history of passenger air travel

In the 21st century, it is commonplace to travel by plane—and many Americans are familiar with the flying experience—but this wasn't always the case.

In the early days of commercial flight, the flying experience was harsh and uncomfortable. To even get the opportunity to fly was considered a luxury. Learn more about the evolution of the commercial flying experience in the United States using objects from the Museum's collection.

Jump to:           1914-1927           1927-1941           1941-1958           1958-Today

Novel and exciting; loud and uncomfortable—an experience few people ever got to relish or regret. 

In the early years of flight, pilots and the occasional passenger sat in open cockpits exposed to wind and weather. Even in Europe, where large transports carried passengers in comparative luxury, the ride was harsh, loud, and uncomfortable. 

Mostly pilots. Most early airplanes could carry only a single extra person, if any. Few passenger-carrying airlines existed, and none survived for very long. Those that did catered to wealthy travelers who could afford the expensive ticket prices. In this period, most airlines made their money by flying the mail for the federal government. Except for the occasional hop in the spare seat of a stunt preforming Curtiss Jenny for a joy ride, few Americans flew as passengers in planes, and even fewer used them as a means to travel. 

Joseph L. Mortensen navigated the air mail route from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Reno, Nevada, in 1920 using this scrolling map and knee board. This object is called a "knee board" because a pilot would strap it to their leg. They would turn the knobs to scroll the map as they flew their route.  

Why would this be more useful than a folding map? 

Lt. James Edgerton flew the mail from Philadelphia to Washington during the first scheduled air mail flight on May 15, 1918. He wore this helmet and coat during that flight. Edgerton left the Army in 1919 and became the Chief of Flying for the U.S. Air Mail Service.

This is Lt. James Edgerton's logbook, with entries for May 14 and 15, 1918. Pilots wrote down their experiences so other pilots could learn from them. What problems did Edgerton have? How long did it take him to fly from Bustleton Field to Washington?

On May 15, 1918, Lt. Howard P. Culver navigated between Philadelphia and Belmont Park, near New York City, during the first scheduled air mail flight, using this liquid-filled compass installed in his Curtiss Jenny. 

This letter was carried on the first scheduled air mail flight. What does the letter predict will happen in the future of travel by plane? 

More About Air Mail

Despite the airlines' cheerful advertising, early air travel continued to be far from comfortable. It was expensive too. 

Flying was loud, cold, and unsettling. Airliners were not pressurized, so they flew at low altitudes and were often bounced about by wind and weather. Air sickness was common. Airlines provided many amenities to ease passenger stress, but air travel remained a rigorous adventure well into the 1940s. 

Flying was very expensive. Only business travelers and the wealthy could afford to fly. Most people still rode trains or buses for intercity travel because flying was so expensive. A coast-to-coast round trip cost around $260, about half of the price of a new automobile. But despite the expense and discomforts, each year commercial aviation attracted thousands of new passengers willing to sample the advantages and adventure of flight. America's airline industry expanded rapidly, from carrying only 6,000 passengers in 1929 to more than 450,000 by 1934, to 1.2 million by 1938. Still, only a tiny fraction of the traveling public flew. 

Noise was a problem in early airliners. To communicate with passengers, cabin crew often had to resort to speaking through small megaphones to be heard above the din of the engines and the wind. The noise in a typical Ford Tri-Motor during takeoff was nearly 120 decibels, loud enough to cause permanent hearing loss.

How Noisy Was It?

• Normal conversation: 60 dB
• Busy street traffic: 70 dB
• Vacuum cleaner: 80 dB
• Front rows of rock concert: 110 dB
• Ford Tri-Motor during takeoff: 120 dB
• Threshold of pain: 130 dB
• Instant perforation of eardrum: 160 dB

"There is still a newness about air travel, and, though statistics demonstrate its safety, the psychological effect of having a girl on board is enormous." -Comment about the addition of stewardesses from an airline magazine, 1935

The first stewardess uniform was made of dark green wool with a matching green and gray wool cape. United Air Lines made this replica and donated it in commemoration of Ellen Church, the first stewardess, and the rest of United's

A nurse from Iowa, Ellen Church wanted to become an airline pilot but realized that was not possible for a woman in her day. So in 1930, she approached Steve Simpson at Boeing Air Transport with the novel idea of placing nurses aboard airliners. She convinced him that the presence of women nurses would help relieve the traveling public's fear of flying. The addition of female flight attendants fundamentally changed the flying experience—sometimes to the detriment of the female flight attendants themselves—and would continue to shape it for years to come.

View Uniform

Learn More About Flight Attendants

 Passengers on T.W.A.'s Douglas DC-2s were given overnight flight bags for transcontinental flights. 

American issued this overnight flight bag to passengers flying on its Curtiss Condors and later on its Douglas Sleeper Transports. 

To ease pressure on passengers' ears during climb and descent, stewards on Eastern Air Lines flights in the late 1930s offered chewing gum from elegant polished steel dispensers. 

Why do your ears hurt?

Your ears pop during takeoff and landing because of tiny tubes, full of air, that connect your ears to your throat. Air pressure changes during ascent and descent cause pressure differences within your head, and those tubes become blocked. When you yawn or swallow, you open the tubes and equalize the pressure. Chewing gum helps you generate saliva to swallow, but you don't really need the gum at all!  

Your ears pop during takeoff and landing because of tiny tubes, full of air, that connect your ears to your throat. Air pressure changes during ascent and descent cause pressure differences within your head, and those tubes become blocked. When you yawn or swallow, you open the tubes and equalize the pressure. Chewing gum helps you generate saliva to swallow, but you don't really need the gum at all!

In 1955, for the first time, more people in the United States traveled by air than by train. By 1957 airliners had replaced ocean liners as the preferred means of crossing the Atlantic.

After World War II, passenger travel surged to new levels. When wartime travel restrictions ended, airlines were overwhelmed with passengers. New carriers emerged, and new technology began to revolutionize civil aviation.

The era of mass air travel had begun—for some. African Americans could choose to fly, but few did. Many airport facilities were segregated and discrimination was widespread. While the airlines were not legally segregated, airports often were. Throughout the South, inferior airport accommodations discouraged African Americans from flying. Until the Civil Rights movement began to bring about change, air travel remained mostly for white people.

Learn More About Air Travel and Segregation

Since the federal government regulated prices, airlines competed by offering various amenities. Whether United's "red carpet service," for which a brochure can be seen here, or American's "service fit for a king and queen," airline advertising made sure passengers knew they would be treated well. As one American Airlines publication noted, "travel by air should be a time of leisure, a chance for you to escape humdrum worries."

View Brochure from Continental

Matchbooks like this one were provided to passengers interested in smoking during their flight. According to one brochure, cigar and pipe smoking were "permitted in the lounge of DC-6Bs only!" 

Airlines provided junior pilot wings link these to children, just one of the amenities for families. 

Airlines provided junior stewardess wings like these to children, just one of the amenities for families.

United Air Lines menu for a gourmet in flight meal. 

Jet Lag Before Jets

Passengers began experiencing physiological problems due to crossing several time zones within a few hours. Shortened or lengthened days or nights upset natural body rhythms and made sleeping difficult. Although later dubbed "jet lag," this was first experienced after long-distance trips on fast piston-engine and turboprop airliners. 

As flying became more popular and commonplace, the nature of the air travel experience began to change. By the end of the 1950s, America's airlines were bringing a new level of speed, comfort, and efficiency to the traveling public. However, with the steady increase in passenger traffic, the level of personal service decreased. The stresses of air travel began to replace the thrill. Flying was no longer a novelty or an adventure; it was becoming a necessity. 

Jet passenger service began in the United States in the late 1950s with the introduction of Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 airliners. 

Some 707 flights were all-first class, others all tourist class, and others a mix separated by partitions.

The jet engine revolutionized air travel. Powerful and durable, jets enabled aircraft manufacturers to build bigger, faster, and more productive airliners. The effects of deregulation, along with the computer revolution and heightened security measures, especially following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, have profoundly changed the nature of the air travel experience.

"Jetting" across the Atlantic briefly became highly fashionable and prestigious, and a new breed of travelers— the "Jet Set"— emerged. But falling fares in the 1970s allowed many more people to fly and undermined the exclusivity of jet travel. 

Sweeping cultural changes in the 1960s and 1970s reshaped the airline industry. More people began to fly, and air travel became less exclusive. Between 1955 and 1972, passenger numbers more than quadrupled. By 1972 almost half of all Americans had flown, although most passengers were still business travelers. A small percentage became repeat travelers, or "frequent flyers."

Today, airline travel is the safest form of transportation. More people die in auto accidents in three months in the United States than have lost their lives in the entire history of commercial flight. It is far safer to fly than it is to get to the airport. 

