McGee Airways
| Founded | 1932 |
|---|---|
| Ceased operations | 1934 (merged with Star Air Service) |
| Focus cities | |
| Fleet size | 7 |
| Destinations | Numerous |
| Headquarters | Anchorage, Alaska |
| Key people | Linious "Mac" McGee (Founder) |
McGee Airways was an American airline, founded in Anchorage, Alaska, in 1932 by Linious "Mac" McGee. Starting with a single three seat Stinson airplane, the company grew and the fleet of aircraft expanded to seven Stinsons.
Although McGee was an excellent manager, there were two major competitors in Anchorage: Star Air Service and Woodley Airways. There was not enough business to support the three companies, and they were all struggling financially. In 1937 McGee sold the company to Star Air Service.
When Mac McGee sold the company, he began working several mining claims, but was called back to manage Star Air Service on several occasions while they continued to struggle financially. He left the airline business for the last time in 1937 when he arranged to sell Star Air Service to a new group of investors who hoped to make the company a major player in the Alaska airline business.
McGee Airways was the original Alaska air service that, through a long series of mergers and acquisitions ultimately became Alaska Airlines in 1944.
McGee came to Alaska as a stowaway in 1929. He worked as a miner, truck driver, dishwasher and fur trader. In 1931 he partnered with Harvey W. Barnhill to form Barnhill & McGee Airways with a three-seat Stinson SM8A which they had purchased from Varney Airlines in San Francisco. In 1932 McGee bought Barnhill’s interest and dissolved the company. McGee obtained a bank loan and purchased a second Stinson airplane and hired half-brother Estol Call to bring it to Anchorage, where he founded McGee Airways.
Although McGee learned to fly he did not like flying. He preferred to hire pilots and personally manage the company. He paid his pilots on commission based on the income they generated. Originally the operation was completely un-scheduled. They flew trappers, hunters, tourists, salesmen, sport fishermen and commercial fishermen to destinations throughout the Alaska Territory, going from place to place delivering and picking up cargo and passengers until returning to home base in Anchorage. The pilots collected cash for the flights and settled with McGee each time they returned to Anchorage. The Interior Department paid to have indigenous natives, who were wards of the government, flown to hospitals for medical care.
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