Boston-Maine Airways History: New England's Railroad Airline – Airline Employee Shop

Boston-Maine Airways History

Boston-Maine Airways was New England's railroad airline, started by two railroads in 1931, run for a time by a company Amelia Earhart helped found, and renamed Northeast Airlines in 1940. Here's a short history of Boston-Maine, plus the Boston-Maine Airways collection that celebrates them.

A railroad airline with Pan Am (1931)

The Boston and Maine Railroad and the Maine Central Railroad formed Boston-Maine Airways in July 1931. Pan American Airways flew it under contract. Service began August 1, 1931, between Boston and Bangor, Maine, with Fokker F-10A airliners, and Sikorsky flying boats continued on from Bangor to Halifax, Nova Scotia. The first try was short. Flights stopped on September 30, 1931.

National Airways and Amelia Earhart (1933-1937)

Boston-Maine came back on August 11, 1933, flying Boston to Portland and Bangor with eight-passenger Stinson airliners. The flights were run under contract by National Airways, whose founders included Paul Collins, Eugene Vidal and Amelia Earhart. Earhart was a well-known promoter of the airline in its early years. National also ran Central Vermont Airways for the Central Vermont Railway, and the two railroad airlines shared timetables and fares. The Vermont route reached Montreal in March 1934. Lockheed Electras carrying ten passengers replaced the Stinsons in November 1936.

Standing on its own (1937-1940)

On March 1, 1937, Boston-Maine bought National's aircraft, facilities and airmail contract and took on its staff. Its routes then ran from Boston to Caribou, Maine, with stops in several Maine cities, and from Boston to Montreal by way of New Hampshire and Vermont. Federal regulators certificated Boston-Maine as a scheduled airline on May 31, 1939, noting that each railroad owned 25 percent of it.

Becoming Northeast Airlines (1940)

On November 19, 1940, Boston-Maine Airways became Northeast Airlines. Northeast flew for more than three decades, including transatlantic military flying in World War II, before merging into Delta Air Lines on August 1, 1972.

A few things collectors love

  • Amelia Earhart was one of the founders of National Airways, which flew Boston-Maine's routes from 1933.
  • It was one of the few U.S. airlines started by railroads.
  • Its Boston-Montreal service, run with sister line Central Vermont Airways, made it an early cross-border airline.

Shop Boston-Maine Airways

Browse Boston-Maine Airways logo T-shirts, coffee mugs, coasters, tote bags and vintage designs in the Boston-Maine Airways collection. Add an airline bag tag or key tag for a classic touch on your next trip.

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