Airline Shorts
Description: Based in Fiumicino, Italy, Alitalia was an Italian airline which was once the flag carrier and Italy's largest airline. The airline was owned by the Government of Italy from its founding in 1946 until it was privatized in 2009; after struggling with profitability while a private company, including failed negotiations to sell to other private parties, the Italian government took ownership of the airline in March 2020. The airline operated its large fleet of modern aircraft from its main hub at Rome–Fiumicino International Airport to 34 scheduled domestic, European and intercontinental destinations, and maintained codeshare agreements with 42 airlines. The airline announced that it would cease operations in October 2021.
Description: North Central Airlines was a regional airline in the midwestern United States. Founded as Wisconsin Central Airlines in 1944 in Clintonville, Wisconsin, the company moved to Madison in 1947. This is also when the "Herman the duck" logo was born on Wisconsin Central's first Lockheed Electra 10A, NC14262, in 1948. North Central's headquarters were moved to Minneapolis–St. Paul in 1952.
Description: Northwest Airlines was founded in 1926 as Northwest Airways, a reference to the historical name of the Northwest Territory. Like other early airlines, Northwest's focus was not on moving passengers, but in flying mail for the Post Office. Northwest began carrying passengers in 1927, and in 1947, Northwest was the first airline to begin direct service between the United States and Japan. By the '60s, Northwest had regular service to Hong Kong, Manila, Okinawa, Osaka, Taipei, Tokyo, Seoul, making them the world's leading transpacific airline serving the Asian region, formerly known as 'The Orient.' Northwest began marketing themselves as Northwest Orient Airlines in 1969, which included a total rebrand and a fleet refresh with 747 jumbo jets.