Because air travel is so safe and accidents so rare, when an incident occurs it is often highly publicized, which heightens the unwarranted perception of danger. 

Since the advent of high-altitude pressurized airliners in the early 1940s, airliners have featured oxygen masks such as this one, as well as evacuation slides and rafts to aid passengers and crew in emergencies. 

View Boarding Pass Examples

Since deregulation, travelers have benefited from low fares and more frequent service on heavily traveled routes; on other routes, fares have risen. But in exchange for low fares, passengers have had to sacrifice convenience and amenities. To offer low air fares, airlines have had to cut costs in other ways, often by reducing, eliminating, or charging for amenities that air travelers once took for granted. 

Computer technology, in particular the Internet, has revolutionized how people plan trips, buy tickets, and obtain boarding passes. Heightened security, especially since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, has made the airport experience more restrictive and time-consuming. 

Hundreds of millions of passengers now fly each year in the United States. But that popularity has also brought crowded airplanes and congested airports and has dulled the luster air travel once had. 

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History of Flight: Breakthroughs, Disasters and More

By: Aaron Randle

Updated: February 6, 2024 | Original: July 9, 2021

For thousands of years, humans have dreamed of taking to the skies. The quest has led from kite flying in ancient China to hydrogen-powered hot-air balloons in 18th-century France to contemporary aircraft so sophisticated they can’t be detected by radar or the human eye.

Below is a timeline of humans’ obsession with flight, from da Vinci to drones. Fasten your seatbelt and prepare for liftoff.

1505-06: Da Vinci dreams of flight, publishes his findings

Few figures in history had more detailed ideas, theories and imaginings on aviation as the Italian artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci . His book Codex on the Flight of Birds contained thousands of notes and hundreds of sketches on the nature of flight and aerodynamic principles that would lay much of the early groundwork for—and greatly influence—the development of aviation and manmade aircraft.

November 21, 1783: First manned hot-air balloon flight

Two months after French brothers Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier engineered a successful test flight with a duck, a sheep and a rooster as passengers, two humans ascended in a Montgolfier-designed balloon over Paris. Powered by a hand-fed fire, the paper-and-silk aircraft rose 500 vertical feet and traveled some 5.5 miles over about half an hour. But in an 18th-century version of the space race, rival balloon engineers Jacques Alexander Charles and Nicholas Louis Robert upped the ante just 10 days later. Their balloon, powered by hydrogen gas, traveled 25 miles and stayed aloft more than two hours.

1809-1810: Sir George Cayley introduces aerodynamics

At the dawn of the 19th century, English philosopher George Cayley published “ On Aerial Navigation ,” a radical series of papers credited with introducing the world to the study of aerodynamics. By that time, the man who came to be known as “the father of aviation” had already been the first to identify the four forces of flight (weight, lift, drag, thrust), developed the first concept of a fixed-wing flying machine and designed the first glider reported to have carried a human aloft.

September 24, 1852: Giffard's dirigible proves powered air travel is possible

Half a century before the Wright brothers took to the skies, French engineer Henri Giffard manned the first-ever powered and controllable airborne flight. Giffard, who invented the steam injector, traveled almost 17 miles from Paris to Élancourt in his “Giffard Dirigible,” a 143-foot-long, cigar-shaped airship loosely steered by a three-bladed propeller that was powered by a 250-pound, 3-horsepower engine, itself lit by a 100-pound boiler. The flight proved that a steam-powered airship could be steered and controlled.

1876: The internal combustion engine changes everything

Building on advances by French engineers, German engineer Nikolaus Otto devised a lighter, more efficient, gas-powered combustion engine, providing an alternative to the previously universal steam-powered engine. In addition to revolutionizing automobile travel, the innovation ushered in a new era of longer, more controlled aviation.

December 17, 1903: The Wright brothers become airborne—briefly

Flying from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first controlled, sustained flight of a heavier-than-air aircraft. Each brother flew their wooden, gasoline-powered propeller biplane, the “Wright Flyer,” twice (four flights total), with the shortest lasting 12 seconds and the longest sustaining flight for about 59 seconds. Considered a historic event today, the feat was largely ignored by newspapers of the time, who believed the flights were too short to be important.

1907: The first helicopter lifts off

French engineer and bicycle maker Paul Cornu became the first man to ride a rotary-wing, vertical-lift aircraft, a precursor to today’s helicopter, when he was lifted about 1.5 meters off the ground for 20 seconds near Lisieux, France. Versions of the helicopter had been toyed with in the past—Italian engineer Enrico Forlanini debuted the first rotorcraft three decades prior in 1877. And it would be improved upon in the future, with American designer Igor Sikorsky introducing a more standardized version in Stratford, Connecticut in 1939. But it was Cornu’s short flight that would land him in the history books as the definitive first.

1911-12: Harriet Quimby achieves two firsts for women pilots

Journalist Harriet Quimby became the first American woman ever awarded a pilot’s license in 1911, after just four months of flight lessons. Capitalizing on her charisma and showmanship (she became as famous for her violet satin flying suit as for her attention to safety checks), Quimby achieved another first the following year when she became the first woman to fly solo across the English channel. The feat was overshadowed, however, by the sinking of the Titanic two days earlier.

October 1911: The aircraft becomes militarized

Italy became the first country to significantly incorporate aircraft into military operations when, during the Turkish-Italian war, it employed both monoplanes and airships for bombing, reconnaissance and transportation. Within a few years, aircraft would play a decisive role in the World War I.

January 1, 1914: First commercial passenger flight

On New Year’s Day, pilot Tony Jannus transported a single passenger, Mayor Abe Pheil of St. Petersburg, Florida across Tampa Bay via his flying airboat, the “St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line.” The 23-mile flight (mostly along the Tampa Bay shore) cost $5.00 and would lay the foundation for the commercial airline industry.

1914-1918: World war accelerates the militarization of aircraft

World War I became the first major conflict to use aircraft on a large-scale, expanding their use in active combat. Nations appointed high-ranking generals to oversee air strategy, and a new breed of war hero emerged: the fighter pilot or “flying ace.”

According to The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft , France was the war’s leading aircraft manufacturer, producing nearly 68,000 planes between 1914 and 1918. Of those, nearly 53,000 were shot down, crashed or damaged.

June 1919: First nonstop transatlantic flight

Flying a modified ‘Vickers Vimy’ bomber from the Great War, British aviators and war veterans John Alcock and Arthur Brown made the first-ever nonstop transatlantic flight. Their perilous 16-hour journey , undertaken eight years before Charles Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic alone, started in St. John's, Newfoundland, where they barely cleared the trees at the end of the runway. After a calamity-filled flight, they crash-landed in a peat bog in County Galway, Ireland; remarkably, neither man was injured.

1921: Bessie Coleman becomes the first Black woman to earn a pilot’s license

The fact that Jim Crow-era U.S. flight schools wouldn’t accept a Black woman didn’t stop Bessie Coleman. Instead, the Texas-born sharecropper’s daughter, one of 13 siblings, learned French so she could apply to the Caudron Brothers’ School of Aviation in Le Crotoy, France. There, in 1921, she became the first African American woman to earn a pilot's license. After performing the first public flight by a Black woman in 1922—including her soon-to-be trademark loop-the-loop and figure-8 aerial maneuvers—she became renowned for her thrilling daredevil air shows and for using her growing fame to encourage Black Americans to pursue flying. Coleman died tragically in 1926, as a passenger in a routine test flight. Thousands reportedly attended her funeral in Chicago.

1927: Lucky Lindy makes first solo transatlantic flight

Nearly a decade after Alcock and Brown made their transatlantic flight together, 25-year-old Charles Lindbergh of Detroit was thrust into worldwide fame when he completed the first solo crossing , just a few days after a pair of celebrated French aviators perished in their own attempt. Flying the “Spirit of St. Louis” aircraft from New York to Paris, “Lucky Lindy” made the first transatlantic voyage between two major hubs—and the longest transatlantic flight by more than 2,000 miles. The feat instantly made Lindbergh one of the great folk heroes of his time, earned him the Medal of Honor and helped usher in a new era of interest in the possibilities of aviation.

1932: Amelia Earhart repeats Lindbergh’s feat

Five years after Lindbergh completed his flight, “Lady Lindy” Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean , setting off from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland on May 20, 1932 and landing some 14 hours later in Culmore, Northern Ireland. In her career as an aviator, Earhart would become a worldwide celebrity, setting several women’s speed, domestic distance and transcontinental aviation records. Her most memorable feat, however, would prove to be her last. In 1937, while attempting to circumnavigate the globe, Earhart disappeared over the central Pacific ocean and was never seen or heard from again.

