Exit Pioneer Pat

The pioneers among U.S. commercial-airline men are disappearing. Last week in Chicago, another oldtimer bowed out. United Air Lines Chairman William A. ("Pat") Patterson, 66, went through a round of farewell luncheons and dinners, presided over a United stockholders' meeting for the last time, flew off aboard one of his jets to keep a golf date at his winter home in Borrego Springs, Calif. Patterson's retirement after 32 years as United's boss trims the ranks of early birdmen to two: American's Chairman C. R. Smith and Pan Am's Chairman Juan T. Trippe, both also 66.

Big and Getting Bigger. Behind him, Patterson leaves what United executives call the world's biggest airline, even though Air France flies more route miles. United now has 149 jets and 18,000 miles of routes connecting 116 cities; last year it carried 17,340,000 passengers. Revenues last year reached $792.8 million and earnings $45.8 million. This autumn, service to Hawaii will include the first 250-passenger "stretch-model" DC-8s to be delivered. The airline is also gradually taking delivery on $750 million worth of new planes, and hopes to win a Pacific route to Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong and Thailand.

Along with bigness, Patterson emphasized new ideas. United was the first to use stewardesses, first to supply meals from its own kitchens instead of box lunches, first with ground-to-air, two-way radio, and first to use computers to draw up flight plans. "The little fellow," as employees called 5-ft. 4-in. Pat Patterson behind his back, could be dictatorial. Reasoning that first-class passengers could not watch in-flight movies and enjoy meals at the same time, Patterson cut out the movies. And on the scarcely convincing grounds that "stewardesses are not barmaids," United dispenses no drinks in tourist class on flights where it has no competition. Patterson's latest complaint is about the youth fare (TIME, April 22), which offers reduced rates to the 12-to-22 age group. "I wish," he growled last week, that "kids carrying banjos and ukuleles and looking for a new picket line would find some other way to travel."

Accidental Start. Hawaiian-born Patterson started his career as a junior bank executive, got into aviation accidentally; in 1927 he made a loan to Pacific Air Transport, one of the struggling airmail lines that were later grouped into United. When United was organized in 1934, Patterson became its first president. Making way last week for George E. Keck, president since 1963 and United's new chief executive, Patterson allowed himself one small lapse into nostalgia. "I have great respect for marketing and research and for cost accountants," he said. "But I'm glad they weren't around when we started. They would have recommended that we didn't start this business."

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