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Northeast Airlines
Northeast pioneered service from its Boston base throughout the New England states and into Canada in the 1930s. By the time the airline merged with Delta on August 1, 1972, its famous "Yellowbirds" were jetting to Florida, the Bahamas and Bermuda, and across-country to Los Angeles.
To learn more about Northeast's four decades of service, check out the resources below:
Northeast Airlines' History of Service
A quick look at Northeast's growth from experimental airline into a major U.S. carrier.
Pictorial History of Northeast Airlines, 1933-1972
 This lively 66-page commemorative booklet was published by Northeast for its employees on July 31, 1971, the day before the airline officially merged with Delta. It features many b&w photos of personnel, advertising and operations.
Download PDF »
Northeast Aircraft
| Stinson T SM-6000 |
8 passengers, 120 mph
1933-1941 |
| Lockheed 10A Electra |
10 passengers, 150 mph
1936-1942 |
| Douglas DC-2-112 |
14 passengers, 165 mph
1942-1946 |
| Douglas DC-3 |
24 passengers, 160 mph
1941-1966 |
| Stinson SR Reliant |
Northeast used Stinson SR Reliant aircraft (various models) for instrument training during World War II. |
| Douglas DC-4 |
60 passengers, 185 mph
1946-1950, Summer 1952 (leased) |
| Douglas DC-6B |
76 passengers, 245 mph
1956-1968 |
| Curtiss C-46F |
Air freighter, 12-13,000 lbs. payload, 250 mph
1954 |
| Curtiss C-46A |
44 passengers, 230 mph
1958-1963 |
| Vickers 798D Viscount |
40 passengers, 230 mph
1958-1963 |
| Boeing 707 |
135 passengers, 600 mph
1959-1961 |
| Convair 880 |
98 passengers, 600 mph
1960-1968 |
| Boeing 727-95 |
96 passengers, 600 mph
Dec 15, 1965-Aug 1, 1972 (merger with Delta) |
| Fairchild Hiller 227C |
44 passengers, 220 mph
Sept 1966-Aug 1, 1972 (merger with Delta) |
| Convair 990 |
98 passengers, 650 mph
Jan 1967-Apr 1968 (leased) |
| Douglas DC-9-31 |
92 passengers, 600 mph
1967-Aug 1, 1972 (merger with Delta) |
| Boeing 727-295 |
130 passengers, 524 mph
Apr 1967-Oct 1983 |
| Boeing 727-295 |
130 passengers, 600 mph
Jan 1968-Aug 1, 1972 (merger with Delta) |
Pics, Video & Books
- Delta Blog: Rare photo of a Northeast Boeing 727 in Delta merger markings, 1972 – view photo »
- Delta Blog: Did you know Amelia Earhart was a founder of Northeast? – read more »
- Ad*Access: Duke University's collection of Northeast ads. – view ads »
- Airline Timetable Images: Northeast timetables (covers-only and complete issues) and baggage labels – view images »
- Book: Adventures of a Yellowbird: The Biography of an Airline, by Robert W. Mudge, 1969. History of the airline, written by a Northeast captain, hired in 1941.
- Book: Delta: An Airline and Its Aircraft: An Illustrated History of a Major U.S. Airline and the People Who Made It, by R.E.G. Davies, 1990. A section on Northeast in this book includes Northeast aircraft photos, route maps, and detailed fleet listings.
- Book: Island in the Sky, by Ernest Gann, 1944. This was the first book to be written about the Army Air Transport Command during World War II. It is based on a true incident of the search and rescue of a downed transport plane and crew in sub-arctic conditions in Labrador. Making a rescue attempt, a Northeast crew also ended up stuck in the snow. The book was made into a movie, starring John Wayne, in 1953, but the movie leaves out the Northeast story.
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