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Archives at The Museum of Flight


Western Airlines

 Organization

Historical Note

Western Airlines first incorporated in 1925 as Western Air Express. The company reincorporated in 1928 as Western Air Express Corp. and was then purchased by Standard Air Lines in 1930 and merged with Transcontinental Air Transport to form Trans World Airlines (TWA). In 1934, Western Air Express was severed from TWA and briefly changed its name to General Air Lines, but then returned to the name Western Air Express after several months. It merged with National Parks Airways in 1937. In 1941, Western Air Express changed its name to Western Air Lines (WAL) and later to Western Airlines. The airline ceased operations in 1987 when it merged with Delta Air Lines.

Found in 2 Collections and/or Records:

Esther (Hutchings) Hebrew Western Airlines Flight Attendant Collection

 Collection
Identifier: 2021-12-10
Contents of the Collection The Esther (Hutchings) Hebrew Western Airlines Flight Attendant Collection consists of textual and visual materials gathered by Hebrew during her career as a stewardess for Western Airlines (WAL) in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The materials illuminate the work and life of flight attendants in the mid-twentieth century. The collection is organized in two series: Western Airlines career-related materials and other airlines. There are several files of textual materials related to...

Wanda Smith Flight Attendant Collection

 Collection — Folder: 1
Identifier: 2022-04-16
Contents of the Collection The Wanda Smith Flight Attendant Collection is a small collection consisting of photographs and clippings documenting Smith's career as a flight attendant for Eastern Airlines and Western Airlines in the 1950s and 1960s. The collection includes seven photographs of Smith in her Eastern Airlines uniform, including six formal individual portraits of her and one group portrait of her with several other flight attendants, circa 1956. There are also thirteen photographs of Smith and her...

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