Famous aviator Amelia Earhart is once again in the public eye this weekend with a new movie starring Hilary Swank as Amelia and a major exhibit at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. What you may not know is that Earhart was briefly part of Delta history through our merger with Northeast Airlines in 1972.  We have several images of her in the Delta Archives including this one:

Amelia Earhart is standing with airline and railroad officials at the launch of Boston-Maine Airways service in 1933. She was one of four partners who invested in the small New England airline operating 8-passenger Stinson planes from Boston to Portland and Bangor, Maine.  Boston-Maine Airways became Northeast Airlines in 1941.

Earhart attracted public interest and customers to the new airline. She had just set two major air records the previous year:  first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic in May 1932, and first woman to fly solo nonstop coast to coast in the U.S. in August. For Boston-Maine Airways, Earhart did publicity trips to cities along the airline’s route, speaking with the press and prominent citizens along the way.

After Earhart was lost during an around-the-world attempt in 1937,  Northeast Airlines dedicated its hangar in Boston to her memory in 1949. Below is a photo of the dedication ceremony with a Douglas DC-4 in the background:

And, here is the plaque itself, which came to Delta after the 1972 merger:

Marie Force

Archives Manager