History of United Airlines

United Air Lines was formed in 1931 as a subsidiary of United Aircraft and Transport Corporation to manage its airlines that were originally acquired by William Boeing, including Boeing Air Transport, Pacific Air Transport, Varney Air Lines, and National Air Transport, which all held U.S. Air Mail contracts. The oldest of these, Varney Air Lines, was founded in 1926 which United has adopted as its founding date. The 1934 Air Mail scandal led to the breakup of the parent corporation.

As an independent company, United Air Lines expanded rapidly. In 1933, it introduced the Boeing 247, the first modern airliner, enabling non-stop transcontinental travel. During World War II, United modified the aircraft for military use and transporting supplies. After the war United capitalized on the aviation boom, and in 1961 merged with Capital Airlines, briefly becoming the world’s second-largest airline. United was a major proponent of airline deregulation in the 1970s and would ultimately benefit from the post-deregulation decline of Pan American World Airways acquiring Pan Am’s Pacific route authority in 1985, its London Heathrow operation in 1991, and its Latin America and Caribbean network out of Miami in 1992. In 1997, United was one of the five airlines to launch Star Alliance, the first global airline alliance.

The airline suffered tragic losses in the September 11 attacks, when two of its aircraft were hijacked and crashed. Like other major U.S. carriers, United was already facing financial struggles, which were worsened by the economic downturn following the attacks. It filed for bankruptcy in 2002, emerging in 2006 after restructuring, and in 2010, United merged with Continental Airlines, forming one of the world’s largest carriers.