"Hughes Airwest" was to the south west United States what "Piedmont Airlines" was to the south east United States, a great well run local airline who in many instances far outdid its bigger competitors (TW,PA,AA,EA,DL,BI,CO,UA,NW) in passenger service & on-time performance and lets not forget NE (North East / Yellow Bird) her north eastern cousin!...Lol...
I only flew on a DC-9 and Hughes Airwest once. It was a chartered flight for a bunch of us little league football players from Salt Lake and we landed at Port Mugu NAS in Ventura Co, CA. Talk about standing out! All the Navy workers could see us from miles around in the big yellow flying banana! :) Good times...
Delta Airlines still owns about 7 old Hughes Airwest DC-9-30's. They are sitting in the desert somewhere; the last one went offline last summer. They soldiered on long after anyone thought they would!
i grew up in Santa Maria Ca one mile from the airport. I saw this DC-9 everyday at 1pm and 5pm. i was in complete awe. I was 12 and remember thinking i will never fly in that. Now i am 50 and i travel the world!!!!!!!
The good old days of the yellow banana...as a former employee it's sad to compare the airlines of today to yester year. Hughes was a "family" more than anything else. I still have promo balloons of the 727... HDQ up on the hill in San Mateo...miss everyone and there are still diehards around...live on!
@kingsleychew I used to work at the HDQ up on the hill also, started in Purchasing, then Regulatory Affairs. Transferred to SEA Res. Irv Tague was the best, and you are right, it was like a family!
A nostalgic look back when flying was fun. As a boy I flew the routes of its predecessor West Coast Airlines out of Yakima on F27s, and later through the merger of the 3 airlines into Air West. Thanks for sharing!
The last time I flew on this airlines was on a flight from Yakima to Palm Springs in June 1980... They were a good airlines. Thank you for posting it! David
Thanks for posting. I used to work for these guys in Klamath Falls, Stockton, Salt Lake City and Seattle. Quite a few of their old DC-9-30's still soldier on every day in NWA garb (most were built in '68---40 years old and still doing their thing!).
Was this the Airline that was called "The Big Banana"?
Jiltedin2007 1 month ago
"Hughes Airwest" was to the south west United States what "Piedmont Airlines" was to the south east United States, a great well run local airline who in many instances far outdid its bigger competitors (TW,PA,AA,EA,DL,BI,CO,UA,NW) in passenger service & on-time performance and lets not forget NE (North East / Yellow Bird) her north eastern cousin!...Lol...
TWTR4EVER 4 months ago
I only flew on a DC-9 and Hughes Airwest once. It was a chartered flight for a bunch of us little league football players from Salt Lake and we landed at Port Mugu NAS in Ventura Co, CA. Talk about standing out! All the Navy workers could see us from miles around in the big yellow flying banana! :) Good times...
zxr92 4 months ago
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Brings back old times
f150eagle 6 months ago
I remember this airline quite a bit as a kid phoenix to salt lake
mrtequilashooter 7 months ago
Delta Airlines still owns about 7 old Hughes Airwest DC-9-30's. They are sitting in the desert somewhere; the last one went offline last summer. They soldiered on long after anyone thought they would!
TheCannonofMohammed 10 months ago
i grew up in Santa Maria Ca one mile from the airport. I saw this DC-9 everyday at 1pm and 5pm. i was in complete awe. I was 12 and remember thinking i will never fly in that. Now i am 50 and i travel the world!!!!!!!
PInk77W1 10 months ago
A Hughes Air West DC-9 was my first ever flying experience, Oakland to Vegas. Good memories.
afretired04 10 months ago
Will you stop it?
BARRIEMOREBARLOW 11 months ago
Those were great airline days. I loved flying for them.
1956jmack 1 year ago
what a bllst the big banana RW
pigletpdx 1 year ago
I MISS THOSE DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!
MrMegaFredzeppelin 1 year ago
music sucks
grooveridersla 1 year ago 3
Julie clark has a T-28 that is names "top Banana in the west"
webb99lynx 1 year ago
My first flight was on a DC-9 Tucson to Ontario, I will always love that day.
bryonthor 1 year ago
nice adds, jackass music :(
tk421720 2 years ago
Comment removed
whitetrunksboxer 2 years ago
Good memories! Have to admit I now prefer the 747-400. Hugs to my Hughes Airwest friends.
prounionfa 2 years ago
The good old days of the yellow banana...as a former employee it's sad to compare the airlines of today to yester year. Hughes was a "family" more than anything else. I still have promo balloons of the 727... HDQ up on the hill in San Mateo...miss everyone and there are still diehards around...live on!
kingsleychew 2 years ago
@kingsleychew I used to work at the HDQ up on the hill also, started in Purchasing, then Regulatory Affairs. Transferred to SEA Res. Irv Tague was the best, and you are right, it was like a family!
Valkyrie91a 2 years ago
I was a flight attendant for Hughes Airwest in the late 70"s and 80"s. Anyone from the class of 7806 ...Was that Giles in the video?
jpwesley5 2 years ago
I'm a former Hughes Airwest res agent. It was fun to see this video. Makes me long for the old days! Thanks for posting.
pugwump 2 years ago
i used to fly every summer fron phoenix to idaho falls and back on Hughes Airwest, they made it fun :-)
whovean 2 years ago
A nostalgic look back when flying was fun. As a boy I flew the routes of its predecessor West Coast Airlines out of Yakima on F27s, and later through the merger of the 3 airlines into Air West. Thanks for sharing!
rnoedc 2 years ago
The first airline I flew by myself on. A short hop from Boise to Salt Lake City. I thought is was great
jaydelotte 2 years ago
Does anyone remember the McDonald's/Hughes Airwest promotion? They gave away gliders in Hughes livery with the purchase of banana milkshakes.
motherthing 2 years ago
The last time I flew on this airlines was on a flight from Yakima to Palm Springs in June 1980... They were a good airlines. Thank you for posting it! David
DavidYakima 3 years ago
Thanks for posting. I used to work for these guys in Klamath Falls, Stockton, Salt Lake City and Seattle. Quite a few of their old DC-9-30's still soldier on every day in NWA garb (most were built in '68---40 years old and still doing their thing!).
hoggdawn 3 years ago
gr8 vid!
randomICEstuff 3 years ago
nice video its very bananaey lol xD
shakthi124 3 years ago
Nice video, yet again!
FlightCrewWannaBe 3 years ago
i wanna go on the banana plane!!
lol
nice vid!
frankieroandMCR 3 years ago
Great Video!!! 5/5! Nice effects too!
UsAirSUCKS 3 years ago
Nice video.
All these people have 30 yo more now, so they may look different
w67 3 years ago