1937: The Hindenburg crashes…along with the ‘Age of Airships’

Between WWI and WWII, aviation pioneers and major aircraft companies like Germany’s Luftshiffbau Zeppelin tried hard to popularize bulbous, lighter-than-air airships—essentially giant flying gas bags—as a mode of commercial transportation. The promise of the steam-powered, hydrogen-filled airships quickly evaporated, however, after the infamous 1937 Hindenburg disaster . That’s when the gas inside the Zeppelin company’s flagship Hindenburg vessel exploded during a landing attempt, killing 35 passengers and crew members and badly burning the majority of the 62 remaining survivors.

October 14, 1947: Chuck Yeager breaks the sound barrier

An ace combat fighter during WWII, Chuck Yeager earned the title “Fastest Man Alive” when he hit 700 m.p.h. while testing the experimental X-1 supersonic rocket jet for the military over the Mojave Desert in 1947. Being the first person to  travel faster than the speed of sound has been hailed as one of the most epic feats in the history of aviation—not bad for someone who got sick to his stomach after his first-ever flight.

1949: The world’s first commercial jetliner takes off

Early passenger air travel was noisy, cold, uncomfortable and bumpy, as planes flew at low altitudes that brought them through, not above, the weather. But when the British-manufactured de Havilland Comet took its first flight in 1949—boasting four turbine engines, a pressurized cabin, large windows and a relatively comfortable seating area—it marked a pivotal step in modern commercial air travel. An early, flawed design however, caused the de Havilland to be grounded after a series of mid-flight disasters—but not before giving the world a glimpse of what was possible.

1954-1957: Boeing glamorizes flying

With the debut of the sleek 707 aircraft, touted for its comfort, speed and safety, Seattle-based Boeing ushered in the age of modern American jet travel. Pan American Airways became the first commercial carrier to take delivery of the elongated, swept-wing planes, launching daily flights from New York to Paris. The 707 quickly became a symbol of postwar modernity—a time when air travel would become commonplace, people dressed up to fly and flight attendants reflected the epitome of chic. The plane even inspired Frank Sinatra’s hit song “Come Fly With Me.”

March 27, 1977: Disaster at Tenerife

In the greatest aviation disaster in history, 583 people were killed and dozens more injured when two Boeing 747 jets—Pan Am 1736 and KLM 4805— collided on the Los Rodeos Airport runway in Spain’s Canary Islands. The collision occurred when the KLM jet, trying to navigate a runway shrouded in fog, initiated its takeoff run while the Pan Am jetliner was still on the runway. All aboard the KLM flight and most on the Pan Am flight were killed. Tragically, neither plane was scheduled to fly from that airport on that day, but a small bomb set off at a nearby airport caused them both to be diverted to Los Rodeos.

1978: Flight goes electronic

The U.S. Air Force developed and debuted the first fly-by-wire operating system for its F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter plane. The system, which replaced the aircraft’s manual flight control system with an electronic one, ushered in aviation’s “Information Age,” one in which navigation, communications and hundreds of other operating systems are automated with computers. This advance has led to developments like unmanned aerial vehicles and drones, more nimble missiles and the proliferation of stealth aircraft.

1986: Around the world, without landing

American pilots Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager (no relation to Chuck) completed the first around-the-world flight without refueling or landing . Their “Rutan Model 76 Voyager,” a single-wing, twin-engine craft designed by Rutan’s brother, was built with 17 fuel tanks to accommodate long-distance flight.

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The history of commercial flight: how global travel took off.

• August 13, 2023
• 7 minutes read

DALLAS – Flying has become the transport of choice for business travelers and holidaymakers across the globe and is now considered one of the fastest, most convenient, and safest forms of long-distance travel.

But how did commercial flights go from being exclusively for the wealthy to the mainstream and affordable option they are today?  Artemis Aerospace  guides us through the different decades of air travel and how it has shaped modern-day living.

Listen to this article:

The First Commercial Flight

The first ever passenger flight took off in May 1908 when Wilbur Wright carried Charles Furnas just 2000 feet across the beach at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Just one year later, the first airline in the world, the German airship company DELAG, was founded.

In 1914, the world’s first scheduled passenger service, an airboat piloted by Tony Jannus, set off from St. Petersburg, Florida, and landed at Tampa, around 17 miles away. The service only ran for four months, but it had unlocked the appetite of those keen to tap into the novelty of air transport.

A New Era of Aviation

However, it wasn’t until the 1920s that commercial flights carrying paying passengers started to become commonplace with the introduction of the multi-engine airplane, the Lawson C-2, which was specifically built to carry passengers.

During this time, more and more start-up airline carriers were being established, some of which are still in operation today. These include KLM in the Netherlands (1919), Colombia’s Avianca (1919), Qantas in Australia (1920), and Czech Airlines (1923).

Aircraft from this period would land frequently to refuel and fly at lower altitudes due to unpressurized cabins. This made traveling by plane noisy, cold, and expensive. Flying times were lengthy, and turbulence was frequent. Passengers regularly experienced air sickness, and many airlines hired nurses to reduce anxiety and tend to those affected.

In 1935, one of the world’s oldest airlines, Qantas, operated its first international passenger flight, traveling from Brisbane to Singapore. From there, British-owned Imperial Airways connected this flight to the UK. This was to set the wheels in motion for creating a regular travel route between Australia and the UK in the coming decades.

Despite flying being incredibly dangerous and extremely expensive during this period, it was still a fashionable way to travel for the rich. According to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, the number of airline passengers grew from just 6,000 in 1930 to nearly half a million by 1934; the aviation industry was well on its way to becoming hugely important to the global economy.

Innovation That Revolutionized Air Travel

The introduction of the Douglas DC-3 in 1935 also had a big impact on the future of commercial flight. The propeller-driven airliner was a larger and much improved aircraft compared to its predecessors. Faster and more reliable, it could carry up to 32 passengers and had a cruising speed of 207 mph with a range of 1500 miles. This made it popular with well-established airlines, including Delta, TWA, American, and United, who soon added the aircraft to their fleets.

During the 1940s, the onset of WWII meant commercial aviation developments slowed considerably. However, by the end of the decade, the industry was heading towards a new era as Pan Am began operating its fleet of Boeing 307s, which featured the first-ever pressurized cabin.

This transformed air travel for passengers, allowing them to enjoy a comfortable experience at an altitude of 20,000 feet. Major airlines were now ramping up their advertising spending and offering travelers smooth journeys to far-flung destinations and business hubs, including Pan Am’s iconic New York-London route.

The Golden Age of Air Travel

The 1950s and 1960s heralded the age of jet engine aircraft, and with it came an upsurge in commercial flights, airline carriers, and international flying routes.

Commercial air travel was booming, and major airlines were fiercely competitive, offering passengers more and more inflight perks, including lavish silver-service meals and fine wines.

Pan Am was a front-runner in pioneering and marketing the very best air travel had to offer. It was the first airline to fly worldwide and introduced ground-breaking changes to the industry, such as adding jet aircraft to their fleets and utilizing computerized reservation systems.

In the 1960s, work began on creating the world’s first supersonic aircraft and what would eventually become an iconic symbol of commercial flight, the Concorde. Offering transatlantic flights in just 3.5 hours, the aircraft was a hit with business travelers and royalty alike. However, tickets were extremely expensive and only a privileged few could afford to travel via Concorde.

The Rise of the No-frills Airline

Seeing a gap in the market for making air travel more accessible to everyday people, British-owned Laker Airways, founded in 1966 by Freddie Laker, was one of the first airlines to start offering a budget alternative by adjusting its inflight offer.

Using the budget airline business model that is commonplace today, Laker was able to offer lower fares by reducing inflight services and luxuries, such as free meals. The airline also found innovative ways to reduce fuel consumption and engine wear by introducing the reduced thrust take-off technique and faster climbs to obtain the optimum flying altitude in as little time as possible. Sadly, the airline was a casualty of the 1980s recession and subsequently went bankrupt.

However, it paved the way for budget travel and opened a world of possibilities for millions more people to get the chance to travel by air.   

Today, the world’s largest low-cost carrier is Southwest Airlines in the US. Synonymous with budget travel, the company’s low-cost domestic and short-haul offer has undoubtedly inspired many other well-known brands to tap into the no-frills market, including Ryanair and EasyJet.

Air Travel for the Masses

Larger and more economical aircraft, such as the Boeing 747, had also made cheaper air travel possible. Airlines were now able to carry more passengers than ever before, meaning ticket prices could be sold at a reduced rate. Holidaying abroad was no longer reserved for the rich.

This change in dynamics meant airlines now started to look for different ways to retain the luxurious service and long lunches that had been synonymous with the golden age of travel, without compromising on providing a budget alternative.

First-class cabins, sophisticated onboard bars, and exclusive-use airport lounges meant those who could afford to, could still travel in style.

