Famgus Aviation Postcards: Northwest Orient Airlines

Last updated November 17 2021

NORTHWEST ORIENT AIRLINES

Below are shown my collection of Northwest airline issued postcards.

Three different types are covered, a promotional series numbered either "PF ..." or "TRAD ...", menu postcards and lastly
"Flight Information" postcards.

Number of postcards: 70

***

PLEASE READ THIS!

If you want to use a postcard or other image in any way, I do want that you contact me.
If you for some reason "forget" to do so I expect that you on social medias, own web sites or in any kind of publication, clearly states where you found the picture, for example www.famgus.se.
Thank You!

Vill du använda ett vykort eller bild på något sätt så vill jag att du kontaktar mig.
Om du av någon anledning "glömmer" detta så förväntar jag mig att du på sociala medier, egna websidor eller i publikationer av olika slag, tydligt anger varifrån du tagit bilden, exempelvis www.famgus.se.
Tack!

Hold the mouse over the picture to get details of the postcard.
Click on the pictures and you will see larger scans. You can then choose to remain in the large scan mode and click through all images or use the slide show option.

Series PF 16 - B&W RPPCs

This is what I presume a pre-WWII series promoting the NW Douglas DC-3 airliners.

PF 16

Northwest Airlines' giant twenty-one passenger Douglas airliners
are ...

Series PF 16-A to PF 16-Y

I believe this is the first color series issued, i.e. postcards with a numbering without the year suffix. I've seen two cards in the series postmarked in 1945 (16-A and 16-C) which leads me to the conclusion that the postcards of the series most likely were issued during the period 1945-1948.
It also supports the conclusion that postcards issued the years after are numbered with a suffix indicating the year of issue.

So far I've only seen postcards up to number PF-16-Q, maybe there are later number as well ...

Logo on the address side for the first 8 cards (PF 16-A to PF 16-H) in the series.

PF 16-A

Top Flight . . .
coast-to-coast

Dec 1 1945

PF 16-B

Northwest Passage
Coast-to-coast

Unused

PF 16-C

Top Flight . . .
coast-to-coast

Unused

PF 16-D

Northwest Passage
Above the Clouds

Unused

PF 16-E

Northwest Passage
Top Flight . . . coast-to-coast

Unused

PF 16-F

80 Passenger Boeing Stratocruiser
Northwest Airlines

Unused

PF 16-G

Lower Deck Club Lounge
Northwest Airlines Stratocruiser

Unused

PF 16-H

Northwest Orient Airlines
Coast-to-Coast, Alaska, the Orient

Unused

Logo on the address side for the next 9 cards (PF 16-I to PF 16-Q) in the series.

PF 16-I

Unknown title

Not yet in collection!

PF 16-J

Kenin Peninsula, Alaska
Northwest Orient Airlines

Unused

PF 16-K

Matanuska Valley, Alaska
Northwest Orient Airlines

Unused

PF 16-L

Boeing Stratocruiser
Northwest Orient Airlines

Unused

PF 16-M

Street Scene in Shanghai
Northwest Orient Airlines

Unused

PF 16-N

The Manila Hotel
Northwest Orient Airlines

Unused

PF 16-O

Winter Palace Grounds, Peking
Northwest Orient Airlines

Unused

PF 16-P

The Heian Shrine, Kyoto
Northwest Orient Airlines

Unused

PF 16-Q

Mt. Fuji frpm Hakone Lake
Northwest Orient Airlines

Unused

Postcards issued the year 1949 (i.e. numbered with a suffix "-49"). Only two postcards known so far ...

Same Logo on the address side kept for these 2 cards as for the previous 9 cards in the series.

PF 16-A-49

Northwest Airlines Stratocruisers
Coast To Coast ...
Hawaii ... Alaska ... Orient

Unused

PF 16-B-49

Northwest Airlines Martin 2-0-2's
World's Most Modern
2-Engine Airliner

Unused

Postcards issued the year 1950 (i.e. numbered with a suffix "-50").

Still the same Logo on the address side.

PF 16-A-50

Northwest Airlines Stratocruisers
- Finest ... Fastest

Unused

PF 16-B-50

Northwest Airlines Martin
Luxuary Liner --- Coast To Coast

Unused

PF 16-C-50

Waikiki Beach --- Overnight via Northwest Stratocruisers to Hawaii

Unused

Postcards issued the year 1951 (i.e. numbered with a suffix "-51").

Still the same Logo on the address side.

PF 16-D-51

"Aloha"
Northwest Airlines
"Hawaiian Express"

Unused

PF 16-E-51

Mt. Fuji, Japan
Northwest Airlines
"Orient Express"

Unused

Postcards issued the year 1952 (i.e. numbered with a suffix "-52").

New Logo introduced on the address side for most of the cards, but one.

For one single card, the following Logo is used on the adress side (PF-16-H-52).

PF 16-A-52

Northwest Airlines Stratocruisers
- Finest ... Fastest

Unused

PF 16-F-52

MANILA on the route of NORTHWEST AIRLINES
"Orient Express"

Unused

PF 16-G-52

HONG KONG HARBOR
NORTHWEST AIRLINES
"Orient Express"

Unused

PF 16-H-52

DAIBUTSU (Greta Buddha)
on the route of
NORTHWEST AIRLINES
"Orient Express"

Unused

PF 16-I-52

JAPAN via
NORTHWEST AIRLINES
"Orient Express"

Unused

PF 16-K-52

NEW YORK via
NORTHWEST AIRLINES
"Manhattan Express"

Unused

Postcards issued the year 1953 (i.e. numbered with a suffix "-53").

