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Western Airlines

October 14, 2023

This article is about the defunct California-based airline that operated from 1925 to 1987. For the defunct Washington state–based airline that operated through 2007, see Western (airline). For the Bahamas-based airline, see Western Air.

Western Airlines was a major U.S. air carrier based in California, operating in the Western United States including Alaska and Hawaii, and western Canada, as well as to New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Miami and to Mexico City, London and Nassau. Western had hubs at Los Angeles International Airport, Salt Lake City International Airport, and the former Stapleton International Airport in Denver. Before it merged with Delta Air Lines in 1987 it was headquartered at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).[2] Throughout the company's history, its slogan was "Western Airlines...The Only Way to Fly!"

Western Airlines
IATA ICAO Callsign
WA WAL WESTERN
FoundedJuly 1925 (1925-07)
(as Western Air Express)
Commenced operationsApril 17, 1926 (1926-04-17)[1]
Ceased operationsApril 1, 1987 (1987-04-01)
(merged into Delta Air Lines)
Hubs
Frequent-flyer programSkyMiles
Fleet size78
Destinations56
HeadquartersLos Angeles, California, U.S.
Key peopleHarris Hanshue (Founder)

History Edit

Western Air Express Edit

 
A Fokker F-10 aircraft operated by the airline's precursor, Western Air Express, in the late 1920s.

In 1925, the United States Postal Service began to give airline contracts to carry airmail throughout the country. Western Airlines first incorporated in 1925 as Western Air Express by Harris Hanshue. It applied for, and was awarded, the 650-mile long Contract Air Mail Route #4 (CAM-4) from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Los Angeles. On 17 April 1926, Western's first flight took place with a Douglas M-2 airplane.[3] It began offering passenger services a month later, when the first commercial passenger flight took place at Woodward Field. Ben F. Redman (then president of the Salt Lake City Chamber of Commerce) and J.A. Tomlinson perched atop U.S. mail sacks and flew with pilot C.N. "Jimmy" James on his regular eight-hour mail delivery flight to Los Angeles. By the mid-1930s, Western Air Express had introduced new Boeing 247 aircraft. Western Air Express built and owned Vail Airport, Montebello from 1926 to 1930 and the Alhambra Airport from 1930 to 1931. Western Air Express operated a seaplane route out of Hamilton Cove Seaplane Base on Catalina Island, California from 1928 to 1930[4][5][6]

Transcontinental & Western Air Edit

The company reincorporated in 1928 as Western Air Express Corp. In 1930 it purchased Standard Air Lines, a subsidiary of Aero Corp. of Ca., founded in 1926 by Paul E. Richter, Jack Frye and Walter Hamilton. WAE with Fokker aircraft merged with Transcontinental Air Transport to form Transcontinental & Western Air (TWA, later known as Trans World Airlines).

General Air Lines Edit

In 1934 Western Air Express was severed from TWA and changed its name to General Air Lines, returning to the name Western Air Express after several months. In a 1934 press release by the company, it called itself the Western Air Division of General Air Lines.[7] Its route map ran San Diego to Los Angeles to Salt Lake City.

Western Airlines Edit

 
Douglas M-2 Operated by Western Air Express
 

In 1937 Western merged National Parks Airways, which extended its route north from Salt Lake to Great Falls, and, in 1941, across the border to Lethbridge, Alberta. In 1941 Western Air Express changed its name to Western Air Lines and later to Western Airlines. (In 1967–69 Western called itself Western Airlines International.)

In 1944 Western acquired a controlling interest in Inland Air Lines, which became a subsidiary with Inland's schedules in Western timetables until Inland was merged into Western in 1952.[4] Western started flying Los Angeles to San Francisco in 1943, so the Western/Inland route map was a W: San Francisco south to San Diego, north from San Diego to Lethbridge, Alberta in Canada, south to Denver, and northeast to Huron. (It extended to Minneapolis in 1947.)

In 1946, Western was awarded a route from Los Angeles to Denver via Las Vegas, but in 1947 financial problems forced Western to sell the route, and Douglas DC-6 delivery positions, to United Air Lines. In 1947 Western extended the left arm of the W north to Seattle, and added San Diego to Yuma for a few years; in 1950 it extended the middle of the W north to Edmonton. It finally cut across the W in 1953 when DC-6Bs started a one-stop flight MSP-SLC-LAX; in 1956 it resumed flights west out of Denver, to San Francisco via Salt Lake. In 1957 it began Los Angeles to Mexico City nonstop DC-6Bs, and in December 1957 it began Denver-Phoenix-San Diego.

The airline's president was Terrell "Terry" Drinkwater. Drinkwater got into a dispute with the administration in Washington D.C. that hampered WAL's growth. Pressured in a famous phone call by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to "buy American made aircraft", Drinkwater reportedly responded: "Mr. President, you run your country and let me run my airline!" For years after this exchange, the federal Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) would not award Western new routes while its competitors, including United and American, grew enormous even though all Western airliners were of U.S. manufacture while its competitors' fleets included aircraft produced in Europe.

 
Covers of a 1940s ticket book
 
Restored Convair 240 in Western Airlines paint

In August 1953, Western was serving 38 airports; in June 1968 that number had grown to 42.

In June 1960, Western Airlines introduced Boeing 707s (707-139s) between Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. 720B nonstops MSP-SFO and MSP-LAX began in 1966, along with LAX-Acapulco. In 1967 WAL acquired Pacific Northern Airlines (PNA, the successor of Woodley Airways) based in Anchorage, Alaska, its primary routes being Anchorage - Seattle nonstop as well as Anchorage - Juneau - Seattle and Anchorage - Juneau - Ketchikan - Seattle with PNA flying Boeing 720 jetliners on these routes with the airline also operating nonstop Kodiak, Alaska - Seattle service with Lockheed Constellation propliners.[8] Also in 1967, Western added Vancouver, and in 1969 it began nonstop flights between several California airports and Hawaii.

In the late 1960s, Western aimed for an all-jet fleet, adding Boeing 707-320s, 727-200s and 737-200s to its 720Bs. The two leased B707-139s had been sold in favor of the turbofan-powered Boeing 720B. Lockheed L-188 Electra turboprops were replaced with new 737-200s. In 1973 Western added nine McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10s, marketing its wide-body cabins as "DC-10 Spaceships". They were configured with 46 first-class seats, 193 coach, and a lower level galley.[9] From 1976 to 1981 the DC-10s flew Los Angeles to Miami nonstop.

