A Stinson Trimotor first operated by Century Airlines
American Airlines was developed from a conglomeration of 82 small airlines through acquisitions in 1930 and reorganizations: initially,American Airways was a common brand by a number of independent carriers. These included Southern Air Transport in Texas, Southern Air Fast Express (SAFE) in the western United States, Universal Aviationin the Midwest (which operated a transcontinental air/rail route in 1929), Thompson Aeronautical Services] (which operated a Detroit-Cleveland route beginning in 1929), and Colonial Air Transport in the Northeast. Like many early carriers, American earned its keep carrying U.S. Mail. By 1933 American Airways operated a transcontinental route network serving 72 cities, mostly in the northeastern, midwestern, and southwestern United States