During the 1980s and 1990s, the budget airlines Ryanair and EasyJet launched. Offering airfares for as little as £20, they changed the face of commercial flying and put pressure on traditional carriers to lower ticket prices.

Security Tightening in the 2000s

The tragic events of 9/11 had a profound effect on air travel. Security at airports was increased significantly and passengers without a ticket at US airports could no longer accompany friends and family through security to the gate.

Cockpit security was also heightened. Previously, it had been possible for passengers to visit the flight deck and speak to the pilots. However, after 2001, cockpit doors were locked with only the pilots controlling who could enter.

A New Era for Air Travel

According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, it took until 2004 for air passenger numbers to reach pre-9/11 levels and until 2007 to reach a record high.

During this period, low-cost carriers were experiencing increased demand as the popularity of booking websites surged, and, by 2009, figures from the tourism research company PhoCusWright reported that half of all travel-related bookings were being made online.

Passenger numbers continued to surge throughout the 2010s, and by the end of the decade, the volume of travelers using commercial airlines was at an all-time high.

The Post-pandemic Era: Flying into a New Age for Aviation

Prior to the pandemic, the International Air Transport Association predicted that the number of airline passengers could reach 7.2 billion by 2035. However, nobody in the industry could prepare for the global aircraft groundings and unpredictable travel restrictions caused by COVID-19.

Despite this, the industry is full of optimism. As we enter a new era for aviation and reflect on the past, we can be confident that no matter what obstacles we encounter, air travel will prevail.

Featured image: Johann Heske/Airways; Article sources: Smithsonian , burnsmcd.com , loveexploring.com .

Aviation In The 1920’s – 1930’s

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World air passenger traffic evolution, 1980-2020

Last updated 3 Dec 2020

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International Civil Aviation Organization (2020). ICAO Economic Impact Analysis of COVID-19 on Civil Aviation.

a) Historical figures are subject to revision and estimates for 2020 will be updated with the evolving situation; and b) For latest update please refer to ICAO Economic Impact Analysis of COVID-19 on Civil Aviation at: https://www.icao.int/sustainability/Pages/Economic-Impacts-of-COVID-19.aspx .

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The Sleek History of Airline Maps

A new book explores the evolution of cartography throughout more than a century of commercial air travel

Jennifer Nalewicki

Travel Correspondent

On January 1, 1914, the first scheduled passenger flights began soaring through the skies between St. Petersburg and Tampa, Florida. With the dawn of civil air travel came the need for airlines to find new and creative ways to entice passengers to travel onboard their aircraft, while also spurring a sense of wanderlust among a populace who had previously only traveled via boat or train. One popular way airlines did so was by creating colorful and engaging maps that showcased the different destinations around the world where they flew. Over time, airlines became more and more creative with their maps, adding in hand-drawn illustrations depicting their fleet of aircraft along with detailed drawings of different locales around the world.

In their new Airline Maps: A Century of Art and Design , Mark Ovenden and Maxwell Roberts, who both have backgrounds in cartography, sifted through hundreds of examples of airline maps from both current and defunct airlines and whittled the collection down to what they think are some of the best examples of maps representing a century of passenger flight. Not only is their book a celebration of air travel throughout the decades, but it also serves as a visual reminder of how graphic design has evolved over the last hundred years.

Smithsonian magazine spoke to the authors about the evolution of airline maps, how these maps were used as marketing tools to entice travelers and what the future holds for airline cartography.

What inspired you to write this book?

Ovenden: I began noticing a lot of interesting airline maps out there, and once I started delving into them, the more I realized there’s so much variety and diversity out there—the creativity is actually quite staggering. There hasn’t been a book that’s covered the subject of 100 years of airline cartography before, and the more we looked the more we found. We soon realized that there was a book sitting there. We could’ve easily done three or four books [on the topic].

Roberts: I was initially quite skeptical when Max mentioned the idea to me, since I didn’t realize there was so much diversity of designs out there. We had a fantastic time researching the maps, and we found literally thousands of examples from around the world. We had a hard time whittling them all down; it was like a Pandora’s box of great design out there.

In the early days of commercial aviation, how did airlines use maps and other literature to entice passengers to travel via air?

Roberts: Airlines adopted whatever the graphic design fashion was at the time. For example, the very first flight maps after World War I were designed in the Art Nouveau style. There were also a lot of pictures of aircraft and the places that you could fly to and the people you would likely meet while there. So the maps had two purposes. One, to show you that you can get to places faster than ever before no matter how inconvenient, and the other was to reassure people with friendly, everyday images.

Ovenden: In the first couple of chapters of the book, I was amazed to see how few maps didn’t contain a [picture of] a miniature aircraft on them. If you transport yourself back to the 1920s and ’30s, aviation was still a new technology and the idea of flying was a new way of traveling for the masses, who before then only traveled via train, boat or by walking. So the idea of air flight, especially for ordinary people to take part in, was practically unheard of, which was the reason for the airlines to start putting aircraft imagery on their maps.

How have airline maps evolved over time?

Roberts: This book is not just about the history of maps, it’s also the history of design. Airlines followed whatever design trends were popular at the time, going from Art Nouveau to Art Deco to a more somber style in the 1940s and ’50s. Early on, they used a more sumptuous design to persuade rich people to fly, but after World War II, airlines were trying to encourage ordinary people to fly as it became cheaper for airlines to fly at longer ranges.

Ovenden: Maps started to change in the late 1930s and ’40s when more routes were becoming available and more people were able to fly, therefore making it no longer the domain of the rich. For example, Harry Beck, [who famously designed the London Underground map , also created a route map for Imperial Airways in 1935]. Beck showed the way that you could use diagrams and make them useful for people traveling by air.

Airline Maps: A Century of Art and Design

A nostalgic and celebratory look back at one hundred years of passenger flight, featuring full-color reproductions of route maps and posters from the world's most iconic airlines, from the author of bestselling cult classic Transit Maps of the World .

You scoured museums, archives, websites and more in search of old route maps. What were some of the most surprising things you unearthed?

Roberts: We like the way in which the world gets twisted up. For example, in the 1940s there was sort of an avant-garde thing taking place [in route map design] that shred up the world [from being shaped like a sphere] and making it look like [the petals of] a flower [or other shapes]. Graphic designers were trying new things and distorting [what the world looked like]. A lot of the maps make us laugh and the designs are absolutely hilarious. For example, Svitlet [a Czechoslovakian airline founded in 1948], showed its routes [on the sole] of a flying boot standing down an aircraft.

Ovenden: Another example of [distorting the world] was a map by Scandinavian Airlines [SAS] from the 1950s that shows the Earth being twisted into a spiral. SAS was known for being very innovative with its designs. What definitely came out from our research is seeing that airlines like SAS, KLM, Air France and Air India really put a lot of money and thought into their designs, but then there were also other airlines that perhaps didn’t think things through and weren’t quite as clever.

In the book's introduction, you wrote that “this book, in its own way, tells the story of 20th century design.” Could you elaborate on this idea?

Roberts: At one time, route maps were all hand drawn and painted. The depictions of airplanes and people were absolutely gorgeous, but sadly those began to fade away in the 1960s and ’70s when artistry started to be left behind. As air travel became more mundane, so did the design of the route maps. As we researched, we could see the design fade away. The last chapter was hard to fill.

With the advancements in technology, do you think airline route maps will eventually become a thing of the past?

Roberts: There are two types of maps. The first is the route map that tells you where your aircraft is traveling; technology has replaced those because you can view a flight path in real time on the seatback screens of an airplane showing you exactly where your aircraft is. Airline service maps, which are more of what this book is about, are there for publicity and for defining a territory and for planning a journey. Technology won’t take away the need to advertise. It’s not so much technology taking away from the maps, I think it’s a loss of excitement of air travel, which is taking away people’s desire to show things in these grand fantastic ways.

Ovenden: I agree, and just occasionally in modern times, you have people who are prepared to make maps using new ideas. We’d love to see more designers do that. During the book launch, we almost set down a challenge now to the airlines around the world that they’ve seen the best of what there is, and that we challenge them to design even better airline route maps.

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A Note to our Readers Smithsonian magazine participates in affiliate link advertising programs. If you purchase an item through these links, we receive a commission.

Jennifer Nalewicki | | READ MORE

Jennifer Nalewicki is a Brooklyn-based journalist. Her articles have been published in The New York Times , Scientific American , Popular Mechanics , United Hemispheres and more. You can find more of her work at her website .

Simple Flying

The evolution of transatlantic flight.

From early attempts by balloon to the supersonic era - what are some of the key moments in the history of transatlantic air travel?

Crossing the Atlantic Ocean by air has always been a magical experience, albeit much easier and quicker today, thanks to an abundance of commercial flights. But looking back over the past 160 years, what are some of the standout moments in the history of transatlantic air travel ?

The first attempts

Transatlantic air travel was not always as simple as it is today. The earliest attempts to cross the Atlantic by balloon date back to 1859, taking advantage of the strong jet stream winds. However, none were successful, and it was not until the early 1900s that aviators began to attempt the crossing in bi-planes.

Although early aircraft engines did not have the reliability needed to cross a vast ocean, nor the power to lift the required fuel, the idea still captured the public's imagination. In 1913, a UK newspaper even offered a prize of £10,000 ($12,700), the equivalent of £1.4 million ($1.79 million) in today's money, for the first successful flight across the pond.

In May 1919, the Curtiss seaplane NC-4 successfully made the journey from the US to the UK, stopping first in New Foundland, then onto the Azores and Portugal, before finally reaching the UK after some 23 days on the move.

One month later, on June 14th, 1919, the British aviators Alcock and Brown made the first non-stop transatlantic flight in a Vickers Vimy IV twin-engined bomber. They replaced the bomb racks with fuel tanks, which carried 3,900 liters of fuel. The flight took 16 hours and landed just outside of Galway in Ireland.

Commercial transatlantic travel

Flying a World War I bomber was, of course, not practical for passenger transportation, which caused manufacturers to return to the idea of balloon travel across the Atlantic. This time, they had more success, and from October 1928, vast rigid airships crossed the Atlantic from Germany to New York. However, in 1937 the balloon dream ended with the Hindenburg and R101 disasters .

Imperial Airways was the first airline to look into the use of the Short Empire seaplane for travel from Ireland to the Americas in 1937. Pan Am also operated a flight in the opposite direction with a Sikorsky S-42 aircraft, with regular seaplane flights beginning soon after.

This initial journey took 20 hours and 21 minutes, traveling at an average ground speed of 144 mph. The Short Empire seaplane didn’t have enough power to lift itself off the ground with the fuel needed for the journey, so it was carried by a bigger aircraft to the right height and then released.

Pan Am went on to operate the Boeing 314 Clipper on its transatlantic flights. Featuring comfortable seating, fine dining, dressing rooms, and beds for sleeping, passengers were kept comfortable throughout the trip.

World War II

Just as transatlantic travel was beginning to take off, World War II began. While commercial services were reduced, aircraft were put to use transporting cargo across the Atlantic, avoiding the perils of traveling by sea. Over time, better technology led to more efficient aircraft that, with their large piston engines, could easily make the journey in under 20 hours, and thanks to longer runways, were able to carry more fuel.

After World War II ended, both North American and European carriers made use of the improved infrastructure to operate commercial flights across the Atlantic, normally with a stop in Gander (YQX) and/or Shannon (SNN). Airlines operating such flights at the time included Pan Am, Trans World Airways, BOAC, and Air France .

By January 1946, Pan Am's DC-4 was scheduled to operate five days per week from LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in New York to Hurn, now Bournemouth Airport (BOH), in the UK. The aircraft made the journey in 17 hours and 40 minutes.

Then came the jet era, with BOAC launching transatlantic flights between London Heathrow (LHR) and New York's Idlewild Airport (IDL) with its Comet 4 aircraft in October 1958, followed shortly after by Pan Am, which operated the Boeing 707 between New York and Paris. From that point on, airlines launched more and more services across the Atlantic, strengthening their route networks.

Find out more about the history of Pan Am with this report from the Simple Flying team.

Supersonic flights began on the Concorde in 1976, and ran until 2003. The iconic aircraft was flown across the Atlantic by both British Airways and Air France, from their respective hubs, making the journey in around three hours. Financial difficulties, exacerbated by the 2000 crash at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), ultimately led to the Concorde's demise.

The deregulation of air travel led to another boom in transatlantic flights, leading to today's plethora of services crossing the pond each day. Joint ventures like that between American Airlines and British Airways helped to strengthen services further.

While the pandemic all but shut down transatlantic travel in 2020, demand has returned, and is now stronger than ever. This summer, there are over 150 flights per day between the US and the UK alone, according to data from Cirium.

The future of transatlantic travel

For years, transatlantic air travel was the domain of widebody aircraft such as the Boeing 747 and 777. However, technological advances and the development of longer-range narrowbody aircraft led to a shift towards the likes of the Airbus A321LR .

These modern, fuel-efficient aircraft provide airlines like TAP Air Portugal and Air Transat with a viable way of operating profitably across the Atlantic. It is likely that more airlines will adopt this strategy over the coming years, launching more and more long, thin routes with narrowbody aircraft.

How many times have you flown across the Atlantic? Do you have a favorite transatlantic airline? Share your experiences by commenting below.

Reading the Skies: A History of Air Travel

Throughout history, air travel has been a dream of humanity, with the idea of being able to soar through the skies becoming a reality. From the earliest attempts at powered flight in the late 19th century to the modern era of commercial air travel, air travel has been an integral part of our lives, allowing us to explore the world in ways that would have been unimaginable a few centuries ago. In this article, we will take a look at the history of air travel and explore how it has evolved over the years.

The earliest attempts at powered flight can be traced back to the late 19th century with the work of the Wright brothers in the United States. After years of experimentation, the brothers completed the first successful powered flight on the 17th of December, 1903. This flight marked the start of the age of powered aviation, with the Wright brothers’ achievement being the catalyst for further developments in the field.

The first commercial aircraft was developed in 1914 by the German company Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-Aktiengesellschaft (DELAG). The DELAG Zeppelin flights were the world’s first commercial air service and were used mainly for sightseeing trips over the cities of Germany. The Zeppelin flights were very successful and popular among the public, with more than 35,000 passengers taking flights by the start of World War I in 1914.

In the early 1920s, the development of the Boeing 247 and Douglas DC-3 revolutionized commercial aviation. These aircraft had advanced features such as autopilot and cabin pressurization which allowed for longer flights at higher altitudes. The introduction of these aircraft marked the start of the golden age of air travel as they enabled airlines to offer faster, more comfortable and more reliable services.

The 1950s and 1960s saw the development of the jet engine, allowing commercial aircraft to fly faster and higher than ever before. This technological breakthrough enabled the development of commercial airliners such as the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 which could fly passengers around the world at speeds of up to 600 mph (965 km/h).

The introduction of the jumbo jet in the 1970s further revolutionized air travel, with the Boeing 747 being the first wide-body aircraft to be used for commercial passenger flights. The jumbo jet allowed airlines to fly more passengers at once, and its larger fuselage meant that the interior of the aircraft could be designed for greater passenger comfort.

In the 1980s and 1990s, advances in materials and aerodynamics allowed for the development of smaller, more efficient aircraft such as the Boeing 757 and Airbus A320. These aircraft were more fuel-efficient, had longer ranges and could fly higher than their predecessors. This allowed airlines to open up new routes and expand their networks.

The modern era of air travel is characterized by the introduction of new technologies such as the fly-by-wire system, which allows aircraft to be operated and controlled by computer rather than by the pilot. This technology has allowed for greater automation and safety, and has enabled airlines to reduce costs and increase efficiency. The introduction of the Internet has also allowed passengers to book tickets and check-in online, making air travel more convenient than ever before.

Air travel has come a long way since the first powered flight in 1903, with the development of new technologies allowing us to explore the skies in ways that would have been impossible just a few decades ago. As we move forward into the future, we can look forward to further advancements in air travel that will enable us to explore the world faster, more safely and more comfortably than ever before.

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The Early History of Commercial Air Travel

By Sarah Simonovich on May 3rd 2017

In 2016, 3.8 billion people traveled by air, and  IATA expects that number to double over the course of 20 years . This isn't unreasonable, considering that the 4 billion passengers expected to fly commercially this year is double what it was just 12 years ago . Suffice it to say, commercial air travel is common these days. And with some exceptions (like issues with TSA or airport security), it's relatively easy peasy. No wonder it just keeps growing. But there was a time when commercial air travel was still new. Before flying, the world seemed incredibly--impossibly--vast and getting from point A to point B could have taken weeks, months, or years instead of mere hours.

The Dawn of Commercial Flight

While manned, heavier-than-air flight has been around since the early 1900s (historically, the Wright brothers are credited with inventing the airplane in 1903 ), it didn't really take off as a common endeavor for two decades. Post-WWI, the aviation industry really started to grow and many commercial airlines began operating--some of which are still connected to today's major carriers. The Contract Air Mail Act of 1925 (also known as the Kelly Act) directly contributed to the growth of airlines and the Air Commerce Act of 1926 gave the government the responsibility for promoting air commerce, establishing airways, certifying aircraft, licensing pilots, and issuing and enforcing regulations. However, that's not to say that no one saw the opportunity to commercialize air travel before then.

