Northwest Airlines’ Family Tree:
Northwest Airlines traced its lineage to 13 U.S. airlines, the first of which took off in 1926. Our airline ancestors were:
Northwest Airways was founded in 1926 and reincorporated as Northwest Airlines, Inc. in 1934. During its existence, Northwest operated continuously under the same name longer than any other U.S. airline. Northwest completed its merger with Delta on January 31, 2010.
Republic Airlines was acquired by Northwest Airlines in a 1986 merger, with Northwest as the surviving entity. Republic itself was the product of a 1979 merger of North Central Airlines and Southern Airways, and the 1980 purchase of Hughes Airwest.
North Central Airlines began operations as Wisconsin Central Airlines in 1948. The airline changed its name to North Central Airlines when it relocated its headquarters to Minneapolis/St. Paul in 1952.
Southern Airways began operations in 1949 and was headquartered in Atlanta. Founded by Frank Hulse, it served the Southeast from hubs in Memphis and Atlanta.
Hughes Airwest was created in 1970 when Hughes Air Corporation purchased Air West, a regional airline. Air West had been incorporated in 1968, combining the operations of three smaller regional airlines in the western and southwestern United States. Air West’s predecessors included Pacific Air Lines (formerly Southwest Airways, founded in 1946), Bonanza Airlines (incorporated in 1945) and West Coast Airlines (created in 1946, which had acquired Zimmerly Airlines and Empire Airlines).
Take a trip through history!
Click on the links below or use the top navigation to read through the Northwest Family history, decade by decade:
