Fred Benninger was born on March 20, 1917 in Gunzburg, Germany and moved to New York in 1928. He attended New York University and then University of California and graduated with a degree in Accounting. During WWII, he served in the Army Air Corp as a pilot.
Mr. Benninger was hired by Flying Tigers in 1946 as the company’s Controller, overseeing all aspects of the company’s finances. He also held the position of General Manager, and also Executive Vice President. Fred remained at Flying Tigers for 21 years when he left in 1967 to work for the wealthy businessman, Kirk Kerkorian, chairman of Trans International Airlines, who also had multiple holdings in the then-developing Las Vegas.
Due to Kerkorian’s great respect for Benninger, Fred was involved in many different companies that Kerkorian had a stake in, including various Las Vegas casino hotels, Western Airlines and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios, which eventually split into two companies – the movie studio and the casino resort. By 1986 he was the CEO of the new MGM Grand, Inc. which included the airline. MGM Grand Air and the new MGM Grand Las Vegas (which later became Bally’s Las Vegas). Benninger stepped down as CEO in 1990 but continued as chairman until 1995.
Fred Benninger dies on February 29. 2004, age 86 and has been inducted in the “Gaming Hall of Fame” in recognition of his role in the gaming industry.