In 1969, Western Airlines opened negotiations to merge with American Airlines.[10] However, the merger was opposed by rival airlines such as Continental Airlines and the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division under Richard Wellington McLaren.[11] President Richard Nixon's attorney Herbert W. Kalmbach suggested that the antitrust suit would be dropped in exchange for a $75,000 campaign contribution to the Committee for the Re-Election of the President, which American Airlines CEO George A. Spater agreed to.[12] However, the merger was nonetheless rejected in a 4–1 decision by the Civil Aeronautics Board in July 1972.[13]

 
Boeing 720B in old livery at Seattle 1972
 
Boeing 727

Western was headquartered in Los Angeles, California. After the Airline Deregulation Act in 1978, the airline's hubs were reduced to two airports: Los Angeles International Airport and Salt Lake City International Airport. Before deregulation, Western had small hubs in Anchorage, Alaska, Denver, Las Vegas, Minneapolis/St. Paul and San Francisco.[14] In spring 1987, shortly before Western was acquired by Delta Air Lines, the airline had two hubs, a major operation in Salt Lake City and a small hub in Los Angeles.

At its peak in the 1970s and 1980s, Western flew to cities across the western United States, and to Mexico (Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo and Mazatlán), Alaska (Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Ketchikan, Kodiak and other Alaskan destinations), Hawaii (Honolulu, Kahului, Kona, and Hilo), and Canada (Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton). New York City, Washington, D.C., Boston, and Miami were added on the east coast as well as Chicago and St. Louis, and cities in Texas (Austin, Dallas/Ft. Worth, El Paso, Houston and San Antonio), and New Orleans in the south. Western had many intrastate flights in California, competing with Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA), Air California/AirCal, Air West/Hughes Airwest and United Airlines. In addition, Western operated "Islander" service with Boeing 707-320s, Boeing 720Bs and McDonnell Douglas DC-10s to Hawaii from a number of cities that previously did not have direct flights to the 50th state. In 1973, Western flew nonstop between Honolulu and Anchorage, Los Angeles, Oakland, California, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose, California and one-stop between Honolulu and Las Vegas, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Phoenix, Sacramento and Salt Lake City.[15] In 1981, the airline also flew nonstop DC-10s between Vancouver, British Columbia and Honolulu.[15]

One of the smallest jet destinations was West Yellowstone, Montana, near Yellowstone National Park. Western flew Boeing 737-200s to West Yellowstone Airport in the summer, replacing Lockheed L-188 Electras. In the 1970s and 1980s, Western served a number of small cities with 737-200s including Butte, Montana, Casper, Wyoming, Cheyenne, Wyoming, Helena, Montana, Idaho Falls, Idaho, Pierre, South Dakota, Pocatello, Idaho, Rapid City, South Dakota and Sheridan, Wyoming. The 737 replaced Electras to all of these cities. In 1968 the airline was operating nonstop Boeing 720Bs between the Annette Island Airport (serving Ketchikan, Alaska) and Seattle in addition to 720Bs between Juneau and Seattle, and in 1973 was flying 720B nonstops between Kodiak, Alaska and Seattle.[4][15]

In 1978, Western Airlines and Continental Airlines agreed to merge. A dispute broke out over what to call the combined airline: Western-Continental or Continental-Western, prompting an infamous coin toss. Bob Six, the colorful founder of CAL, demanded that Continental be "tails" in deference to its marketing slogan "We Really Move Our Tail for You! Continental Airlines: the Proud Bird with the Golden Tail". The coin flip turned up "heads". Six was so disappointed he called the merger off.[16]

From October 1980 to October 1981, Western flew Honolulu to Anchorage to London Gatwick Airport with a single McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30;[15] for less than a year starting in April 1981 it flew LGW to Denver, continuing to Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Another international route was Los Angeles to Miami to Nassau, in the Bahamas for a year in 1980–81. Western extended its network to New York City, Washington, D.C. and Boston, as well as to Chicago and St. Louis in the midwest, Albuquerque and El Paso in the west, and Houston, New Orleans, Miami and Fort Lauderdale. In 1987 Western had four Boeing 737-300 round trips between Boston and New York LaGuardia Airport, and a major hub at Salt Lake City International Airport and a small hub at Los Angeles International Airport.[15]

Western Express Edit

In 1986, Western entered into a code sharing agreement with SkyWest Airlines, a commuter airline. SkyWest (Western Express) Embraer EMB-120 Brasilias and Fairchild Swearingen Metroliners connected to Western mainline flights at Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Diego, and other Western mainline destinations.[15] In spring 1987 SkyWest/Western Express served 36 cities in Arizona, California, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming. Western entered a similar code-sharing agreement with Alaska-based South Central Air, a small commuter airline that operated as Western Express as well, connecting to Western flights at Anchorage. Several cities in southern Alaska including Homer, Kenai, Soldotna were served by South Central Air operating as Western Express.[15] After the acquisition of Western by Delta Air Lines, SkyWest became a Delta Connection code sharing airline.[15]

Delta Air Lines merger Edit

 
A Boeing 737 in a hybrid Western/Delta livery

In the early 1980s Air Florida tried to buy Western Airlines, but it was able to purchase only 16 percent of the airline's stock. On September 9, 1986, Western Airlines and Delta Air Lines entered into an agreement and plan of merger.[17] The merger agreement was approved by the United States Department of Transportation on December 11, 1986. On December 16, 1986, shareholder approval was conferred and Western Airlines became a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta. The Western brand was discontinued and the employee workforces were fully merged on April 1, 1987. All of Western's aircraft were repainted in Delta's livery, including twelve McDonnell Douglas DC-10s.[18] Delta eventually decided to eliminate the DC-10s from its fleet as it already operated Lockheed L-1011 TriStars, a similar type. Delta retained Western's hubs in Los Angeles and Salt Lake City; both remain major gateways and hubs for Delta.

Destinations in 1987 Edit

 
Western DC-10. Like American Airlines "DC-10 LuxuryLiners", Western Airlines marketed its DC-10s "Spaceships" for its widebody comfort, while Eastern Airlines promoted its L-1011 Tristars as "Whisperliners"

This mainline destination list is taken from Western's March 1, 1987, timetable shortly before the merger with Delta Air Lines.[15] The airline's main hub was Salt Lake City International Airport with a smaller hub at Los Angeles International Airport.

Western had a flight between IAD in Washington, D.C., and DCA at one point in 1985.[19] In 1987 the airline had four round trip flights a day between Boston and New York LaGuardia.[15]

Former destinations Edit

Western timetables from the 1940s to the 1980s list service to the following at different times:[4][15]

Revenue passenger miles Edit

Revenue Passenger Miles in Millions (Scheduled Flights Only)
Western Pacific Northern Airlines Inland Air Lines
1951 216 138 41
1955 514 123 (merged into Western in 1952)
1960 1027 116
1965 2040 198
1970 5072 (merged into Western in 1967)
1975 6998
1980 8790
1985 10422

Advertising Edit

Western contributed to popular culture with its 1960s era advertising slogan, "It's the oooooonly way to fly!" Spoken by Wally Bird, an animated bird hitching a ride atop the fuselage of a Western airliner, and voiced by veteran actor Shepard Menken, the phrase soon found its way into animated cartoons by Warner Bros. and Hanna-Barbera. Another famous advertising campaign by the airline centered on Star Trek icons William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. Some of the carrier's last television ads, shortly before the merger with Delta, featured actor/comedian Rodney Dangerfield.

