Northeast Airlines

  July 1931 to August 1972

  United States of America

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TYPE: Airline

IATA/ICAO CODES: NE / NEA

HEADQUARTERS: Boston, MA

OTHER NAMES: Boston-Maine Airways (1931-1933), National Airways (1933-1940), Northeast Airlines (1940-1972)

SUBSEQUENT NAME: Delta Air Lines (merged)

Northeast Airlines was founded as Boston-Maine Airways, a Pan Am contract carrier on 20 July 1931 based in Boston, MA. Initial services started to Bangor and Portland, ME. The airline developped slowly thourghout New England during the 1930's as National Airways, operating a fleet of Stinsons and later Lockheed Electras.

During World War II, Northeast pioneered transatlantic service for the military under contract from the USAAF. After the war, it expanded its network from Boston using Douglas DC4s. Washington later became a secondary base, while the fleet expanded with Douglas DC6Bs from 1956. Northeast became one of the country's first jet operators, introducing a fleet of Convair 880s.

Howard Hughes purchased the airline in 1962. From 1969, Northeast's financial situation degraded, and following a failed merger attempt with Northwest Airlines in 1971, it was finally taken over by Delta Airlines in 1972.

Sometime between 1954 and 1957

Northeast operated a single Commando, that was probably leased from L. B. Smith Aircraft Corporation. The aircraft was briefly tested with Marbore jet engines to boost takeoff performance. It was later assigned to the Boston, MA to Montreal, QC passenger route, but it seems to have been returned following an engine fire on approach to Boston in August 1957.

• Curtiss CW-20T Commando: N1381N