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Archives at The Museum of Flight


Northwest Orient Airlines

 Organization

Historical Note

Northwest Airlines (also known as: Northwest Orient Airlines; NWA Inc. Northwest Airlines Corp. and often abbreviated as NWA) was a major United States-based airline founded in 1926. It was absorbed into Delta Air Lines, Inc. by a merger in 2008. The airline was referred to as Northwest Orient Airlines between 1947 and 1986. The word 'Orient' was used after the airlines expanded their route map to include flights to Asia, and was taken back out of the name after the 1986 merger with Republic Airlines.

Found in 4 Collections and/or Records:

Mary Christensen Commercial Airlines Collection

 Collection — Folder: 1
Identifier: 2000-09-13
Contents of the Collection The collection includes route maps, schedules, and brochures by Northwest Airlines and Western Air Lines, circa 1940s. Materials from both airlines feature the Douglas DC-4 and DC-3 aircraft in their promotional art. Also included is a Souvenir Air Log by Northwest Airlines, which unfolds to a reversible map that features domestic and international routes along with trivia about the science of air travel.

Don Gray Northwest Airlines Collection

 Collection — Folder: 1
Identifier: 1995-04-27
Contents of the Collections The collection is comprised of a Northwest Airlines Souvenir Flight Packet containing tickets, timetables, brochures, route maps, decal, postcards, and assorted travel receipts. Packet was received during a Northwest Airlines flight between New York and Seattle in July, 1954. Most of the brochures and postcards feature a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser.

Alex R. Polson Northwest Orient Airlines Collection

 Collection — Folder: 1
Identifier: 1989-07-06-A
Contents of the Collection The Alex R. Polson Northwest Orient Airlines Collection is a small collection comprised of textual marketing materials from Northwest Airlines and Northwest Orient Airlines, collected between 1948-1956. Included are a souvenir Flight Kit, maps, postcards, and brochures. There are also timetables with fares for various routes, predominantly for service to Alaska, Hawaii, Japan, and China. Materials feature several aircraft that began commercial service in the late 1940s, including the Boeing 377...

James Sterling Commercial Airlines Collection

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 1992-01-21
Contents of the Collection The James Sterling Commercial Airlines Collection is comprised of commercial airline ephemera printed between 1930 and 1990, such as route maps, flight schedules, postcards, flight kits, decals, catalogs, brochures, air sickness bags and calendars. The materials were items provided to customers by various airlines, predominantly ones with international routes, including: Pan American World Airways, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, TWA, Northwest Orient Airlines, Mexicana De Aviacion,...

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