In the 1970s Western called itself "the champagne airline" because champagne was offered free of charge to every passenger over age 21. (Actor Jim Backus uttered the "It's the only way to fly!" phrase while piloting an airplane, somewhat inebriated, in the 1963 film It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.)

Western Airlines was famous for its "Flying W" corporate identity and aircraft livery. Introduced in 1970, the scheme featured a large red "W" that fused into a red cheatline running the length of an all-white fuselage.[20] This new corporate identity was the subject of litigation by Winnebago Industries, which contended the new "Flying W" was too similar to its own stylized "W" logo. In the 1980s Western Airlines slightly modified the scheme by stripping the white fuselage to bare metal, retaining the red "Flying W" (with a dark blue shadow). This color scheme was known as "Bud Lite" due to its resemblance to a popular beer's can design.

Western Airlines was a favorite first class carrier for Hollywood movie stars and frequently featured them in its on board magazine, "Western's World". Marilyn Monroe and many other silver screen actors were frequent flyers and the airline capitalized on it. Western had a famous flyer out of Seattle: Captain "Red" Dodge. Red worked previously as a helicopter test pilot, and got involved with flying for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in his later years when he wasn't flying as captain on the DC-10. The movie Breakout starring Charles Bronson was based on his daring airlift of a CIA operative out of the courtyard of a Mexican prison. The Mexican government tried to extradite Dodge back to face charges. Red became wealthy leasing government storage units with unlimited government business but never again flew to Mexico.

The airline was promoted in the Carpenters promotional video for the track "I Need to Be in Love", released in 1976. The video shows exterior footage of a DC-10 in takeoff and landing shots, as well as seating promotions for Western's FiftyFair seating product, with shots of a cabin setting depicting what looks like business class of the DC-10.

During the 1980s, destination flights aboard Western Airlines were featured as prizes on televised game shows, including The Price Is Right and The $25,000 Pyramid.

Fleet Edit

 
Boeing 737-200 landing in Salt Lake City

Fleet in 1986 Edit

In 1986 Western Airlines' fleet was 78 jets:[21]

Western Airlines Fleet in 1986
Aircraft In Service Orders
Boeing 727-200 46
Boeing 737-200 19 40
Boeing 737-300 3 14
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 10
Total 78 54
  • Western used a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 starting in 1981 to serve London, England, United Kingdom. The DC-10-30 was the largest plane type ever flown by Western.

Fleet in 1970 Edit

In 1970 Western Airlines operated 75 aircraft:[22]

Earlier piston fleet Edit

Western used a variety of piston-powered airliners including Boeing 247Ds, Convair 240s, Douglas DC-3s, DC-4s, DC-6Bs and L-749 Constellations. The Constellations had been operated by Pacific Northern Airlines and served smaller Western Airlines destinations in Alaska such as Cordova, Homer, Kenai, King Salmon, Kodiak and Yakutat from Anchorage or Seattle in the late 1960s.

Accidents and incidents Edit

  • December 15, 1936: Seven died when a Western Air Express Boeing 247[24] crashed just below Hardy Ridge on Lone Peak near Salt Lake City, Utah.[25] The major parts of the aircraft were hurled over the ridge and fell over a thousand feet into a basin below.[24]
  • January 12, 1937: Western Air Express Flight 7, a Boeing 247 flying from Salt Lake City to Burbank, crashed near Newhall, California, killing five of the 10 persons on board, including adventurer and documentary filmmaker Martin Johnson of Martin and Osa Johnson fame.
  • December 15, 1942: A Western Airlines transport crashed near Fairfield, Utah, approximately 50 miles south of Salt Lake City, Utah, on the way to Los Angeles, California. The plane took off at 1:05 a.m. and was reported missing approximately 15 minutes later. Of the 19 passengers and crew aboard, 17 died.[26]
  • November 13, 1946: Western Airlines Flight 23 crashed into the mountains 12 miles south of Gorman, California, while descending towards Burbank Airport. All 11 on board were killed.
  • December 24, 1946: Western Air Lines Flight 44 crashed into the Laguna Mountains while descending towards San Diego. All 12 on board were killed. The CAB investigation determined that the pilot misjudged his position relative to the mountains, and flew too low to clear terrain.[27][28]
  • April 20, 1953: Western Air Lines Flight 636, flying in the night, on the last leg of a Los Angeles-San Francisco-Oakland itinerary, descended below the prescribed minimum altitude of 500 ft and crashed into the waters of San Francisco Bay, killing eight of ten people aboard the Douglas DC-6.
  • February 25, 1971 – Western Air Lines Flight 329, a Boeing 737, was hijacked by a passenger, demanding to be taken to Cuba but instead landed in Canada.[29]
  • March 31, 1971 – Western Air Lines Flight 366, a Boeing 720-047B flying from Los Angeles to Ontario, California, on a pilot proficiency check flight, yawed and rolled out of control, and crashed while in the process of executing a 3-engine missed-approach from a simulated engine-out instrument approach. The five crew members and only occupants died in the crash.[30][31]
  • May 5, 1972 – Western Airlines Flight 407, a Boeing 737, was hijacked by a man demanding to be taken to North Vietnam. After refueling in Tampa, Florida, the plane went to Cuba.[32]
  • June 2, 1972: Western Airlines Flight 701 from Los Angeles to Seattle was hijacked by Willie Roger Holder, a Vietnam War veteran, and his girlfriend Catherine Marie Kerkow.[33] The hijackers claimed they had a bomb in an attaché case and demanded $500,000 and that Angela Davis, who was then on trial, be freed.[34] After allowing half the passengers to get off in San Francisco and the other half to get off in New York on a re-fueling stop, they flew on to Algeria, where they were granted political asylum, joining the International Section of the Black Panther Party. It was and still remains the longest-distance hijacking in American history.[35] Later, $488,000 of the ransom money was returned to American officials.[36]
  • March 31, 1975: Western Flight 470 was landing at Casper Airport when it overshot the runway, and struck a shallow irrigation ditch before stopping about 800 feet beyond the departure end of the runway. Weather conditions at the time were at minimum visibility with light snow. The Boeing 737-200 was written off beyond repair. Four passengers suffered various injuries.[37]
  • July 31, 1979: Western Airlines Flight 44 departed Los Angeles International Airport en route to Denver, Colorado, and Billings, Montana, via several other intermediate stops and then mistakenly landed at Buffalo, Wyoming, instead of Sheridan, Wyoming, which was the intended destination. No injuries occurred and the only damage was to the ramp at the airport, which was not designed to support the weight of the Boeing 737-200 jetliner. The incident prompted a legal battle and subsequent landmark aviation ruling of Ferguson v. NTSB.[38]
  • October 31, 1979: Western Airlines Flight 2605 crashed while landing at Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City, killing 73.[39] The crew landed the DC-10 on a closed runway and it collided with construction vehicles during the attempted go-around.[40]

