| This dissertation examines the transcontinental airline passenger experience through the eyes of passengers who published firsthand accounts in popular periodicals between 1927 and 1960. Their accounts chronicle the evolution of the air travel experience and demonstrate the ever-increasing speed of air transport during the era. Directly related to the rise in aircraft speeds, airline passengers became more removed, both physically and psychologically, from the actual experience of flight. The introduction of in-flight personnel, onboard entertainment, and lower fares, in addition to advances in aviation technology, including radio navigation, noise suppression, aircraft pressurization, and jet engines, created a travel experience in 1960 that was far different than a flight taken in 1927. Flying in a commercial airliner coast-to-coast had evolved from a daring adventure into a reliable, routine journey. |
