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The Historical Geography of Western Airlines

1981; University of Hawaii Press; Volume: 43; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1353/pcg.1981.0000

1551-3211

Harold M. Elliott,

Transport and Economic Policies

The Historical Geography of Western Airlines Harold M. Elliott* During this century airlines have been one of the most rapidly growing industries in the United States. As a consequence, the spatial development of airline networks or route structures provides an attractive subject for geographic analysis. Within the Pacific Coast region the evolution of Western Airlines supplies a particularly interesting case study. Unlike most U.S. trunk carriers, whose route structures have grown steadily over the years, Western Airlines has a record that is marked by several periods of substantial route loss and retrenchment. During its history, Western also has had the distinction of operating one of the few noncontiguous route systems. In addition, the territory served by the Western network has changed radically since the airline's formative period. Before embarking on a description and an analysis of Western's network development, it is necessary to discuss a number of factors that have had potent influence on the spatial evolution of this and other American airlines. Many of these factors lay beyond the decision-making capacity of individual companies. Federal regulation ranks prime among these factors influencing network development. By awarding contracts for carrying mail between specified cities, the federal government became responsible for the routes flown by the pioneer air carriers. Western was one of twelve companies to bid successfully on the initial air mail contracts offered in 1926. Although these contracts were crucial to the survival *Dr. Elliott is an Assistant Professor of Geography, Weber State College, Ogden, UT 84408. 77 78ASSOCIATION OF PACIFIC COAST GEOGRAPHERS of the infant companies, the revenue generated by air mail postage was insufficient to cover the contracted fees. This situation prompted passage of the McNary-Watres Act of 1930, which resulted in the reorganization of the airline industry under the auspices of the Postmaster General (Wacht 1974, p. 14). The consequent changes in Western's route structure were radical. Another piece of federal legislation that has had an extensive impact on the airline industry and airline networks is the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938, which established the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB). This agency formulated regulations governing route awards, mergers, rates, finances, and the quality of service (Wycoff and Maister 1977, p. xiv). Until the recent deregulation of the airline industry (1978), the CAB determined which cities could be added or dropped from an airline's route system. Under CAB rules the acquisition of a new route was a complex undertaking. Consideration was given to such factors as how well the proposed route would integrate with the applicant's existing network, the ability of the applicant to service the new route, and the impact that the award would have on competing carriers (Wycoff and Maister 1977, p. xvii). Proponents and opponents of the proposed award often presented their evidence to the board at lengthy hearings. It is therefore impossible to divorce the evolution of much of Western's route structure from decisions made by the CAB. Route networks of the domestic trunk airlines also have grown through the demise of other carriers, and Western is no exception. Carriers that gave up their independent existence to become part of Western include National Parks Airways, Inland Airlines, Wyoming Air Service, Colorado Airways, and Pacific Northern (Fig. 1). Some of these companies were strong competitors, while others (e.g., National Parks Airways and Inland Airlines) were on the verge of bankruptcy. Since its inception, the CAB has proposed mergers and prevented them. Opposition often has been based on the belief that a merger would create a monopoly in a given market and therefore fail to serve the public interest. Developments in aircraft technology have played a role in the evolution of route structure. As passengers joined air mail as a major source of revenue, Western replaced its early Boeings and Stearmans YEARBOOK · VOLUME 43 · 1981 79 1926 Colorado Airways 1928 West Coast Air Transport 1931 Wyoming-Montana Airlines Wyoming Air Service Inland Airlines 1932 Woodiey Airlines 1922 Pacific Marine Airways 1926 Western Air Express 1927 1929 1928 1927 Standard Airlines 1930 1928 National Parks Airways General Airlines -------1— Western Air Express 1943 1937 Western Airlines Pacific Northern Airlines 1968 e 41 OC CS JS H OI...