References Edit

Notes
  1. ^ Hengi, B. I; Lewis, Neil (2000). Airlines Remembered. Midland Pub. p. 214. ISBN 978-1-85780-091-3. OCLC 44395047.
  2. ^ 131 "Western Airlines". March 30, 1985. World Airline Directory. Flight International. Retrieved on June 17, 2009. "Head Office: PO Box 92005, World Way Postal Center, Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California 90009, USA."
  3. ^ Ed Betts (Summer 1997). "Maddux Air Lines 1927–1929". AAHS Journal.
  4. ^ a b c d "Timetable Images". TimetableImages.com.
  5. ^ "Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: California, Central Los Angeles area". www.airfields-freeman.com.
  6. ^ "Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: California: Pacific Islands". www.airfields-freeman.com.
  7. ^ Western Air press release photo, May 13, 1934.
  8. ^ https://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/pn6707.htm
  9. ^ "DC-10 Spaceship promotional poster". uppiluften.tumblr.com. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
  10. ^ "American Airlines Reported in Talks On Western Merger". The New York Times. 1969-10-06. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  11. ^ Lydon, Christopher (1971-07-11). "American‐Western Merger Proposal Termed Vital Test for Airline Industry". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  12. ^ Graff, Garrett M. (2022). Watergate: A New History (1 ed.). New York: Avid Reader Press. pp. 146-147. ISBN 978-1-9821-3916-2. OCLC 1260107112
  13. ^ Shanahan, Eileen (1972-07-29). "American‐Western Air Merger Rejected". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  14. ^ Wadley, Carma. "Utahns were quick to embrace aviation and help achieve mastery of the skies." Desert Morning News Thursday, December 4, 2003.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Departed Flights". DepartedFlights.com.
  16. ^ "Western Airlines: How California Ruled The Sky". International Aviation HQ. 22 July 2020. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
  17. ^ Cole, Robert J. (10 September 1986). "Delta and Western Airline Merger Agreed To In A $860 Million Deal". The New York Times. Vol. 135, no. 46893.
  18. ^ https://www.deltamuseum.org/exhibits/delta-history/aircraft-by-type/jet/douglas-dc-10, 1987-1988 Service
  19. ^ http://www.airtimes.com/cgat/usc/western/detail/mapwa850904.jpg[bare URL image file]
  20. ^ "Fifty years of firsts". Calgary Herald. (Alberta). (advertisement). January 10, 1976. p. 43.
  21. ^ "World Airline Directory 1986". Flight International. March 29, 1986. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
  22. ^ World Airline Directory Flight International. 26 March 1970
  23. ^ Walker, R.W.R. (14 July 2006). "Canadian Military Aircraft, Serial Numbers, Canadian Armed Forces, CC-137 detailed list". Retrieved 21 Jan 2023.
  24. ^ a b "Aircraft Accident Report." Department of Commerce.
  25. ^ Time, June 21, 1937.
  26. ^ "17 Out Of 19 Die in Airliner Crash". The New York Times. Vol. 92, no. 31007. Associated Press. 16 December 1942.
  27. ^ "Plane Lost with 12 Reported A Wreck". The New York Times. Vol. 96, no. 32478. 26 December 1946.
  28. ^ Accident description for Douglas DC-3A, Western Air Lines, NC45395, San Diego at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on May 9, 2012.
  29. ^ Hijacking description at the Aviation Safety Network
  30. ^ "Aircraft Accident Report Western Air Lines, Inc. Boeing 720-047B, N3166 Ontario International Airport Ontario, California March 31, 1971" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. June 7, 1972. NTSB-AAR-72-18. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  31. ^ Accident description for Boeing 720-047B N3166 Ontario International Airport, CA at the Aviation Safety Network
  32. ^ Hijacking description at the Aviation Safety Network
  33. ^ "Interpol: Kerkow, Catherine Marie". www.interpol.int. Retrieved 22 October 2017. Wanted by the Judicial Authorities of United States
  34. ^ Saxon, Wolfgang (27 July 1986). "Ex-Black Panther Extradited to U.S." The New York Times. Vol. 135, no. 46848.
  35. ^ Brendan I. Koerner (July 13, 2013). "Brendan I. Koerner: The golden age of skyjacking". National Post. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  36. ^ Accident description for Boeing 727 registration unknown Algiers at the Aviation Safety Network
  37. ^ Accident description for Boeing 737-247 N4527W Casper Airport, WY (CPR) at the Aviation Safety Network
  38. ^ "678 F2d 821 Ferguson v. National Transportation Safety Board." Openjurist, 2012. Retrieved: May 9, 2012.
  39. ^ Kebabjian, Richard. "Accident Report: Western Airlines Flight 2605." 2014-01-10 at the Wayback Machine planecrashinfo.com, 2012. Retrieved: June 29, 2012.
  40. ^ Accident description for McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 N903WA Mexico City-Juarez International Airport at the Aviation Safety Network
Bibliography
  • Pearcy, Arthur. Douglas Propliners: DC-1 – DC-7. London: Airlife, 1995, p. 14. ISBN 1-85310-261-X.

Further reading Edit

  • Brendan I. Koerner (2013). The Skies Belong to Us: Love and Terror in the Golden Age of Hijacking. Crown Publishers. ISBN 978-0-307-88610-1. - about the Flight 701 hijacking

External links Edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Western Airlines.
  • Historical timetable covers
  • Early Aviators
  • - archive.org copy of now-defunct page

