Wien Air Alaska was among the pioneers in the United States' aviation industry, having played a pivotal role, such as helping Boeing develop the 737-200 Combi aircraft configuration. This is how the airline rose to success before eventually crumbling.

A tale of two brothers

Wien Air Alaska was founded by Noel Wien, a pilot who worked for the Alaska Aerial Transportation Company. In 1927 – together with his business partner, Gene Miller – he started a company in Nome, Alaska, serving the northwest communities of Candle, Deering, Kotzebue, and Point Hope.

By the summer of that same year, Wien ventured into his own business, founding Wien Alaska Airways. The airline started off with regular weekly flights between Fairbanks and Nome. Wien Alaska Airways was officially incorporated on October 20, 1928, with Noel as president and his brother, Ralph, as vice president.

The company established a hangar at Weeks Field, the first airport in Fairbanks and the predecessor of Fairbanks International Airport.

Then came the third

Two years into operations, the Wien brothers sold their company, which was subsequently merged with Anchorage Air Transport and the Bennett-Rodebaugh Company to become Alaskan Airways Inc. However, just a year later, Ralph was tragically killed while flying a diesel-powered Bellanca Bush aircraft.

In 1932, Noel restarted Wien Airways, which in 1936 became the first airline to have air-to-ground radio links in Alaska. Sigurd Wien, Noel’s younger brother, entered the picture, heading a team of three mechanics in 1937. Noel eventually sold his shares to Sigurd to pay for his wife’s medical bills in 1940.

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Growth and the Jet Age

For the next few decades, the airline’s leadership changed hands several times, merging with various air services. In 1973, Wien Airways was renamed Wien Air Alaska, under the leadership of Sigurd as chairman.

By then, the company had over 800 employees – a long way from its early days of having just three pilots, three mechanics, and three administrative staff some 40 years prior. It also pivoted from its mainly propeller-driven fleet to jet airliners.

Between 1973 and 1984, Wien Air Alaska operated a total of 28 aircraft: three Douglas DC-8s, 11 Boeing 727s, and 14 Boeing 737s. The airline served cities in the lower 48 states, as well as smaller destinations in Alaska.

Liquidated for profit

Unfortunately, the airline’s expansion was not without trouble. As it grew, it inched towards bankruptcy. Wien Air Alaska was eventually liquidated for profit in 1983 by then-president, Jim J. Flood.

Speaking to AVweb, Noel’s son, Merrill, said:

“Wien Air Alaska was bought by a corporate raider on a leveraged buyout and was liquidated for about twice what the stock was selling for. The Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 made this possible.”

Today, the airline is remembered as one of the pioneers in air travel in the United States and continues to have a small but dedicated fan base that shares photos, stories, and memorabilia with the online community.

Source: AVweb