10, but failed as its financing was not in place. Trump's offer was approved by the bankruptcy court in May 1989. In June 1989 the deal was completed, financed through a loan from a syndicate of banks led by Citibank. The new Trump Shuttle operation launched on June 8, 1989, and by the end of August had returned to a strong market share of 40-50%. Trump pushed to make the new shuttle a luxury service and a marketing vehicle for the Trump name. Its aircraft were newly painted in white livery and the interiors redecorated with such features as maple wood veneer, chrome seat belt latches, and gold colored lavatory fixtures. The airline also was a leader in the adoption of advanced technologies: It introduced some of the first passenger self-service check-in kiosks, in coordination with Kinetics, at its LaGuardia base; and partnered with LapStop, a startup firm that rented laptop computers to passengers. The airline was also an early adopter of the GTE Airfone in-flight telephone system. Flights offered free meals, including chicken and steak on some flights, as well as complimentary champagne, beer and wine. Both Trump and Pan Am spent millions on advertising campaigns around this time in an attempt to maintain strong competitive positions. August 1989 incident In August 1989, a Trump Shuttle flight arriving in Boston incurred a nose gear failure upon landing due to maintenance errors by Eastern personnel prior to the acquisition. Trump personally flew on the next Trump Shuttle flight to Boston in order to manage the public reaction to the incident. Financial difficulties The company was never profitable. Passenger traffic on the shuttle began to decline in November 1989. In late 1989, the Northeastern United States entered an economic recession which depressed demand, while the August 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait caused jet fuel prices to double. While costs of running the airline rose, many of the corporate customers using the shuttle were cutting travel budgets. Trump's casino business was simultaneously encountering serious difficulties, and Trump was forced to cede control over several business holdings to his bankers in June 1990 in order to avoid personal bankruptcy. The airline ran out of cash and defaulted on its debt in September 1990. Trump Shuttle conducted some charter operations around this time to monetize the shuttle's spare aircraft. In June 1990, the airline carried Nelson Mandela on his eight-city tour of the United