October 14, 2023
western, airlines, this, article, about, defunct, california, based, airline, that, operated, from, 1925, 1987, defunct, washington, state, based, airline, that, operated, through, 2007, western, airline, bahamas, based, airline, western, major, carrier, based. This article is about the defunct California based airline that operated from 1925 to 1987 For the defunct Washington state based airline that operated through 2007 see Western airline For the Bahamas based airline see Western Air Western Airlines was a major U S air carrier based in California operating in the Western United States including Alaska and Hawaii and western Canada as well as to New York City Boston Washington D C and Miami and to Mexico City London and Nassau Western had hubs at Los Angeles International Airport Salt Lake City International Airport and the former Stapleton International Airport in Denver Before it merged with Delta Air Lines in 1987 it was headquartered at Los Angeles International Airport LAX 2 Throughout the company s history its slogan was Western Airlines The Only Way to Fly Western AirlinesIATA ICAO CallsignWA WAL WESTERNFoundedJuly 1925 1925 07 as Western Air Express Commenced operationsApril 17 1926 1926 04 17 1 Ceased operationsApril 1 1987 1987 04 01 merged into Delta Air Lines HubsDenver StapletonLos AngelesSalt Lake CityFrequent flyer programSkyMilesFleet size78Destinations56HeadquartersLos Angeles California U S Key peopleHarris Hanshue Founder Contents 1 History 1 1 Western Air Express 1 2 Transcontinental amp Western Air 1 3 General Air Lines 1 4 Western Airlines 1 5 Western Express 1 6 Delta Air Lines merger 2 Destinations in 1987 3 Former destinations 4 Revenue passenger miles 5 Advertising 6 Fleet 6 1 Fleet in 1986 6 2 Fleet in 1970 6 3 Earlier piston fleet 7 Accidents and incidents 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External linksHistory EditWestern Air Express Edit nbsp A Fokker F 10 aircraft operated by the airline s precursor Western Air Express in the late 1920s In 1925 the United States Postal Service began to give airline contracts to carry airmail throughout the country Western Airlines first incorporated in 1925 as Western Air Express by Harris Hanshue It applied for and was awarded the 650 mile long Contract Air Mail Route 4 CAM 4 from Salt Lake City Utah to Los Angeles On 17 April 1926 Western s first flight took place with a Douglas M 2 airplane 3 It began offering passenger services a month later when the first commercial passenger flight took place at Woodward Field Ben F Redman then president of the Salt Lake City Chamber of Commerce and J A Tomlinson perched atop U S mail sacks and flew with pilot C N Jimmy James on his regular eight hour mail delivery flight to Los Angeles By the mid 1930s Western Air Express had introduced new Boeing 247 aircraft Western Air Express built and owned Vail Airport Montebello from 1926 to 1930 and the Alhambra Airport from 1930 to 1931 Western Air Express operated a seaplane route out of Hamilton Cove Seaplane Base on Catalina Island California from 1928 to 1930 4 5 6 Transcontinental amp Western Air Edit The company reincorporated in 1928 as Western Air Express Corp In 1930 it purchased Standard Air Lines a subsidiary of Aero Corp of Ca founded in 1926 by Paul E Richter Jack Frye and Walter Hamilton WAE with Fokker aircraft merged with Transcontinental Air Transport to form Transcontinental amp Western Air TWA later known as Trans World Airlines General Air Lines Edit In 1934 Western Air Express was severed from TWA and changed its name to General Air Lines returning to the name Western Air Express after several months In a 1934 press release by the company it called itself the Western Air Division of General Air Lines 7 Its route map ran San Diego to Los Angeles to Salt Lake City Western Airlines Edit nbsp Douglas M 2 Operated by Western Air Express nbsp In 1937 Western merged National Parks Airways which extended its route north from Salt Lake to Great Falls and in 1941 across the border to Lethbridge Alberta In 1941 Western Air Express changed its name to Western Air Lines and later to Western Airlines In 1967 69 Western called itself Western Airlines International In 1944 Western acquired a controlling interest in Inland Air Lines which became a subsidiary with Inland s schedules in Western timetables until Inland was merged into Western in 1952 4 Western started flying Los Angeles to San Francisco in 1943 so the Western Inland route map was a W San Francisco south to San Diego north from San Diego to Lethbridge Alberta in Canada south to Denver and northeast to Huron It extended to Minneapolis in 1947 In 1946 Western was awarded a route from Los Angeles to Denver via Las Vegas but in 1947 financial problems forced Western to sell the route and Douglas DC 6 delivery positions to United Air Lines In 1947 Western extended the left arm of the W north to Seattle and added San Diego to Yuma for a few years in 1950 it extended the middle of the W north to Edmonton It finally cut across the W in 1953 when DC 6Bs started a one stop flight MSP SLC LAX in 1956 it resumed flights west out of Denver to San Francisco via Salt Lake In 1957 it began Los Angeles to Mexico City nonstop DC 6Bs and in December 1957 it began Denver Phoenix San Diego The airline s president was Terrell Terry Drinkwater Drinkwater got into a dispute with the administration in Washington D C that hampered WAL s growth Pressured in a famous phone call by President Dwight D Eisenhower to buy American made aircraft Drinkwater reportedly responded Mr President you run your country and let me run my airline For years after this exchange the federal Civil Aeronautics Board CAB would not award Western new routes while its competitors including United and American grew enormous even though all Western airliners were of U S manufacture while its competitors fleets included aircraft produced in Europe nbsp Covers of a 1940s ticket book nbsp Restored Convair 240 in Western Airlines paintIn August 1953 Western was serving 38 airports in June 1968 that number had grown to 42 In June 1960 Western Airlines introduced Boeing 707s 707 139s between Los Angeles San Francisco Portland and Seattle 720B nonstops MSP SFO and MSP LAX began in 1966 along with LAX Acapulco In 1967 WAL acquired Pacific Northern Airlines PNA the successor of Woodley Airways based in Anchorage Alaska its primary routes being Anchorage Seattle nonstop as well as Anchorage Juneau Seattle and Anchorage Juneau Ketchikan Seattle with PNA flying Boeing 720 jetliners on these routes with the airline also operating nonstop Kodiak Alaska Seattle service with Lockheed Constellation propliners 8 Also in 1967 Western added Vancouver and in 1969 it began nonstop flights between several California airports and Hawaii In the late 1960s Western aimed for an all jet fleet adding Boeing 707 320s 727 200s and 737 200s to its 720Bs The two leased B707 139s had been sold in favor of the turbofan powered Boeing 720B Lockheed L 188 Electra turboprops were replaced with new 737 200s In 1973 Western added nine McDonnell Douglas DC 10 10s marketing its wide body cabins as DC 10 Spaceships They were configured with 46 first class seats 193 coach and a lower level galley 9 From 1976 to 1981 the DC 10s flew Los Angeles to Miami nonstop In 1969 Western Airlines opened negotiations to merge with American Airlines 10 However the merger was opposed by rival airlines such as Continental Airlines and the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division under Richard Wellington McLaren 11 President Richard Nixon s attorney Herbert W Kalmbach suggested that the antitrust suit would be dropped in exchange for a 75 000 campaign contribution to the Committee for the Re Election of the President which American Airlines CEO George A Spater agreed to 12 However the merger was nonetheless rejected in a 4 1 decision by the Civil Aeronautics Board in