1970
In-flight movies and stereo first available on Hawaiian flights.
1971
A Western Boeing 737, flying San Francisco to Seattle with 92 passengers, is hijacked to Vancouver.
1972
Two Western Boeing 727s, flying Salt Lake City to Los Angeles with 90 passengers, are hijacked in May and June. The first hijacked 727 is flown to Cuba; the second is flown to Algiers, after changing to a Boeing 720B in San Francisco.
1973
Arthur F. Kelly is president.
Douglas DC-10 service begins.
1974
Interchange flights begin with Continental Airlines between Anchorage and Texas/Oklahoma/Kansas/Colorado/Louisiana, with equipment change at Seattle.
1976
Dominic P. Renda is president.
Western hires its first woman pilot.
Miami—Los Angeles service begins.
1977
Western carries over one million pounds of cargo for the first time in one day.
One-stop service begins to Ft. Lauderdale via Miami.
1978
Western's five domestic routes are consolidated into one route; the Alaska, Hawaii and Mexico routes remain separate.
Interchange service begins with Braniff between Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas, and Calgary and Edmonton, Canada.
Interchange service begins with Continental Airlines between Houston and Calgary.
Los Angeles—Guadalajara, Mexico nonstop service begins.
Western opens a new flight attendant base in Honolulu.
1979
Anchorage—San Francisco nonstop service begins with a special inaugural fare of 49 cents (for Alaska, our 49th state), good for first day of service only.
One-stop Seattle—Washington, D.C. transcontinental service begins.
Western takes delivery of the 100th Boeing aircraft—a 727.
Western appoints seven baggage service managers, the industry's first system-wide team of full-time, on-location baggage officials, in an attempt to wipe out lost/damaged baggage.