Andrew K. (kuligowskiandrewt) -
Steve Martin's movie The Jerk was billed as a rags to riches to rags story. Perhaps that would be a good description of many US airlines, although the cycle would be repeated many times in the latter case.
In Non-Stop: A Turbulent History of Northwest Airlines, author Jack El-Hai looks into the history of the Minnesota-based airline from its 1926 start as a mail carrier to its 2010 loss of identity in a merger with Delta Airlines. The book provides just the right level of detail readers who are only looking for an overview won't pick it up, and historians looking for depth will not take a sniff at a coffee table book, even one with as much text as this one has. (Which is not to say that the book lacks illustrations; photos accompany every chapter and sidebar).
The book is not a puff-piece promotion for the company, either. The decisions and moments that the company would not be proud of crashes, labor issues, bankruptcy filings, and a hijacker known as Dan (D.B.) Cooper among them get equal coverage with successful passenger / employee satisfaction ratings and profitable years.
If you like the old-style glamor of the airlines when flying had a panache, if you like corporate histories, or if you simply want to a little more about the businesses that helped grow Minnesota, this book is recommended.
DISCLOSURE: I was awarded this book free of charge via the Goodreads FirstReads program. While the author and publisher would probably appreciate a public review and would really like a good review nothing was requested or promised.
RATING: 4 stars.
In Non-Stop: A Turbulent History of Northwest Airlines, author Jack El-Hai looks into the history of the Minnesota-based airline from its 1926 start as a mail carrier to its 2010 loss of identity in a merger with Delta Airlines. The book provides just the right level of detail readers who are only looking for an overview won't pick it up, and historians looking for depth will not take a sniff at a coffee table book, even one with as much text as this one has. (Which is not to say that the book lacks illustrations; photos accompany every chapter and sidebar).
The book is not a puff-piece promotion for the company, either. The decisions and moments that the company would not be proud of crashes, labor issues, bankruptcy filings, and a hijacker known as Dan (D.B.) Cooper among them get equal coverage with successful passenger / employee satisfaction ratings and profitable years.
If you like the old-style glamor of the airlines when flying had a panache, if you like corporate histories, or if you simply want to a little more about the businesses that helped grow Minnesota, this book is recommended.
DISCLOSURE: I was awarded this book free of charge via the Goodreads FirstReads program. While the author and publisher would probably appreciate a public review and would really like a good review nothing was requested or promised.
RATING: 4 stars.
