Happy 90th birthday, United

The carrier that would eventually assume the "United Airlines" name made its first flight 90 years ago Wednesday. It came under the name Varney Air Lines, which launched April 6, 1926, with an airmail run from Pasco, Wash., to Boise. Varney would go on to become one of the founding airlines making up today’s United Airlines. And in what would later become a remarkable historic coincidence, Varney Air founder Walter T. Varney would go on to launch another carrier in 1934. That airline – Varney Speed Lines – was a forerunner of Continental Airlines, which merged with United in 2010 to create the modern incarnation of United. United is marking its 90th birthday by treating customers to birthday cookies on United’s flights departing from US airports. United's employees will share in special birthday cake at airports across the USA. For those not flying Wednesday, United is marking the occasion with a timeline of United's "firsts." There's also a video dubbed "United - 90 Years in One Minute," which shows all of the logos of United's (and Continental's) predecessor airlines coming together in just 60 seconds. "On our 90th birthday, I couldn't be more proud of our rich heritage and the exciting future ahead of United,” United CEO Oscar Munoz says . “I want to thank our customers for your loyalty over the years, and we look forward to serving you for many more as we continue to elevate our customer experience today and into the future."<br/>