Early Airlines

“ People watching the landing of Zeppelin LZ 127 ” by Grombo is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

Before the success of heavier-than-air aircraft (airplanes), there were lighter-than-air aircraft. Unlike most early flying machines , airships (also known as dirigible balloons) were successful and were further utilized for military and commercial needs. It was actually with a rigid airship that the world's first airline in revenue service operated. Founded November 16, 1909, DELAG ( Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-Aktiengesellschaft ) operated Zeppelin rigid airships to carry passengers for pleasure cruises. During WWI, the Zeppelin airships were needed for war, but after it was over, two of DELAG's ships helped reconnect the cities of Europe. The first scheduled passenger airline service began in the U.S. on Jan 1, 1914. The St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line only lasted 4 months, but in that time it opened the doors for later transcontinental flight. Percival Elliott Fansler started the airline using a Thomas Benoist-designed "flying boat." Pilots Tony and Roger Jannus made 2 flights a day, 6 days a week in 2 aircraft until they left Florida. They carried more than 1,200 people during those 4 months. The oldest airlines that still exist today (non-dirigible airlines) include the Netherlands' KLM (1919), Colombia's Avianca (1919), Australia's Qantas (1921), and the Czech Republic's Czech Airlines (1923). Some of the most notable early commercial airlines also include Pan Am (founded 1927), Western Air Express (founded 1925), and Ford Air Transport Service (founded 1925). The Ford AirTransport Service, also registered as Ford Air Freight Lines, was the world's first regularly scheduled cargo airline. They ceased operations in 1932.

Post-War Commercial Aviation

During WWII, casual air travel virtually stopped, and flying was pretty much limited only to those serving the war effort. After the war, though, the aviation industry experienced substantial growth--even more than it had in the interwar years. Commercial aviation, in particular, grew rapidly and (initially) primarily utilized ex-military aircraft to transport both people and cargo. Heavy and super-heavy bombers like the B-29 and Avro Lancaster were easily converted into commercial aircraft, and the DC-3 was ideal for longer commercial flights. The British  de Havilland Comet was the first commercial jetliner to fly, although it had some major issues.

International Air Travel

A number of changes occurred in the air travel industry that distinguishes the Prewar and Postwar periods (Postwar referring to WWII). Changes in technology, industry structure, and the market were all factors in what is a central distinction: international travel. Since the United States entered the war later than European countries, they were able to spend the time and resources for large-scale commercial craft development and production. U.S. aircraft technology (since 1945) essentially set the standard for international air operations that developed at this time and continued on.  Foreign carriers outside the U.S. still had to, for the most part, purchase and operate American aircraft.

“ PAN AM BOEING 707 FIRST CLASS ” by 1950s Unlimited (Flickr) is licensed CC BY 2.0

Dominant European carriers included Deutsche Lufthansa, Air France, KLM, Sabena, and Imperial Airways (the predecessor to BOAC), although these weren't the only players. Unlike the U.S., the structure of the European aviation industry saw an increase in dozens of smaller carriers, thanks to the emergence of international travel. Some carriers formed from former Colonial areas such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Morocco. Others represented independent nations which had not, up until this point, participated in the  air age,  like Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Yugoslavia, and Iceland. Other carriers from the U.S. besides Pan Am also gained a strong foothold in international travel. Charter service developed during the 1950s and 1960s and quickly became a major component of the aviation industry. To charter is to rent out the entire aircraft. It became a particularly popular method across the North Atlantic, within Europe, and also between Europe and Africa. Air Charter services also influenced the pricing behavior of scheduled carriers.

The Golden Age

When commercial air travel was still young and fresh, flying was a novelty experience characterized by luxury. The Interwar years are often referred to as the  Golden Age of Aviation , marking the progressive shift from wood-and-fabric biplanes to streamlined metal monoplanes. Meals were fine dining experiences, leg room was plenty and the services were upscale. But as the industry moved away from exclusivity to a more mass market platform, the planes and experiences themselves changed. Technological expansion changed everything. By the mid-1960s, about 100 million passengers had traveled via jet. Post-war aircraft eventually became larger, faster, and could fly for greater distances. And after several decades, aircraft advances and the growth of the aviation industry brought us very much where we are today. Flying isn't so exclusive anymore--air travel has been brought to the masses. Which is a great thing, really. Consider those earlier numbers again; a  lot of people take advantage of flying these days. If you long for that nostalgia of the Golden Age of Flying, you can spring for a first class ticket. The modern first class experience is similar to those vintage exclusive flights--at a price that is probably similar, too.

• #Air Travel
• #Aviation History
• #Avro Lancaster
• #commercial air travel
• #commercial airlines
• #Contract Air Mail Act of 1925
• #de Havilland Comet
• #early flying machines
• #first airline
• #first commercial airline
• #flying boat
• #General Aviation
• #sarah simonovich

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See what’s fueling the return of supersonic passenger flights

More than two decades after the concorde’s last flight, several private companies are competing to bring supersonic travel to the masses.

In January, more than 100 people gathered at an airplane hangar in California to watch NASA unveil its X-59 demonstrator jet — a futuristic aircraft designed to travel faster than the speed of sound that has helped revive excitement for supersonic travel.

There hasn’t been a commercial supersonic passenger jet since the Concorde stopped flying in 2003. Since then, supersonic jets — which travel faster than the speed of sound — have been used primarily by the military. But the space agency’s unveiling of the X-59, designed and built in partnership with Lockheed Martin, comes as a growing number of private companies are vying to bring back supersonic travel for the commercial market.

Boom, Exosonic and Spike are among the companies promising modern supersonic travel that will be quieter, greener and more affordable than in the past. And at least one company — Hermeus — is exploring hypersonic flights, which would whisk passengers from New York to London in 90 minutes. But there are questions about whether these companies can make good on their claims given the economics of air travel and growing concerns about the impact of commercial aviation on the environment.

Here are five things to know about the effort to revive supersonic travel.

1. The sonic ‘boom’ could become a ‘soft thump’

NASA’s goal in developing the X-59 is to reduce the sonic boom — the thunder clap that resonates far and wide when an aircraft crosses the sound barrier. NASA scientists hope the demonstrator jet can prove that travel at supersonic speeds is possible without such earsplitting noise.

One key to quieting the boom comes from the plane’s design. The engine is mounted on top. The plane has a long, narrow nose and sculpted wing to help ensure the shock waves it creates as it speeds through the air are similar in strength and evenly spaced along the aircraft to create a gradual increase in pressure instead of the rapid jump that creates the loud bang, said Peter Coen, mission integration manager for the Quesst mission.

The sonic boom is around 105 PLdB, or perceived level of decibels, similar to that of the sound of a balloon popping next to you. In comparison, NASA says the X-59’s will sound closer to a car door slamming 20 feet away.

Turning the boom into a “soft thump,” as NASA hopes, could also improve the economics for commercial supersonic flights. It could mean an end to the U.S. ban on supersonic travel over land, which was enacted over noise concerns. That in turn could make commercial supersonic travel financially viable because airlines would be able to fly supersonic planes to more destinations.

Designing and building the X-59 took roughly five years. Testing is underway, and other phases of the project are expected to take another four. The total projected cost is $839 million, according to NASA.

2. There’s a flurry of interest from private companies

Nearly a half a dozen companies are competing to be the first to offer supersonic travel to the public — a curious interest at a time when much investment and innovation in transportation is focused on developing cleaner, more climate-friendly options that consume less fuel or alternative propulsion technologies such as batteries or hydrogen.

Denver-based Boom Supersonic is eyeing 2029 for the debut of its supersonic passenger jet, called Overture. The aircraft is expected to seat 64 to 80 passengers, according to Blake Scholl, the company’s chief executive. It will travel at Mach 1.7, or 1.7 times the speed of sound — more than twice as fast as a regular passenger airplane .

One company, Aerion — which had backing from major players in the industry including Boeing and Lockheed Martin to build a supersonic business jet — has already bowed out of the race. It shut down in 2021, unable to secure the funding to continue it work.

Industry analysts say venture capital and the mind-set that commercial supersonic sounds like a good idea has largely fueled the revival.

“It’s that Silicon Valley mentality that you put money down on 20 things for one that does well,” said Richard Aboulafia, managing director at AeroDynamic Advisory. “Again, it sounds like a good idea. There’s a good market for air transport and people want to fly fast. We had Concorde in the past so it sounds right — so let’s put some money there.”

Bruce McClelland, a senior contributing analyst at aerospace and defense industry analysis firm the Teal Group, added, “A lot of projects attract money whether they’re completely viable or not.”

3. It promises sustainability

Companies say their new generation of supersonic jets will have a smaller carbon footprint, mostly because they will be fueled by sustainable aviation fuel. This is fuel is made from agricultural products including soybeans and animal fat.