July 1972 13 nbsp Boeing 720B in old livery at Seattle 1972 nbsp Boeing 727Western was headquartered in Los Angeles California After the Airline Deregulation Act in 1978 the airline s hubs were reduced to two airports Los Angeles International Airport and Salt Lake City International Airport Before deregulation Western had small hubs in Anchorage Alaska Denver Las Vegas Minneapolis St Paul and San Francisco 14 In spring 1987 shortly before Western was acquired by Delta Air Lines the airline had two hubs a major operation in Salt Lake City and a small hub in Los Angeles At its peak in the 1970s and 1980s Western flew to cities across the western United States and to Mexico Mexico City Puerto Vallarta Acapulco Ixtapa Zihuatanejo and Mazatlan Alaska Anchorage Fairbanks Juneau Ketchikan Kodiak and other Alaskan destinations Hawaii Honolulu Kahului Kona and Hilo and Canada Vancouver Calgary and Edmonton New York City Washington D C Boston and Miami were added on the east coast as well as Chicago and St Louis and cities in Texas Austin Dallas Ft Worth El Paso Houston and San Antonio and New Orleans in the south Western had many intrastate flights in California competing with Pacific Southwest Airlines PSA Air California AirCal Air West Hughes Airwest and United Airlines In addition Western operated Islander service with Boeing 707 320s Boeing 720Bs and McDonnell Douglas DC 10s to Hawaii from a number of cities that previously did not have direct flights to the 50th state In 1973 Western flew nonstop between Honolulu and Anchorage Los Angeles Oakland California San Diego San Francisco and San Jose California and one stop between Honolulu and Las Vegas Minneapolis St Paul Phoenix Sacramento and Salt Lake City 15 In 1981 the airline also flew nonstop DC 10s between Vancouver British Columbia and Honolulu 15 One of the smallest jet destinations was West Yellowstone Montana near Yellowstone National Park Western flew Boeing 737 200s to West Yellowstone Airport in the summer replacing Lockheed L 188 Electras In the 1970s and 1980s Western served a number of small cities with 737 200s including Butte Montana Casper Wyoming Cheyenne Wyoming Helena Montana Idaho Falls Idaho Pierre South Dakota Pocatello Idaho Rapid City South Dakota and Sheridan Wyoming The 737 replaced Electras to all of these cities In 1968 the airline was operating nonstop Boeing 720Bs between the Annette Island Airport serving Ketchikan Alaska and Seattle in addition to 720Bs between Juneau and Seattle and in 1973 was flying 720B nonstops between Kodiak Alaska and Seattle 4 15 In 1978 Western Airlines and Continental Airlines agreed to merge A dispute broke out over what to call the combined airline Western Continental or Continental Western prompting an infamous coin toss Bob Six the colorful founder of CAL demanded that Continental be tails in deference to its marketing slogan We Really Move Our Tail for You Continental Airlines the Proud Bird with the Golden Tail The coin flip turned up heads Six was so disappointed he called the merger off 16 From October 1980 to October 1981 Western flew Honolulu to Anchorage to London Gatwick Airport with a single McDonnell Douglas DC 10 30 15 for less than a year starting in April 1981 it flew LGW to Denver continuing to Las Vegas and Los Angeles Another international route was Los Angeles to Miami to Nassau in the Bahamas for a year in 1980 81 Western extended its network to New York City Washington D C and Boston as well as to Chicago and St Louis in the midwest Albuquerque and El Paso in the west and Houston New Orleans Miami and Fort Lauderdale In 1987 Western had four Boeing 737 300 round trips between Boston and New York LaGuardia Airport and a major hub at Salt Lake City International Airport and a small hub at Los Angeles International Airport 15 Western Express Edit In 1986 Western entered into a code sharing agreement with SkyWest Airlines a commuter airline SkyWest Western Express Embraer EMB 120 Brasilias and Fairchild Swearingen Metroliners connected to Western mainline flights at Salt Lake City Los Angeles Las Vegas Phoenix San Diego and other Western mainline destinations 15 In spring 1987 SkyWest Western Express served 36 cities in Arizona California Colorado Montana Nevada Utah and Wyoming Western entered a similar code sharing agreement with Alaska based South Central Air a small commuter airline that operated as Western Express as well connecting to Western flights at Anchorage Several cities in southern Alaska including Homer Kenai Soldotna were served by South Central Air operating as Western Express 15 After the acquisition of Western by Delta Air Lines SkyWest became a Delta Connection code sharing airline 15 Delta Air Lines merger Edit nbsp A Boeing 737 in a hybrid Western Delta liveryIn the early 1980s Air Florida tried to buy Western Airlines but it was able to purchase only 16 percent of the airline s stock On September 9 1986 Western Airlines and Delta Air Lines entered into an agreement and plan of merger 17 The merger agreement was approved by the United States Department of Transportation on December 11 1986 On December 16 1986 shareholder approval was conferred and Western Airlines became a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta The Western brand was discontinued and the employee workforces were fully merged on April 1 1987 All of Western s aircraft were repainted in Delta s livery including twelve McDonnell Douglas DC 10s 18 Delta eventually decided to eliminate the DC 10s from its fleet as it already operated Lockheed L 1011 TriStars a similar type Delta retained Western s hubs in Los Angeles and Salt Lake City both remain major gateways and hubs for Delta Destinations in 1987 Edit nbsp Western DC 10 Like American Airlines DC 10 LuxuryLiners Western Airlines marketed its DC 10s Spaceships for its widebody comfort while Eastern Airlines promoted its L 1011 Tristars as Whisperliners This mainline destination list is taken from Western s March 1 1987 timetable shortly before the merger with Delta Air Lines 15 The airline s main hub was Salt Lake City International Airport with a smaller hub at Los Angeles International Airport Acapulco Mexico Albuquerque New Mexico Anchorage Alaska ANC Anchorage International Airport Austin Texas AUS Robert Mueller Municipal Airport Billings Montana Bismarck North Dakota Boise Idaho Boston Massachusetts BOS Logan International Airport Bozeman Montana Burbank California BUR Hollywood Burbank Airport then Burbank Glendale Pasadena Airport Butte Montana Calgary Alberta Canada YYC Calgary International Airport Casper Wyoming Cheyenne Wyoming Chicago Illinois ORD O Hare International Airport Colorado Springs Colorado Dallas Ft Worth Texas DFW Dallas Fort Worth International Airport Denver Colorado DEN Stapleton International Airport Edmonton Alberta Canada YEG Edmonton International Airport El Paso Texas Fairbanks Alaska Fresno California Great Falls Montana Guadalajara Mexico Helena Montana Honolulu Oahu Hawaii HNL Honolulu International Airport Houston Texas IAH George Bush Intercontinental Airport Idaho Falls Idaho Ixtapa Zihuatanejo Mexico Jackson Wyoming Juneau Alaska Kansas City Missouri Kahului Maui Hawaii Kalispell Montana Las Vegas Nevada LAS McCarran International Airport Los Angeles California LAX Los Angeles International Airport Secondary hub Mazatlan Mexico Mexico City Mexico Minneapolis St Paul Minnesota MSP Minneapolis Saint Paul International Airport Missoula Montana New York City New York JFK John F Kennedy International Airport New York City New York LGA LaGuardia Airport Oakland California OAK Oakland International Airport Oklahoma City Oklahoma Omaha Nebraska Ontario California ONT Ontario International Airport Orange County California SNA John Wayne Airport Palm Springs California Pasco Washington Tri Cities area Phoenix Arizona PHX Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Portland Oregon PDX Portland International Airport