We cannot today imagine the luxurious air travel that was once the standard for travelers. The world’s first airline was the DELAG, founded on 16 November 1909. The airline used Count Zeppelin’s rigid airships. By the time World War I began, DELAG had carried over 34,000 passengers on almost 1600 commercial flights. While there were a couple accidents, no passengers were killed and only one was injured. The accommodations were spacious and passengers were served food and drinks by a steward.
After the war, airship travel became legendary and easily equalled if not surpassed the luxury provided by any ocean liner of the day. The Hindenburg even had a bar and smoking lounge and on its first year of operation, a grand piano. Showers were also available for passengers.
But fixed wing, heavier than air, seaplanes almost rivaled the airships in comfort during the years between the world wars. The Boeing Clippers and the Dornier DoX interiors look like lounges in a fancy bar compared to today’s plane seating where one feels like a squished sardine in an overstuffed can.
After World War II, plane travel in the 1950s kept to the earlier tradition and transoceanic flights even offered sleeping accommodations for passengers.
The question one must ask one’s self is, what happened? My guess is airlines chose profit over passenger comfort.
In today’s snippet from my forthcoming novel, The Golden Fleece Affair, we get a taste of what flying used to be like. Admiral Rosendahl explains why the Argo is flying around Chicago and then Lady Dru describes breakfast, airship-style. Our snippet:
“I’d rather fly around a storm, than through one. Makes for a smoother ride,” he said.
When I woke Sunday morning, Detroit was behind us and we were over Lake Erie. Lakehurst was before us and the completion of the first leg of our journey. Breakfast was continental-style and we served ourselves from a table loaded with pastries, rolls, jam, marmalade, fruit, soft boiled eggs, toast, coffee, and tea.
To our surprise, Jake Branson brought out a portable record player and a stack of records. Being Sunday morning, he started with a Bach cantata and one of Handel’s Chandos Anthems. After the sacred concert, we listened to works by Chopin and Elgar and songs by the famous tenor Mario Lanza.
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I really enjoyed the snippet, it very vivid. I can really imagine being on that airship… and it doesn’t feel like travelling at all 😉
I also enjoyed reading about the airships, I didn’t know these things. It would be nice if we had at least the possibility to try a trip like this if we so chose. Airships are fascinating, such a pity they don’t exist anymore 🙁
That is what was often said about flying on the great rigid dirigibles: it was as though one was not flying at all, until you looked out the window! I think it was Lady Grace who said one doesn’t fly in a zeppelin, one voyages. 🙂
Yes, it would be very nice indeed to have the chance to fly in one. The big rigids are gone, though. The Graf Zeppelin and the Hindenburg’s sister ship, Graf Zeppelin II, the last two, were scrapped at the beginning of WW II by the German government so the aluminum could be used for airplanes.
Airships do exist today in the non-rigid blimp. Unfortunately they are about as luxurious as a touring bus. Still, one can take sightseeing flights and get some idea of what it was like in those heady days of yore.