MIAMI, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- British airline pioneer Freddie Laker, who paved the way for such carriers as EasyJet and Ryan Air, has died in Miami at the age of 83.
The colorful entrepreneur, who died Thursday, challenged the trans-Atlantic airline industry cartel with his Laker Airways by offering seats on London-to-New York flights for as little as $105 on what Laker called Skytrain service, the Independent said.
It took Laker 11 years of fighting red tape, beginning in the 1960s, to get airborne. But between 1977 and 1982 almost 3 million people rode the Skytrain.
Mounting debts forced him back to Earth but his aviation efforts won him a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth.
He left a legacy that inspired generations, including Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Atlantic, who named one of his planes The Spirit of Sir Freddie in Laker's honor.
He is survived by his wife Jacqueline, his daughter Elaine and his son Freddie.