But critics say that pledge ignores some significant realities. For instance, there isn’t enough sustainable aviation fuel for planes that exist today. The sustainable aviation fuel that does exist is more expensive — by some estimates two to four times the cost of fossil fuel.

And no matter the fuel, the reality is supersonic jets will always use more of it. According to a 2022 study by International Council on Clean Transportation, supersonic jets could use seven to nine times as much fuel as regular commercial aircraft while carrying fewer passengers. But NASA’s Coen contends that supersonic travel at least initially will be a very small part of overall CO2 emissions and a very small part of commercial aviation.

Even so, with airlines pledging to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, some say it’s hard to understand how supersonic jets fit into that framework.

4. It could be affordable for more people

The Concorde ended service because only a small slice of the flying public could ever afford a ticket, among other reasons, including a 2000 crash that killed 113 people and grounded Concorde’s supersonic planes for a year. But today’s entrepreneurs say supersonic travel can be affordable — though maybe not at first.

They point to Tesla and the burgeoning space tourism sector as an example of new modes of transportation that have and could eventually become accessible to a growing segment of the population.

Analysts have their doubts, though, given how difficult it is for commercial airlines to stay afloat. Supersonic jets will carry fewer passengers and consume greater quantities of fuel. If that fuel is sustainable aviation fuel, those costs increase even more.

“Essentially, the faster you fly, the more fuel you are burning per mile,” said Iain Boyd, director of the Center for National Security Initiatives at the University of Colorado at Boulder. “Supersonic is always going to be more expensive.”

5. It could get even faster

Hermeus, based in Atlanta is just one of the companies exploring the possibility of an even faster, hypersonic commercial passenger jet. While supersonic aircraft travel faster than the speed of sound, hypersonic aircraft travel at speeds five times faster or more.

Translated: that would make a flight between New York and London — a 90-minute trip — about the same as flying from New York to D.C. on today’s commercial aircraft.

The company’s Halcyon jet would travel at Mach 5 — or five times the speed of sound. A.J. Piplica, the company’s chief executive, said the company is laying the groundwork for Halcyon by building hypersonic drones that could be used for defense and national security purposes.

But the company is open about the technological challenges it faces developing such a fast aircraft. Today, there’s a less than 50 percent chance of getting Halcyon in the air, Piplica says — but he expects the odds to improve over time.

Even then, Hermeus — and all the start-ups — will have to convince the public to buy in and will have to grapple with growing concern about the impact of air travel on the environment. It could be a tall order.

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With all the recent headlines about panels and tires falling off planes, is flying safe?

It has been 15 years since the last fatal crash of a U.S. airliner, but you would never know that by reading about a torrent of flight problems in the last three months.

There was a time when things like cracked windshields and minor engine problems didn't turn up very often in the news.

That changed in January, when a panel plugging the space reserved for an unused emergency door blew off an Alaska Airlines jetliner 16,000 feet above Oregon. Pilots landed the Boeing 737 Max safely, but in the United States, media coverage of the flight quickly overshadowed a deadly runway crash in Tokyo three days earlier.

And concern about air safety - especially with Boeing planes - has not let up.

IS FLYING GETTING MORE DANGEROUS?

By the simplest measurement, the answer is no. The last deadly crash involving a U.S. airliner occurred in February 2009, an unprecedented streak of safety. There were 9.6 million flights last year.

The lack of fatal crashes does not fully capture the state of safety, however. In the past 15 months, a spate of close calls caught the attention of regulators and travelers.

Another measure is the number of times pilots broadcast an emergency call to air traffic controllers. Flightradar24, a popular tracking site, just compiled the numbers. The site's data show such calls rising since mid-January but remaining below levels seen during much of 2023.

Emergency calls also are an imperfect gauge: the plane might not have been in immediate danger, and sometimes planes in trouble never alert controllers.

SAFER THAN DRIVING

The National Safety Council estimates that Americans have a 1-in-93 chance of dying in a motor-vehicle crash, while deaths on airplanes are too rare to calculate the odds. Figures from the U.S. Department of Transportation tell a similar story.

"This is the safest form of transportation ever created, whereas every day on the nation's roads about a 737 full of people dies," Richard Aboulafia, a longtime aerospace analyst and consultant, said. The safety council estimates that more than 44,000 people died in U.S. vehicle crashes in 2023.

BUT A SHRINKING SAFETY MARGIN

A panel of experts reported in November that a shortage of air traffic controllers, outdated plane-tracking technology and other problems presented a growing threat to safety in the sky.

"The current erosion in the margin of safety in the (national airspace system) caused by the confluence of these challenges is rendering the current level of safety unsustainable," the group said in a 52-page report.

WHAT IS GOING ON AT BOEING?

Many but not all of the recent incidents have involved Boeing planes.

Boeing is a $78 billion company, a leading U.S. exporter and a century-old, iconic name in aircraft manufacturing. It is one-half of the duopoly, along with Europe's Airbus, that dominates the production of large passenger jets.

The company's reputation, however, was greatly damaged by the crashes of two 737 Max jets - one in Indonesia in 2018, the other in Ethiopia the following year - that killed 346 people. Boeing has lost nearly $24 billion in the last five years. It has struggled with manufacturing flaws that at times delayed deliveries of 737s and long-haul 787 Dreamliners.

Boeing finally was beginning to regain its stride until the Alaska Airlines Max blowout. Investigators have focused on bolts that help secure the door-plug panel, but which were missing after a repair job at the Boeing factory.

The FBI is notifying passengers about a criminal investigation. The Federal Aviation Administration is stepping up oversight of the company.

"What is going on with the production at Boeing? There have been issues in the past. They don't seem to be getting resolved," FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said last month.

CEO David Calhoun says no matter what conclusions investigators reach about the Alaska Airlines blowout, "Boeing is accountable for what happened" on the Alaska plane. "We caused the problem and we understand that."

WHERE DO DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING FIT IN?

Problems attributed to an airplane manufacturer can differ greatly.

Some are design errors. On the original Boeing Max, the failure of a single sensor caused a flight-control system to point the nose of the plane down with great force - that happened before the deadly 2018 and 2019 Max crashes. It is a maxim in aviation that the failure of a single part should never be enough to bring down a plane.

In other cases, such as the door-plug panel that flew off the Alaska Airlines jet, it appears a mistake was made on the factory floor.

"Anything that results in death is worse, but design is a lot harder to deal with because you have to locate the problem and fix it," said Aboulafia, the aerospace analyst. "In the manufacturing process, the fix is incredibly easy - don't do" whatever caused the flaw in the first place.

Manufacturing quality appears to be an issue in other incidents too.

Earlier this month, the FAA proposed ordering airlines to inspect wiring bundles around the spoilers on Max jets. The order was prompted by a report that chafing of electrical wires due to faulty installation caused an airliner to roll 30 degrees in less than a second on a 2021 flight.

Even little things matter. After a LATAM Airlines Boeing 787 flying from Australia to New Zealand this month went into a nosedive - it recovered - Boeing reminded airlines to inspect switches to motors that move pilot seats. Published reports said a flight attendant accidentally hitting the switch likely caused the plunge.

NOT EVERYTHING IS BOEING'S FAULT

Investigations into some incidents point to likely lapses in maintenance, and many close calls are due to errors by pilots or air traffic controllers.

This week, investigators disclosed that an American Airlines jet that overshot a runway in Texas had undergone a brake-replacement job four days earlier, and some hydraulic lines to the brakes were not properly reattached.

Earlier this month, a tire fell off a United Airlines Boeing 777 leaving San Francisco, and an American Airlines 777 made an emergency landing in Los Angeles with a flat tire.

A piece of the aluminum skin was discovered missing when a United Boeing 737 landed in Oregon last week. Unlike the brand-new Alaska jet that suffered the panel blowout, the United plane was 26 years old. Maintenance is up to the airline.

When a FedEx cargo plane landing last year in Austin, Texas, flew close over the top of a departing Southwest Airlines jet, it turned out that an air traffic controller had cleared both planes to use the same runway.

SEPARATING SERIOUS FROM ROUTINE

Aviation-industry officials say the most concerning events involve issues with flight controls, engines and structural integrity.

Other things such as cracked windshields and planes clipping each other at the airport rarely pose a safety threat. Warnings lights might indicate a serious problem or a false alarm.

"We take every event seriously," former NTSB member John Goglia said, citing such vigilance as a contributor to the current crash-free streak. "The challenge we have in aviation is trying to keep it there."

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February 2024 Air Passenger Travel

February 2024 international air passenger travel to and from the united states.

