90 years of air travel
The first international daily scheduled flight took off from Hounslow Heath in London 90 years ago. It cost the only passenger 42 guineas to fly to Paris - the equivalent of a month's wages for a professional person
By the late 1920s, Imperial Airways passengers could tuck into four course lunch served by a uniformed steward. In the early days, most were men. They tended to be short in height due to the cramped cabins.
Passenger services spread. In 1935 it was possible to fly from London to Brisbane for ?195. The journey took 12-and-a-half days. Ten years later, longer-range flying boats could do the journey in less than half the time. This one has landed near Lagos.
Air travel had always been for the well-off, but by the 1950s the lucky few could fly in luxury on the Stratocruiser. There was a lounge to relax in, beds to sleep in and even private compartments which Boeing described as "one- family staterooms".
For passengers who couldn't bear to go on holiday without their cars there was the Bristol Superfreighter. Silver City Airways was one of the companies using these air ferries to transport cars and people across the English Channel in the 1950s.
Major airlines introduced the first economy fares in the early 1960s, but prices were still out of reach for most. It was the advent of package holidays in the late 60s and early 70s which meant many families could afford to fly for the first time.
Concorde provided the world's first supersonic passenger services in 1976. In 1996 it flew from New York to London in 2 hours 52 minutes and 59 seconds. It was withdrawn from regular service in 2003 after a fatal crash and concerns about cost.
The world's largest passenger plane, the A380, made its first commercial flight two years ago. The superjumbo seats around 550 on two decks. But the giant aircraft suffered production delays, as has Boeing's latest offering the 787 Dreamliner.
By the late 1920s, Imperial Airways passengers could tuck into four course lunch served by a uniformed steward. In the early days, most were men. They tended to be short in height due to the cramped cabins.
Passenger services spread. In 1935 it was possible to fly from London to Brisbane for ?195. The journey took 12-and-a-half days. Ten years later, longer-range flying boats could do the journey in less than half the time. This one has landed near Lagos.
Air travel had always been for the well-off, but by the 1950s the lucky few could fly in luxury on the Stratocruiser. There was a lounge to relax in, beds to sleep in and even private compartments which Boeing described as "one- family staterooms".
For passengers who couldn't bear to go on holiday without their cars there was the Bristol Superfreighter. Silver City Airways was one of the companies using these air ferries to transport cars and people across the English Channel in the 1950s.
Major airlines introduced the first economy fares in the early 1960s, but prices were still out of reach for most. It was the advent of package holidays in the late 60s and early 70s which meant many families could afford to fly for the first time.
Concorde provided the world's first supersonic passenger services in 1976. In 1996 it flew from New York to London in 2 hours 52 minutes and 59 seconds. It was withdrawn from regular service in 2003 after a fatal crash and concerns about cost.
The world's largest passenger plane, the A380, made its first commercial flight two years ago. The superjumbo seats around 550 on two decks. But the giant aircraft suffered production delays, as has Boeing's latest offering the 787 Dreamliner.
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