Same Logo kept on the address side as for most of the 1952 cards.

PF 16-A-53

Northwest Airlines Stratocruisers
- Finest ... Fastest

Cancelle May 28 1955

PF 16-J-53

HONG KONG via
NORTHWEST Orient AIRLINES "Orient Express"

Unused

PF 16-L-53

HAWAII via
NORTHWEST Orient AIRLINES "Hawaiian Express"

Unused

PF 16-M-53

HAWAII via
NORTHWEST Orient AIRLINES "Hawaiian Express"

Unused

PF 16-N-53

Fly to the
WORLD'S FINEST FISHING
via NORTHWEST AIRLINES
"Alaska Express"

Unused

Postcards issued the year 1954 (i.e. numbered with a suffix "-54").

Same Logo kept on the address side as for the 1952-1953 cards.

PF 16-O-54

Interior of
Northwest Orient Airlines DC-6B

Written but not postally used

Postcards issued the year 1955 (i.e. numbered with a suffix "-55").

New Logo introduced again on the address side, but for two cards only, PF 16-P-55 and PF 16-T-55.

Yet another new Logo introduced on the address side for the next 5 cards PF 16-P-55 to PF 16-W-55.

PF 16-P-55

Pacific Northwest - Vacation Wonderland
Northwest Orient Airlines

Unused

PF 16-R-55

Skyline of Seattle
Northwest Orient Airlines
---

Unused

PF 16-S-55

New York City
Northwest Orient Airlines
---

Unused

PF 16-T-55

Hawaii - Land of Sunshine and Flowers
Northwest Orient Airlines

Canccelled July 25 1958

PF 16-U-55

Surfing at Waikiki
Northwest Orient Airlines

Unused

PF 16-V-55

Lockheed Turbo Constellation
as flown by
Northwest Orient Airlines

Unused

PF 16-W-55

Anchorage, Alaska
Northwest Orient Airlines

Unused

Postcards issued the year 1958 (i.e. numbered with a suffix "-58").

Same Logo on the address side, as for the first card 1955.

PF 16-Y-58

Hawaii --- Playground of the Pacific
Northwest Orient Airlines

Unused

PF 16-Z-58

Famous Drum Bridge - Japan
Northwest Orient Airlines

Unused

Series TRAD

For the following cards, the numbering starts with the acronym "TRAD". It's virtually impossible to tell how many postcards are part of the series so here they are just listed by numbers.

Same Logo on the address side, as for the PF 16 series first card 1955 and 1958.

TRAD 335

Japan,
the land of picturesque gardens
Northwest Orient Airlines

Unused

TRAD 336

Hawaii,
the Aloha State
Northwest Orient Airlines

Cancelled July 12 1963

TRAD 337

New York City
Northwest Orient Airlines

Unused

TRAD 338

Mendenhall Glacier
Northwest Orient Airlines

Unused

TRAD 342

Northwest Orient Airlines
Imperial Service DC-7C

Unused

TRAD 388

Japanese Gardens
Northwest Orient Airlines

Unused

TRAD 389

Waikiki Beach, Hawaii
Northwest Orient Airlines

Unused

TRAD 390

The Pacific Nothwest
Northwest Orient Airlines

Unused

TRAD 391

The Capital, Washington D. C.
Northwest Orient Airlines

Cancelled April 27 1963

TRAD 392

Tiger Balm Gardens
Northwest Orient Airlines

Unused

TRAD 394

Northwest's DC-8C
Jet Liner

Unused

TRAD 393

Relaxing in Hawaii
Northwest Orient Airlines

Cancelled July 17 1960

TRAD 395

Florida
Northwest Orient Airlines

Unused

TRAD 396

Alaska
Northwest Orient Airlines

Unused

For the following cards, the numbering starts with "241-TRAD". Again it's impossible to tell how many postcards are part of the series so here they are just listed by numbers.

Yet a new Logo introduced on the address side on these cards.

241-TRAD-454

Pacific Northwest
Northwest Orient Airlines

Unused

241-TRAD-455

Miami Florida
Northwest Orient Airlines

Unused

TRAD 241-AD-496

The Boeing 727 --- newest addition to Northwest's Fan-Jet Fleet

Unused

Menu Postcards

I've seen a number of different menu postcards from Northwest.
Here comes the 6 cards I have in my collection.

Same Logo on the address side on these cards as for the 241-TRAD series..

LDF-2

PACIFIC NORTHWEST
JET NORTHWEST

Cancelled July 12 1962

LD-4

PHILIPPINES
JET NORTHWEST

Unused

Yet a new Logo introduced on the address side on these cards.

Unnumbered

ALASKA
JET NORTHWEST

Unused

B-3

ATLANTA
JET NORTHWEST

Unused

Unnumbered

MONTANA
JET NORTHWEST

Cancellation unredable, not dated

Finally the oldest menu card from Northwest, 1955.

PF-145D
(picture side)

Good Morning!
Breakfast Menu

Unused

PF-145D
(address side)

Good Morning!
Breakfast Menu

Unused

Flight Information Postcards

I have only seen the two types of Flight Information postcards shown below.

In my collection I have 5 Flight Information postcards, 4 type 1 and 1 type 2.
Type 1 postcards are either with number "PF-4", "OP76-1" of "OP76-2".
The only type 2 postcard I have, is numbered "PF-4".

My entire Flight Information web page (click here).

Type 1

Flight Information

Type 2

Flight Information