Western Air Express replaced Standard on the route to Los Angeles for a short time in 1930 and extended service eastward from El Paso to Dallas stopping at Midland, Abilene, and Fort Worth, Texas. American Airways then took over the route beginning on or about October 15, 1930 and later extended the route eastward all the way to New York stopping at Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville, and Washington D.C. as well as several other points. The carrier changed its name to American Airlines in 1934. Douglas DC-3 aircraft were primarily used in the latter 1930's through 1940's followed by Convair 240's and Douglas DC-6's in the 1950's. A new route to Monterrey and Mexico City, Mexico was flown from 1943 through 1957 and direct service to San Francisco was added in 1948. Through the 1950's, American partnered with Continental Airlines offering an interchange service where American's flights from Los Angeles and San Francisco, stopping in Phoenix, would continue eastward through El Paso as Continental's flights to San Antonio and Houston using the same Douglas DC-6 aircraft. The interchange flights ended in 1961 when American received its own authority to serve the El Paso-San Antonio-Houston route. American Boeing 707 and Boeing 727 jets began serving El Paso in the early 1960's and widebody Douglas DC-10 jets began service on nonstop flights to Dallas in 1972. The stop at Douglas, Arizona on westbound flights ended in the mid-1960's and new nonstop service to Chicago was added in 1969. Direct flights to San Antonio, Houston, Tucson, and San Francisco ended after airline deregulation in 1978 and American's service to Dallas, Chicago, Phoenix, and Los Angeles continues today. Continental Airlines was the second major airline to serve El Paso. The carrier began as Varney Speed Lines in 1934 operating a route from El Paso to Pueblo, Colorado with stops at Albuquerque and several other points in New Mexico and Colorado. The name was changed to Continental Air Lines in 1937 and the route was extended to Denver. A new route to Carlsbad, Hobbs, and Roswell, New Mexico was added in 1940 followed by new routes to San Antonio and to Kansas City with several stops by the mid 1940's. Continental primarily used Lockheed Model 10 Electra and Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar aircraft in the 1930's followed by Douglas DC-3's in the 1940's. Larger Convair 240, Convair 340, and Douglas DC-6 aircraft were introduced in the 1950's followed by the Vickers Viscount by 1959.