I was having a discussion awhile back with some friends on the topic of Pan Am, and alot of "remember when?" discussion came up. One of the things I thought was interesting, was that it was mention that Pan Am was the Flag Carrier airline for the United States. Since the demise of Pan Am, apparently no other airline has taken that status (if you will). Does anybody know anything about which airline has been considered, or what the process is?

PS....not really looking for speculation (ie United 'should' be the flag carrier etc.)