Time Travel

I stumbled-across this short travelogue clip from 1950 (before I was born).  It features the Boeing 377 Stratocruiser passenger airplane on United Airlines' mainland to Hawaii route.

For any of you readers that have flown an international flight recently it is stunning to compare the difference almost seventy years makes in the realm of air travel.

Boeing's Stratocruiser was born from the military cargo counterpart - the C-97 - a direct descendant of the B-29 bomber.  The Stratocruiser set a high bar for luxurious air travel including a spacious cabin, lower-level cocktail lounge, a state of the art galley for hot meal preparation, berthing accommodations for overnight travel and fifty-five to seventy passengers.  In 1950 a one-way first class fare would have set you back $400.  Adjusted for inflation that is the equivalent of $4,100 today - or $8,200 round-trip.  The 377 was a high-maintenance aircraft and with a smaller passenger capacity than the wide-bodied aircraft of today the overhead is reflected in the fares. 

Enjoy this walk down memory lane...