After delivering war brides to Canada, "Queen Mary" made her fastest ever crossing, returning to Southampton in only three days, 22 hours and 42 minutes at an average speed of just under . From September 1946 to July 1947, "Queen Mary" was refitted for passenger service, adding air conditioning and upgrading her berth configuration to 711 first class (formerly called cabin class), 707 cabin class (formerly tourist class) and 577 tourist class (formerly third class) passengers. Following refit, "Queen Mary" and "Queen Elizabeth" dominated the transatlantic passenger trade as Cunard White Star's two-ship weekly express service through the latter half of the 1940s and well into the 1950s. They proved highly profitable for Cunard (as the company was renamed in 1947).