Puerto Vallarta Mexico Rapid City South Dakota Reno Nevada Sacramento California Salt Lake City Utah SLC Salt Lake City International Airport Primary hub St Louis Missouri STL St Louis Lambert International Airport San Antonio Texas San Diego California SAN San Diego International Airport San Francisco California SFO San Francisco International Airport San Jose California SJC Norman Y Mineta San Jose International Airport Seattle Tacoma Washington SEA Seattle Tacoma International Airport Sioux Falls South Dakota Spokane Washington Tucson Arizona Tulsa Oklahoma Vancouver British Columbia Canada YVR Vancouver International Airport Washington D C IAD Washington Dulles International Airport Washington D C DCA Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Wichita KansasWestern had a flight between IAD in Washington D C and DCA at one point in 1985 19 In 1987 the airline had four round trip flights a day between Boston and New York LaGuardia 15 Former destinations EditWestern timetables from the 1940s to the 1980s list service to the following at different times 4 15 Alliance Nebraska Baltimore Maryland BWI Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Brookings South Dakota Cedar City Utah Cordova Alaska Cut Bank Montana El Centro California Fort Lauderdale Florida FLL Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport Grand Junction Colorado Homer Alaska Hot Springs South Dakota Huron South Dakota Juneau Alaska Kenai Alaska Ketchikan Alaska King Salmon Alaska Kodiak Alaska Lethbridge Alberta Canada first international destination Lewistown Montana Logan Utah London England LGW London Gatwick Airport nonstop DC 10 service to Anchorage and Denver one stop service to Honolulu via Anchorage and direct to Las Vegas and Los Angeles via Denver Mankato Minnesota Miami Florida MIA Miami International Airport Nassau Bahamas one stop DC 10 to Los Angeles via Miami New Orleans Louisiana Ogden Utah Prudhoe Bay Alaska Rochester Minnesota Scottsbluff Nebraska Spearfish South Dakota Twin Falls Idaho West Yellowstone Montana served on a seasonal basis primarily during the summer months Yakutat Alaska Yuma ArizonaRevenue passenger miles EditRevenue Passenger Miles in Millions Scheduled Flights Only Western Pacific Northern Airlines Inland Air Lines1951 216 138 411955 514 123 merged into Western in 1952 1960 1027 1161965 2040 1981970 5072 merged into Western in 1967 1975 69981980 87901985 10422Advertising EditThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed December 2011 Learn how and when to remove this template message Western contributed to popular culture with its 1960s era advertising slogan It s the oooooonly way to fly Spoken by Wally Bird an animated bird hitching a ride atop the fuselage of a Western airliner and voiced by veteran actor Shepard Menken the phrase soon found its way into animated cartoons by Warner Bros and Hanna Barbera Another famous advertising campaign by the airline centered on Star Trek icons William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy Some of the carrier s last television ads shortly before the merger with Delta featured actor comedian Rodney Dangerfield In the 1970s Western called itself the champagne airline because champagne was offered free of charge to every passenger over age 21 Actor Jim Backus uttered the It s the only way to fly phrase while piloting an airplane somewhat inebriated in the 1963 film It s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Western Airlines was famous for its Flying W corporate identity and aircraft livery Introduced in 1970 the scheme featured a large red W that fused into a red cheatline running the length of an all white fuselage 20 This new corporate identity was the subject of litigation by Winnebago Industries which contended the new Flying W was too similar to its own stylized W logo In the 1980s Western Airlines slightly modified the scheme by stripping the white fuselage to bare metal retaining the red Flying W with a dark blue shadow This color scheme was known as Bud Lite due to its resemblance to a popular beer s can design Western Airlines was a favorite first class carrier for Hollywood movie stars and frequently featured them in its on board magazine Western s World Marilyn Monroe and many other silver screen actors were frequent flyers and the airline capitalized on it Western had a famous flyer out of Seattle Captain Red Dodge Red worked previously as a helicopter test pilot and got involved with flying for the Central Intelligence Agency CIA in his later years when he wasn t flying as captain on the DC 10 The movie Breakout starring Charles Bronson was based on his daring airlift of a CIA operative out of the courtyard of a Mexican prison The Mexican government tried to extradite Dodge back to face charges Red became wealthy leasing government storage units with unlimited government business but never again flew to Mexico The airline was promoted in the Carpenters promotional video for the track I Need to Be in Love released in 1976 The video shows exterior footage of a DC 10 in takeoff and landing shots as well as seating promotions for Western s FiftyFair seating product with shots of a cabin setting depicting what looks like business class of the DC 10 During the 1980s destination flights aboard Western Airlines were featured as prizes on televised game shows including The Price Is Right and The 25 000 Pyramid Fleet Edit nbsp Boeing 737 200 landing in Salt Lake CityFleet in 1986 Edit In 1986 Western Airlines fleet was 78 jets 21 Western Airlines Fleet in 1986 Aircraft In Service OrdersBoeing 727 200 46Boeing 737 200 19 40Boeing 737 300 3 14McDonnell Douglas DC 10 10 10Total 78 54Western used a McDonnell Douglas DC 10 30 starting in 1981 to serve London England United Kingdom The DC 10 30 was the largest plane type ever flown by Western Fleet in 1970 Edit In 1970 Western Airlines operated 75 aircraft 22 5 Boeing 707 320C not included were 5 Boeing 707 347C ordered assigned registration N1506W through N1510W that were cancelled and acquired by the RCAF 23 29 Boeing 720 720 turbojet and 720B turbofan models the 720s were ex Pacific Northern 6 Boeing 727 200 30 Boeing 737 200 5 Lockheed L 188 Electra included passenger freighter and passenger freighter combi aircraft versions Only turboprop type operated by the airline Earlier piston fleet Edit This section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed December 2016 Learn how and when to remove this template message Western used a variety of piston powered airliners including Boeing 247Ds Convair 240s Douglas DC 3s DC 4s DC 6Bs and L 749 Constellations The Constellations had been operated by Pacific Northern Airlines and served smaller Western Airlines destinations in Alaska such as Cordova Homer Kenai King Salmon Kodiak and Yakutat from Anchorage or Seattle in the late 1960s Accidents and incidents EditDecember 15 1936 Seven died when a Western Air Express Boeing 247 24 crashed just below Hardy Ridge on Lone Peak near Salt Lake City Utah 25 The major parts of the aircraft were hurled over the ridge and fell over a thousand feet into a basin below 24 January 12 1937 Western Air Express Flight 7 a Boeing 247 flying from Salt Lake City to Burbank crashed near Newhall California killing five of the 10 persons on board including adventurer and documentary filmmaker Martin Johnson of Martin and Osa Johnson fame December 15 1942 A Western Airlines transport crashed near Fairfield Utah approximately 50 miles south of Salt Lake City Utah on the way to Los Angeles California The plane took off at 1 05 a m and was reported missing approximately 15 minutes later Of the 19 passengers and crew aboard 17 died 26 November 13 1946 Western Airlines Flight 23 crashed into the mountains 12 miles south of Gorman California while descending towards Burbank Airport All 11 on board were killed December 24 1946 Western Air Lines Flight 44 crashed into the Laguna Mountains while descending