Alfred Eliasson and Loftleidir Icelandic

Alfred Eliasson, founder and manager of Loftleidir Icelandic, was a pioneer in Trans-Atlantic passenger aviation. He was a topflight motivator who communicated his vision effectively to his employees, creating an unbreakable team spirit. Whether it was to go on a dangerous rescue mission on a glacier to dig up a stranded DC-3 plane, find ways to outsmart the market stranglehold of government owned airlines (IATA) or offer low fares to increase revenue, Mr. Eliasson had the ability to come up with clever solutions in seemingly hopeless situations. Loftleidir was nicknamed The Hippie Airlines in the ’60s because of its low fares and popularity with young people. Loftleidir became Iceland’s most successful business venture in the 20th century. The Loftleidir saga is both an inspiring rag-to-riches story and a bit of a tragedy when it merged with a smaller rival on terms that were so unfair that it was called The Theft of the Century.