The Golden Age of Air Travel

For much of the twentieth century travel by air was a luxury available only to the wealthy, and accordingly the airlines - Pan Am, BOAC, TWA, BEA and many others - offered premium services that connected far-flung parts of the world with con trails of glamour. This book looks back at the golden age, from the 1920s to the 1970s, when well-appointed airliners whisked the rich and famous around the world on holiday and on business. It evokes the chink of champagne glasses, the aroma of expensive cigars and the roar of early jet engines: the experience of air travel before package holidays and budget airlines changed flying forever. The various types of aircraft, the routes and the airports, as well as the changes undergone by the industry, are all explored here and illustrated by fascinating historical material.

Nina Hadaway has been Curator of Documents at the Royal Air Force Museum since 2003. She has produced a number of exhibitions and gives talks to visitors, society groups and historical organisations, including 'Who Do You Think You Are? Live'. Her work has also been published in the RAFHS journal.

i"?Introduction / Early Days of Air Travel / Glamour and Comfort / The War Years / Higher, Further, Faster / The Jet Age / The Boom in Air Travel / Epilogue / Further Reading / Places to Visit / Index