[IonImplantGuru]

Delta bought Western Airlines in the eighties, who in turn bought Pacific Northern Airlines in the sixties. They were Alaska Airlines main...

Oh, man, what memories 'Western Airlines' brings back. I'm a native Californian (Oakland) and can remember their ads: cartoon bird, with legs crossed and reclining against the tail of an aicraft, taps ashes off cigar and pronounces, "Aahh, Western ... the only way to fly!"

Typically the ad was for a skier's special to Utah or Colorado. That was back in the late 50's, around the time PSA was getting rolling - PSA had the finest stews around, bar none.

[fallujah-nuker]

I'd forgotten about that bird but you're right. By first flight on a jet was a Western B-720 from SFO to Sea-Tac in 1966. My grandfather lived in Sacramento and we normally flew a United DC-6 down to see him each year, but UAL was on strike so we took a train down because he wanted us kids to have a chance to do that before they were gone.

It was funny how quick things changed because the next time we went down it was on a 727. Never flew another piston engined airliner again. They were kind of neat, the windows were larger and they flew lower. The DC-6 flew a milk run that made a number of stops, and kids would be brought into the cockpit.

IIRC PSA was intrastate only at the time so the CAB had no control over them and they could offer cheaper fares. Southwest started the same way.

[HardStarboard]

notice in your picture, the baggage handler isn't paying attention to anything important either!

Maybe its an occupational affliction.