»Air Passenger Enplanements Up 17.1% Year Over Year in February 2024 »Air Passenger Travel Between the United States and Europe Up 9.6% in February 2024

Data recently released by the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) show that in February 2024 :

U.S.-international air traffic passenger enplanements 1 totaled:

• 18.434 million in February 2024, up 17.1 percent compared to February 2023, with enplanements reaching 107.0 percent of pre-pandemic February 2019 volume. 

Originating Non-Stop Air Travel in February 2024

• 4.307 million in February 2024, up 19.3 percent compared to February 2023.
• This represents 92.3% of pre-pandemic February 2019 volume. 

On a related note, overseas visitor arrivals 2 totaled  2.253 million in February 2024, the 12th consecutive month overseas visitor arrivals exceeded 2.0 million. February overseas visitor arrivals reached 86.6% of pre-pandemic February 2019 volume, up from 82.7% in January 2024. (See February I-94 Advance Release   https://www.trade.gov/i-94-arrivals-program )

• 4.918 million in February 2024, up 15.7 percent compared to February 2023 and exceeding February 2019 volume by 25.6 percent.

World Region Highlights in February 2024 (APIS/I-92 arrivals + departures)

• Total air passenger travel (arrivals and departures) between the United States and other countries were led by Mexico 3.462 million, Canada 2.455 million, the United Kingdom 1.083 million, the Dominican Republic 862,000, and Japan 682,000.  
• (U.S citizen departures were up +8.1 percent compared to February 2019, while European citizen arrivals were down -14.5 percent.)  
• Asia totaled 2.173 million passengers, up 43.6 percent over February 2023, but down (-21.6 percent) compared to February 2019.  
• South/Central America/Caribbean totaled 5.324 million, up 19.5 percent over February 2023, and 19.1 percent compared to February 2019.  
• Top U.S. Ports serving international locations were New York (JFK) 2.260 million, Miami (MIA) 2.031 million, Los Angeles (LAX) 1.677 million, San Francisco (SFO) 1.026 million, and Newark (EWR) 1.020 million.  
• Top Foreign Ports serving U.S. locations were Cancun (CUN) 1.185 million, Toronto (YYZ) 989,000, London Heathrow (LHR) 957,000, Mexico (MEX) 595,000, and Incheon (ICN) 540,000.

1 APIS/ “I-92” (arrivals + departures)

2 adis/i-94 (with stays of 1-night or more in the united states and visiting under certain visa types).

Interested in an interactive data visualization of these statistics? Please visit our APIS/I-92 International Air Passenger Monitor for a more comprehensive and customizable experience.

I-92/APIS International Air Passengers The APIS/I-92 Program provides information on non-stop international air traffic between the United States and other countries. The data has been collected from the Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection’s Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) since July 2010. The APIS based “I-92” system provides air traffic data on the following parameters: number of passengers, by country, airport, scheduled or chartered, U.S. Flag, foreign flag, citizens and non-citizens. Visit the APIS/I-92 Data Program home page for more information on airline travel to and from the United States.  

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Today’s front page, Thursday, March 27, 2024

Know your air passenger rights and other travel tips this Holy Week

• Charo Logarta
• March 27, 2024
• 2 minute read

With the Lenten break the Day of Valor and Eid’l Fitr holidays coming soon after, thousands of travelers are expected to take advantage of the lull to take longer trips. Whether within the Philippines or abroad; or by air, land or sea, expect traffic on the roads, long queues, congestion, and crowds.

A BusinessMirror report said that an estimated one million passengers are set to fly out from Manila alone. The same report encouraged travelers to take advantage of online conveniences to help reduce waiting times. These include paying for Travel Tax online, or if possible, pay for this upon booking your flight. Checking in online for flights and filling up the eTravel registration before even heading to the airport would also help save time. 

Here are some other time-saving hacks that would help make travel hassle-free, as intimated to Unpacked by Atty. Wyrlou Samodio, Chief Legal Officer of the Civil Aeronautics Board 

@thebroaderlook It’s Holy Week and it’s travel peak season once again. With the influx of passengers, what the rights and obligations of passengers? Business MIrror’s tourism columnist, Charo Logarta unpack them for you. #businessmirror #learnitontiktok #bmtourism #tourismnews #newsph #traveltok #holyweek #semanasanta #fyp ♬ original sound – BusinessMirror – BusinessMirror

1. While it is your right as a passenger to receive timely and accurate information before booking, as well as for any changes in the itinerary, provide your own mobile number and email address so you can be easily contacted for any updates.

2. Pack properly and weigh your baggage to ensure it meets baggage restrictions and limitations. The last thing you need is to repack in a crowded airport hurriedly.

3. Allot more time to get to the airport, seaport, or bus terminal as traffic is heavy. With more travelers, the lines for check-in, security inspections, and immigration are going to be long. For those traveling by air, be at the airport at least two hours before your flight, three hours if you have check-in baggage. Check-in counters close one hour before departure. Travelers over land or sea, also need to be at the terminal at least one hour before departure, at least four if there is cargo or checked baggage. 

4. Pay attention to passenger announcements. There may be sudden changes to boarding gates or departure times. Be at the boarding area on or before the designated time. There are hundreds of other passengers traveling with you. 

Passengers have a right to certain amenities if the flight is delayed by at least three hours or canceled. You can ask the airline staff why the flight is delayed or canceled. 

If time is running out and you’re at risk of getting bumped off your flight, call the attention of the airline staff. They can help speed things along so you make your flight.

More importantly, there are passenger assistance desks you can go to should there be a concern. Across all airports nationwide, the Civil Aeronautics Board has personnel to assist air travelers. There are also assistance counters at bus, sea, and inter-island terminals. 

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Computer Science > Computation and Language

Title: empowering air travelers: a chatbot for canadian air passenger rights.

Abstract: The Canadian air travel sector has seen a significant increase in flight delays, cancellations, and other issues concerning passenger rights. Recognizing this demand, we present a chatbot to assist passengers and educate them about their rights. Our system breaks a complex user input into simple queries which are used to retrieve information from a collection of documents detailing air travel regulations. The most relevant passages from these documents are presented along with links to the original documents and the generated queries, enabling users to dissect and leverage the information for their unique circumstances. The system successfully overcomes two predominant challenges: understanding complex user inputs, and delivering accurate answers, free of hallucinations, that passengers can rely on for making informed decisions. A user study comparing the chatbot to a Google search demonstrated the chatbot's usefulness and ease of use. Beyond the primary goal of providing accurate and timely information to air passengers regarding their rights, we hope that this system will also enable further research exploring the tradeoff between the user-friendly conversational interface of chatbots and the accuracy of retrieval systems.

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Man arrested for boarding flight with someone else's ticket: How he reportedly did it

The FBI is investigating an incident where a man allegedly took a picture of someone else’s boarding pass to illegally board a Delta Air Lines flight on Sunday, according to a criminal complaint filed in the United States District Court for the District of Utah.

According to the complaint, officers removed the passenger – identified as Wicliff Yves Fleurizard of George, Texas – from Flight 1683, departing Salt Lake City for Austin, Texas. 

Fleurizard was arrested on one felony count of stowing away on a vessel or aircraft and faces a fine or no more than a five-year sentence, or both.

The complaint said surveillance footage of the boarding area showed Fleurizard taking photos of multiple passengers' phones “while they were not looking.” A Delta gate agent who was interviewed said a minor female passenger traveling alone had an issue when she tried to scan her ticket – the system showed she was already on board. 

When the aircraft was preparing to take off, Fleurizard spent “a significant amount of time in the lavatory” in the front of the aircraft before moving to the back lavatory. 

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During taxiing, a flight attendant noticed “there were no available seats” left, so she approached Fleurizard to help. He told her his seat was 21F, but the flight attendant verified the seat wasn’t under Fleurizard’s name. 

The flight crew looked up Fleurizard’s real name and were unable to locate a valid ticket or reservation for him under the Guest Service Tool. Since Fleurizard was not authorized to be on board, the plane returned to the gate, and he was escorted off the flight. 

Fleurizard told officers he was in Utah for a snowboarding trip and “needed to get home to see his family who had flown in from Florida,” according to the complaint, adding that he tried to use his friend’s Southwest Airlines buddy pass on Saturday but all the flights were booked. He used the Southwest flight to get through security. 

“Fleurizard admitted he made a mistake and was only trying to get home,” the complaint said. 

Delta said it is “cooperating with law enforcement and relevant federal agencies regarding an investigation.”

The flight landed in Austin 30 minutes later than its scheduled arrival time. Fleurizard is held on a federal detainer at Salt Lake County Metro Jail . 

Last month, a woman reportedly boarded an American Airlines flight from Nashville, Tennessee, to Los Angeles without a boarding pass by passing through an unmanned section of security. She was met with law enforcement upon arrival.

Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Hawaii. You can reach her at [email protected] .