towards San Diego All 12 on board were killed The CAB investigation determined that the pilot misjudged his position relative to the mountains and flew too low to clear terrain 27 28 April 20 1953 Western Air Lines Flight 636 flying in the night on the last leg of a Los Angeles San Francisco Oakland itinerary descended below the prescribed minimum altitude of 500 ft and crashed into the waters of San Francisco Bay killing eight of ten people aboard the Douglas DC 6 February 25 1971 Western Air Lines Flight 329 a Boeing 737 was hijacked by a passenger demanding to be taken to Cuba but instead landed in Canada 29 March 31 1971 Western Air Lines Flight 366 a Boeing 720 047B flying from Los Angeles to Ontario California on a pilot proficiency check flight yawed and rolled out of control and crashed while in the process of executing a 3 engine missed approach from a simulated engine out instrument approach The five crew members and only occupants died in the crash 30 31 May 5 1972 Western Airlines Flight 407 a Boeing 737 was hijacked by a man demanding to be taken to North Vietnam After refueling in Tampa Florida the plane went to Cuba 32 June 2 1972 Western Airlines Flight 701 from Los Angeles to Seattle was hijacked by Willie Roger Holder a Vietnam War veteran and his girlfriend Catherine Marie Kerkow 33 The hijackers claimed they had a bomb in an attache case and demanded 500 000 and that Angela Davis who was then on trial be freed 34 After allowing half the passengers to get off in San Francisco and the other half to get off in New York on a re fueling stop they flew on to Algeria where they were granted political asylum joining the International Section of the Black Panther Party It was and still remains the longest distance hijacking in American history 35 Later 488 000 of the ransom money was returned to American officials 36 March 31 1975 Western Flight 470 was landing at Casper Airport when it overshot the runway and struck a shallow irrigation ditch before stopping about 800 feet beyond the departure end of the runway Weather conditions at the time were at minimum visibility with light snow The Boeing 737 200 was written off beyond repair Four passengers suffered various injuries 37 July 31 1979 Western Airlines Flight 44 departed Los Angeles International Airport en route to Denver Colorado and Billings Montana via several other intermediate stops and then mistakenly landed at Buffalo Wyoming instead of Sheridan Wyoming which was the intended destination No injuries occurred and the only damage was to the ramp at the airport which was not designed to support the weight of the Boeing 737 200 jetliner The incident prompted a legal battle and subsequent landmark aviation ruling of Ferguson v NTSB 38 October 31 1979 Western Airlines Flight 2605 crashed while landing at Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City killing 73 39 The crew landed the DC 10 on a closed runway and it collided with construction vehicles during the attempted go around 40 References EditNotes Hengi B I Lewis Neil 2000 Airlines Remembered Midland Pub p 214 ISBN 978 1 85780 091 3 OCLC 44395047 131 Western Airlines March 30 1985 World Airline Directory Flight International Retrieved on June 17 2009 Head Office PO Box 92005 World Way Postal Center Los Angeles International Airport Los Angeles California 90009 USA Ed Betts Summer 1997 Maddux Air Lines 1927 1929 AAHS Journal a b c d Timetable Images TimetableImages com Abandoned amp Little Known Airfields California Central Los Angeles area www airfields freeman com Abandoned amp Little Known Airfields California Pacific Islands www airfields freeman com Western Air press release photo May 13 1934 https www timetableimages com ttimages pn6707 htm DC 10 Spaceship promotional poster uppiluften tumblr com Retrieved 2016 04 24 American Airlines Reported in Talks On Western Merger The New York Times 1969 10 06 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved 2022 04 17 Lydon Christopher 1971 07 11 American Western Merger Proposal Termed Vital Test for Airline Industry The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved 2022 04 17 Graff Garrett M 2022 Watergate A New History 1 ed New York Avid Reader Press pp 146 147 ISBN 978 1 9821 3916 2 OCLC 1260107112 Shanahan Eileen 1972 07 29 American Western Air Merger Rejected The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved 2022 04 17 Wadley Carma Utahns were quick to embrace aviation and help achieve mastery of the skies Desert Morning News Thursday December 4 2003 a b c d e f g h i j k Departed Flights DepartedFlights com Western Airlines How California Ruled The Sky International Aviation HQ 22 July 2020 Retrieved 2020 07 26 Cole Robert J 10 September 1986 Delta and Western Airline Merger Agreed To In A 860 Million Deal The New York Times Vol 135 no 46893 https www deltamuseum org exhibits delta history aircraft by type jet douglas dc 10 1987 1988 Service http www airtimes com cgat usc western detail mapwa850904 jpg bare URL image file Fifty years of firsts Calgary Herald Alberta advertisement January 10 1976 p 43 World Airline Directory 1986 Flight International March 29 1986 Retrieved 11 December 2011 World Airline Directory Flight International 26 March 1970 Walker R W R 14 July 2006 Canadian Military Aircraft Serial Numbers Canadian Armed Forces CC 137 detailed list Retrieved 21 Jan 2023 a b Aircraft Accident Report Department of Commerce Confetti on Lone Peak Time June 21 1937 17 Out Of 19 Die in Airliner Crash The New York Times Vol 92 no 31007 Associated Press 16 December 1942 Plane Lost with 12 Reported A Wreck The New York Times Vol 96 no 32478 26 December 1946 Accident description for Douglas DC 3A Western Air Lines NC45395 San Diego at the Aviation Safety Network Retrieved on May 9 2012 Hijacking description at the Aviation Safety Network Aircraft Accident Report Western Air Lines Inc Boeing 720 047B N3166 Ontario International Airport Ontario California March 31 1971 PDF National Transportation Safety Board June 7 1972 NTSB AAR 72 18 Retrieved September 19 2019 Accident description for Boeing 720 047B N3166 Ontario International Airport CA at the Aviation Safety Network Hijacking description at the Aviation Safety Network Interpol Kerkow Catherine Marie www interpol int Retrieved 22 October 2017 Wanted by the Judicial Authorities of United States Saxon Wolfgang 27 July 1986 Ex Black Panther Extradited to U S The New York Times Vol 135 no 46848 Brendan I Koerner July 13 2013 Brendan I Koerner The golden age of skyjacking National Post Retrieved July 17 2013 Accident description for Boeing 727 registration unknown Algiers at the Aviation Safety Network Accident description for Boeing 737 247 N4527W Casper Airport WY CPR at the Aviation Safety Network 678 F2d 821 Ferguson v National Transportation Safety Board Openjurist 2012 Retrieved May 9 2012 Kebabjian Richard Accident Report Western Airlines Flight 2605 Archived 2014 01 10 at the Wayback Machine planecrashinfo com 2012 Retrieved June 29 2012 Accident description for McDonnell Douglas DC 10 10 N903WA Mexico City Juarez International Airport at the Aviation Safety Network BibliographyPearcy Arthur Douglas Propliners DC 1 DC 7 London Airlife 1995 p 14 ISBN 1 85310 261 X Further reading EditBrendan I Koerner 2013 The Skies Belong to Us Love and Terror in the Golden Age of Hijacking Crown Publishers ISBN 978 0 307 88610 1 about the Flight 701 hijackingExternal links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Western Airlines Historical timetable covers Salt Lake City International Airport Early Aviators History of Western Airlines and the planes it operated archive org copy of now defunct pagePortals nbsp United States nbsp Los Angeles nbsp Companies nbsp Aviation Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Western Airlines amp oldid 1175520065, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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