The first commercial passenger flight was in 1914 – 110 years ago! It was a Baloo-style plane that you would hardly want to get inside let alone travel across the country. It was apparently due to the American government’s bets that commercial aircraft took off after the introduction of airmail in the 1920s.
The first modern airliner was the Boing 247–produced in 1933–which looked somewhat like our planes of today. Just thinking about the planes and their comfort (or the lack of it) in the early years gives me goosebumps. They did not have pressurized cabins or comfy seats. Talk about puking all the way from New York to Los Angeles after paying $260 ($4600 today after adjusting for inflation). It was first-class travel for rich people. The economy class came at least 10 years later.
Fun fact – Boing had its own airline in the 30s, what we today know as United Airlines.
Inspiration – Stuff You Should Know