Happy Anniversary United Airlines

United Airlines (Chicago) today (April 6) commemorates its 85th anniversary by unveiling this Airbus A320-232 registered N475UA (msn 1495) painted in the airline’s 1972 “Friend Ship” livery. N475UA was unveiled at an employee celebration at Chicago O’Hare International Airport.

Employee celebrations continue throughout the week as the Friend Ship visits other United and Continental hub airports, including Denver International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, and Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport, the airline’s largest hub.

Last fall, United employees selected the 1972 Friend Ship livery, which features stripes of deep red and sky blue and a regal star pattern, from United’s historical liveries.

United’s history began April 6, 1926, when a small Swallow biplane owned by Walter Varney completed the first airmail delivery, landing to cheering crowds in Nevada after a flight across a harsh, mountainous route. While other aviation legends saw air travel as a challenge and a sport to be conquered, Varney was among the first to recognize its business potential.

Varney then founded Varney Air Service in 1926 after acquiring an airmail contract. He later sold the company to United Aircraft and Transport, which would change its name to United Air Lines in 1933. In 1934, Varney and his business partner Louis Mueller founded Varney Speed Lines, which was sold and renamed Continental Airlines in 1937. Both airlines would eventually become industry giants with service to hundreds of points in the U.S. and around the globe. In May 2010, United and Continental merged under the same holding company to become the world’s leading airline group. The two AOCs still remain to be merged.

In 1926, fewer than 6,000 Americans paid to travel by plane. By 1930, about 170,000 paying passengers took to the sky each year. Boeing’s tri-motored Model 80 carried up to 18 people in an enclosed cabin – a step up from only a few years earlier when two passengers rode on top of mailbags, wearing parachutes and goggles. In 1936, people could fly coast to coast, allowing at least 20 hours for the trip, but generally bought tickets at the door of the plane just before takeoff.

By comparison, today, the new United flies more than 150 million customers each year, equal to about half the population of the U.S., and travelers can book flights from virtually anywhere. United’s largest aircraft, the 747-400, seats 374 travelers in modern comfort, offering flat-bed seats, personal inflight entertainment, hot meals and world-class service.

The new United features the world’s most comprehensive route network, offering customers access to destinations on six continents and nonstop or one-stop service from virtually anywhere in the United States. With the most modern and fuel-efficient fleet among America’s network carriers, United takes to the sky with 5,675 daily departures from nearly 375 airports.

United Slide Show: CLICK HERE