The growth of the oldest U.S. Trunk or Mainline air carriers after 1945 drives demand for air travel, and new, larger airliners to meet that need.

But as the airlines and their aircraft grow, many smaller U.S. cities are in danger of losing their air service because they don't generate enough passenger volume to match the larger and costlier airliners coming on line.

The solution is a new category of airline - the Local Service Carriers - licensed by the federal government in the late '40s, and assigned to strictly controlled geographic areas to provide reliable air service for hundreds of small airports.

Join me for this look at those special airlines, the role they played in the U.S. air transportation system, and the impacts still seen today from their operations.

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In some of the largest U.S. urban areas, road traffic congestion can be one of the biggest challenges to moving between the downtown area and the airport.

Imagine, though, being able to get from Manhattan to La Guardia Airport in New York in just 6 minutes, or from Oakland to the San Francisco Airport in 7 minutes.

For many years, scheduled service helicopter airlines made fast airport travel times like those possible, but they’ve all failed to stay in business.

Join me for their story, and a look at what may be ahead for close-in urban air service.

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During some of the most exciting developments and innovation in a young and emerging U.S. airline industry - from the 1930s through the late 1950s - two of the most sought-after airline career paths are unavailable to black Americans.

They’re denied positions as airline pilots or flight attendants, no matter what their relevant experience or technical qualifications. With this Airline Time Machine podcast, let’s look at how the first Black stewardess in the U.S. changed that narrative, and what it took for her to break through that highly visible barrier in our airline history.

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The early 1950s is an exciting time in the airline business, and - more specifically - the airliner business.

Airliner manufacturers are developing new planes that fly faster, farther, and with more passengers and cargo, but from England a new airliner sound is being heard - the high, shrill scream of jet engines.

Most airlines are reluctant to embrace the new jet technology, both because it’s unlike the proven airliners they’re currently flying, but also because they’ve spent enormous sums of money buying those older planes, and are years away from paying them off.

But U.S. aircraft companies are gaining experience with jet engine technology through military programs, and are seeking ways to apply that learning to a new generation of airliners powered by jets.

Let's look at how one of those companies - Boeing of Seattle - makes the decision to move into a technologically advanced jet airliner family, and the role that a dramatic aerobatics maneuver in a very public setting has on that work.

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Beginning in the 1930s, many airlines maintain large networks of City Ticket Offices to conduct business with their customers in high-traffic shopping, office and hotel neighborhoods, far removed from their own airport operations.

These in-town facilities become known as a City Ticket Office (or by the airline staff acronym “CTO”), to differentiate them from the Airport Ticket Office (or ATO) in each area.

Join me for this look at the rise of the once common airline City Ticket Office as a high visibility, splashy promotion of the airline, reflecting the carrier’s style and personality, while also becoming an important link to many of the airline’s most important customers.

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Tens of thousands of airline flights operate daily around the world, but every now and then one stands out because it helps make history, even though it was just another flight, on just another day.

From 1976 until 2003, the supersonic Concorde airliner was frequently in the news, either for the noise it created, or the often famous people it carried.

Join me for a look at how a normally scheduled British Airways flight in July of 1985, operated by Concorde, played a crucial role in one of the largest rock concerts ever organized.

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The idea that some things are segregated by gender is not uncommon for many of us as we encounter washrooms, gym locker rooms, private schools and clubs, or religious facilities with restricted access based on gender.

But starting in the 1950s, one United States airline introduces “Men Only” flights on one of its most popular business travel routes.

Join me for a look at the exclusion of female passengers from the airline's Executive Club service, the rationale behind that exclusion, and how it all turned out.

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If you’ve visited central Florida for a Disney vacation, you may have wished there was an easier, faster, way to get from the Orlando International Airport to Walt Disney World.

Before that resort opens in October of 1971, planning for Walt Disney World includes a large jet airport within the resort’s grounds, to make it easy for visitors to start and end their visit.

Join me for a look at how air travel influenced the plans for the development of Walt Disney World, and a special period of time when it was possible to buy an airline ticket that would land you within the resort itself!

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