06 spotlight spotlight 07 JANUARY 05-11, 2014 The Beginning… JANUARY 05-11, 2014

Abram Pheil paid

1914 $400 at auction for the FIRST COMMERCIAL FLIGHT 1944 Tony Jannus (r) piloted a Benoist flying boat 23-minute flight CHICAGO CONVENTION SIGNED that had room for just one passenger, Abram The Chicago Convention C Pheil, the former mayor of St Petersburg, sat On January 1, 1914, established the rules and beside in the open cockpit. This marked the 1959 1936 regulation for aircraft, dawn of regular passenger air . airspace and safety. It was FIRST JET 3,000 people “PLANE THAT CHANGED THE WORLD” signed by 52 signatories and The first jet bridge was used. It proved gathered to see the is still the legal bedrock for STATE ARCHIVES OF FLORIDA The Douglas DC-3, the “plane that to be an enormous success and was an first flight changed the world”, entered today. early marker on the road to greater service with American passenger convenience. The air service was and flew from New York to subsidized by Chicago non-stop. St Petersburg officials

Passenger fare was $5 1939 each way and 1935 THE FIRST LOUNGE $5 for each 100 pounds of freight. FIRST TRANSPACIFIC CLIPPER opened the 1961 $5 In 1914, adjusted for inflation, FLIGHT first-ever , called INFLIGHT MOTION PICTURES the Admirals Club, at LaGuardia was $115 in 2012 operated the US BOXER MUHAMMAD1966 ALI, David Flexer of Inflight Motion 1919 first Transpacific Airport in New York. THE THEN HEAVYWEIGHT Pictures developed the 16 mm KLM OPERATED ITS Clipper flight between film system for a wide variety CHAMPION, WAVES TO FIRST FLIGHT San Francisco and of commercial aircraft. Manila. It took a week ONLOOKERS AT THE That makes KLM the 100Years of with stops along the LONDON AIRPORT. oldest carrier still in way and delivered operation. In 1920, Commercial Flights: more than 100,000 it started operating pieces of mail. scheduled flights Changes in 1964 between London 1972 the Air THE BEATLES ARRIVED AT JFK, NEW YORK, and Amsterdam, 1929 FIRST NEUTRAL PAPER TICKET which continue to SIGNALLING THE AVIATION INDUSTRY’S ABILITY FIRST GLOBAL TO INTEGRATE AND SPREAD CULTURAL VALUES. this day. The first neutral paper ticket and AVIATION AGREEMENT Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP) THE FOLLOWING DAY, THEY APPEARED ON The , came into force. The BSP ensures THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW, WATCHED BY SOME

signed on October 12, was the airlines receive money owed 73 MILLION VIEWERS. first international agreement promptly and as accurately as

governing aviation. It possible, enabling interline mandated passenger ticket 1981 connectivity. GETTYIMAGES and check, and FIRST FREQUENT FLYER PROGRAMME harmonized liability law. EARLY PROTOTYPES OF American Airlines’ AAdvantage is COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS FROM recognized as the industry’s first true THE US AND AUSTRALIA 1970 s-1930s) frequent flyer programme. (1920 ENTERED SERVICE The Boeing 747, the first wide-body STATE ARCHIVES OF FLORIDA 1971 aircraft (two passenger aisles), FIRST ‘LOW-COST’ entered service. :: Binoy Prabhakar CARRIER ir travel is a pain thanks to the chaos at and Southwest planes that could do with more legroom and over- 1989 1978 Airlines became head space. But millions of people step into air- the first low- KLM-NORTHWEST US ports and then onto planes each day, not least be- cost carrier. AIRLINES ALLIANCE DEREGULATION ACT Many European cause “they are still the safest way to travel”, as the Government control carriers and Man of Steel reminded us in Superman Returns. The first major alliance A 1990 of fares, routes and India’s IndiGo People can travel thousands of miles in a few hours, never grew beyond two LARGEST EVACUATION EFFORT airlines but it proved entry by new airlines recognize with plenty to choose from airlines, schedules and BY A SINGLE CIVILIAN AIRLINE the advantages of ends, paving the way Southwest as fares. It is this raft of choices that has scrapped the their model. Air India, in association with Indian consolidation. for global liberalization aura off ; you are right to ask “Why the of aviation. A New Airlines and the Indian Air Force, IN 1976, CONCORDE FLEW ITS FIRST SERVICE FROM LONDON TO BAHRAIN. IT fuss?” when a ticket to space is up for grabs. York to Los Angeles made it into the Guinness Book of WAS COVERED IN WHITE REFLECTIVE PAINT DUE TO THE HEAT CAUSED BY ITS But air travel 100 years ago, as one would ex- round trip, which World Records. They flew 111,000 HIGH SPEEDS. THE SUPERSONIC JET REMAINED IN SERVICE FOR 27 YEARS. pect, was epochal. On January 1, 1914, the first com- people from Amman to Mumbai in 2008 would have cost nearly mercial flight took off, more a hop than a flight, 59 days, operating 488 flights just 100% ELECTRONIC TICKETING $1,500 before taking just 23 minutes to cross Florida’s Tampa before the First Gulf War. deregulation, today flying100years.com IATA, Source: Electronic tickets costs around $300. Bay, almost the same duration as a Delhi-Chandi- removed the need for a GETTYIMAGES garh flight. The flight marked the beginning of an paper ticket and improved air service — the St Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line the convenience and —by St Petersburg officials who wanted to draw reliability of air travel. 2014 … With More To Come Today, the global aviation industry provides unprecedented connectivity winter tourists to their city. While Chandigarh can NELSON MANDELA IN AIRBUS A350 DUE TO be reached in less than six hours by road, the alter- THE US IN 1990 ENTER SERVICE native for St Petersburg officials was a less tempt- Qatar Airways is the launch ing 11-hour train ride from Tampa. 2004 customer of the Airbus A350. 8mn 3.1 bn 3.3 bn 50mn Commercial aviation has changed quite dramat- NEW NON-STOP The aircraft represents The average Total Total number of expected The tonnes of ically since that flight. Today, thanks to countless 1997 FLIGHT ROUTES another leap in customer number of number of passengers in 2014 cargo transported advances in aviation technology, air travel has FOUNDED 2011 comfort and operational and people who fly passengers (equivalent to 44% of the by air each year radically improved. Aviation experts are already Singapore Airlines environmental efficiency. Five airlines from three continents FIRST COMMERCIAL every day in 2013 world’s population) dreaming about pilotless commercial flights. introduced non-stop BIOFUEL FLIGHT founded Star Alliance. Two other global flights to Los Angeles But it all began with a ‘flying boat’ that took off airline alliances, and SkyTeam, operated the first and Newark, New Number of The amount of from a pier in St Petersburg. Wednesday marked followed. Such alliances help airlines York. It has since biofuel flight. Biofuel improves the 100th anniversary of the momentous event. hook up each other with loads of stopped the flights efficiency and reduces noise 57mn jobs that aviation $2.2 economic activity that ET Magazine chronicles the evolution. passengers seeking connecting flights. due to rising costs. and emissions. supports trillion aviation generates a year