored enough to spend time taking this quiz. After FareCompare, try entertaining yourself with Trivia-Library.

Off Course (9 points or less): You are a Wall Street trader, or a successful entrepreneur or family head who has no time or interest in the history of flight, U.S. or otherwise — unless it means getting a ticket discount. Skip future aviation quizzes, but stick with FareCompare as your travel info source.