The second leg of Air Mail Route 76 was inaugurated on January
15, 1947 from San Francisco to Redding. The balance of this segment, from Redding
to Medford, was deferred until a later date.
Douglas DC-3 aircraft provided the inaugural service.
To better reflect its service area, Southwest Airways became Pacific Air Lines on March 6, 1958.
The Civil Aeronautics Board and President Lyndon Johnson approved the simultaneous merger of three airlines for the first time in early 1968. Pacific Air Lines, Bonanza Airlines, and West Coast Airlines were combined to form Air West. Air West provided service to eight Western states, Canada, and Mexico within its 8,800-mile system.