What Is the History of Western Airlines?
- Originally founded as Western Air Express in July of 1925, Western Airlines has gone through a series of mergers and name changes over the course of its history. In 1930, Western Air Express merged with Transcontinental Air Transport to form Transcontinental & Western Air, but Western Air soon broke away from this arrangement, changing its name to General Airlines in 1934 and then to Western Airlines on March 11, 1941.
- Western Air Express took control of the Fokker Aircraft Company in 1928, and in 1931 purchased airline routes from Mid-Continental Air Express. In 1937, the airline expanded, purchasing National Park Airways and later Inland Air. During the 1970s and 1980s the airline had routes to most southwest American cities and various locations in Canada and Mexico. In 1981, Western offered flights from Denver and Anchorage to London Gatwick Airport.
- Air Florida attempted to buy Western Airlines many times in the early 1980s, but it was only able to purchase 16 percent of the small airlines stock. Western Airlines was finally bought out by Delta Air Lines in 1987, after a period sponsoring The Price is Right to attract eastern customers, with the merger completed on April first of that year.