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Originally founded as Western Air Express in 1925, the company rebranded itself as Western Airlines in 1941 after several mergers during the 1930s. During the mid-1950s, the airline began offering flights with complimentary champagne. The company’s mascot, Wally Bird, was introduced in 1955 and was often portrayed sitting on an airliner tail while smoking a cigarette and offering a champagne toast to Western’s luxurious service as “the Ooonly way to fly!” The airline introduced its first china meal service set in 1965; the dinnerware featured a unique Wally Bird shield on select items. See “More than a Meal: Airline Meal Service Sets, 1960s–80s” on display, pre-security, in the International Terminal. https://bit.ly/AirlineMealSets This image was posted on January 10, 2023.