No-frills carrier Southwest Airways began passenger flights between LA and San Francisco in 1946, with no less than eight stops along the way! Ex 43-15728, N63440 was later used to transport live turkeys in even less comfort no doubt - see other photo of this construction number. Note the man in the United Air Lines air freight pick-up and delivery booth in the foreground. This is a crop of overview photo 673029. Photo from: SFO Museum

This airline would be renamed Pacific Air Lines in March 1958. Aircraft sold in 1964, and damaged beyond repair in a wheels-up emergency landing at Merced-Castle AFB on 24 March 1967.

Probably not a regular flight, since Bonanza Airlines is reported to have been the first scheduled carrier into Orange County Airport from 1952. The private planes include some early Bonanzas. Photo by: Robert Geivet / Orange County Public Libraries

A worthy predecessor of Southwest Airlines, Southwest Airways was an early low-cost airline in California which provided no food, chewing gum or magazines, pioneered built-in stairs and had its pilots do the refuelling. N63105 was a converted C-47A which ended up in Laos. Photo from: Southwest Airways