Northwest Airlines began operations as a mail-carrying airline in 1926 when they first flew between Minneapolis/ St. Paul to Chicago.  Later that year, Northwest Airlines started the first passenger service with a closed cabin airplane.  In 1939, Northwest hired their first stewardess when they introduced the DC-3 into their fleet.  Six years later, Northwest joined the ranks of transcontinental airlines when they expanded to New York City from Detroit.  Following the New York service by two years was the new service to Asia from Anchorage. Northwest moved to its current hub at Wold-Chamberlain Field in Minneapolis in 1956.  Four years later Northwest introduced their first jet airliner, the DC-8. Northwest brought the famous Boeing 747 into their fleet ten years later in 1970.  More recently, Northwest announced its major partnership in 1989 with European Airline KLM.  Now twenty years later, American partner Delta Airlines has purchased all of Northwest Airlines.