"Bud" Maytag was the last of the dashing airline owners in the likes of Continental's Bob Six and Braniff's Harding Lawrence. He sold his controlling interest in Miami-based National Airlines to Pan Am who was in a bidding war with Frank Lorenzo's Texas Air Corporation and Eastern Airlines for control of National. I hope to add more photos and information on Mr. Maytag in the future. Many thanks to Nancy Neel who contributed her photos.

Mr. Maytag was born on August 5, 1926 and died of cancer on September 23, 1990. His grandfather, Fredrick Lewis Maytag (1857 - 1937) started the Maytag Company. His father, Lewis B. Maytag, took over Maytag Company from his grandfather. Bud Maytag shunned the family appliance business and pursued the aviation business instead. He founded Maytag Aircraft Corporation, an aircraft fueling company in Colorado Springs, when he was 22 years old. He bought controlling interest in Frontier Airlines based in Denver when he was 32 years old. He was Chairman of Frontier from January 1959 to April 1962 when he bought controlling interest in National Airlines from its founder George T. Baker.

Bud Maytag re-equipped National's fleet with Boeing 727's and DC-8's and ordered designer uniforms for the stewardesses. In 1972 he helped launch the "Fly Me" ad campaign which placed female names on every aircraft and in 1975 he launched the "No Frills" ad campaign after a long protracted union strike.

More information about "Bud" Maytag can be read at:
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1990-09-28/news/1990271039_1_national-airlines-maytag-world-airlines