Flight 42 Lounge (1965-1967)

Although shortlived, Flight 42 Lounge may have been Kansas City’s most unusual cocktail bar. The lounge was housed in an old TWA airliner that had been towed to the southeast corner of 42nd and Main Street, which is now home to a parking lot for an H&R Block branch. The sight of a Super-G Constellation Airliner being towed across Main Street drew attention to the lounge's 1965 opening. The airline-themed bar featured waitresses dressed as airline flight attendant uniforms with airline call buttons for guests to request service. Despite initial excitement, Flight 42 experienced financial turbulence. The owners declared bankruptcy in December 1966, and by April 1967, all traces of the plane had been removed.

In January 1965, Kansas City entrepreneurs Patrick Quirk and John Glorioso approached the city council with a proposal to create a unique business at 42^nd and Main. Quirk was a former pilot, and he had recently purchased a decommissioned Super-G Constellation Airliner from Trans World Airlines for $30,000. Quirk shared a plan to tow the aircraft into the heart of Kansas City and turn it into a cocktail lounge. The city council debated whether the plane would violate zoning laws and eventually agreed to the unusual proposal. 

Quirk had the plane towed on a flatbed truck from the downtown airport in three sections to its new home, a vacant lot at 4219 Main St. It took three days to tow the plane and reassemble its wings. Here, it was moored in cement and connected to water, power, and sewage lines. The 150-foot wingspan necessitated that it sit at an angle on the property. The interior of the plane was modified into a lounge with a bar on one side, a row of tables in the center, and a row of booths with airplane seats on the other side. Regular airline stairs provided the entrance and exit to the plane. 

When the Flight 42 Lounge opened that May, it was the talk of Kansas City. Locals and tourists alike flocked to the city’s most unusual bar. The hostesses and waitresses were dressed like airline stewardesses. Guests could press the call button, just like on an airplane, if they needed something from the waitress. However, the lounge’s success was short-lived. By December 1966, the owners had declared bankruptcy. By April 1967, the plane had been disassembled and sold for scrap, and 4219 Main was once again a vacant lot. Today the location is a parking lot for an H&R Block branch location.

TWA had its corporate headquarters in downtown Kansas City and operated a massive maintenance hanger at today's Kansas City International Airport. For this reason, Kansas City was referred to as the "Air Hub of America" for many years. Kansas City is home to the TWA Museum, which is located in the historic Kansas City corporate office building of Trans World Airlines, which was constructed in 1932. This museum features historic aircraft, pilot and flight attendant uniforms, training simulators, photographs, and artifacts related to aviation and TWA.

"No this is not a disaster scene." Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Mo.) April 26th, 1967. .1.

"Files for Bankruptcy." Kansas City Times (Kansas City, Mo.) December 15th, 1966. , C sec.12.

"Thieves visit airliner." Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Mo.) May 6th, 1965. .37.

"Plane to be turned in Cocktail Lounge on Ground." Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Mo.) January 21st, 1965. .3.

Flight 42 Cocktail Lounge: Kansas City's Hidden Aviation Gem, KC Yesterday. Accessed February 21st, 2025. https://kcyesterday.com/articles/flight-42-cocktail-lounge-kansas-city?srsltid=AfmBOoqHzNBaqFYBZZbhfzwzCqjfvbmJQMR5-d3J8B3GAqPbGXLzszgV.