From War to Peace: The Evolution of Air Travel in the 1940s

World War II significantly impacted air travel in the 1940s. The war led to the development of new aircraft designs and technologies and the expansion of airfields and other infrastructure. However, civilian air travel was limited during the war as most aircraft were used for military purposes. After the war, the industry experienced a rapid expansion as more and more people began to fly for both business and leisure.

During the 1940s, the majority of commercial aircraft were still propeller-driven. The most popular airliner of the time was the Douglas DC-3, which was first introduced in 1936. The DC-3 was known for its reliability and comfort and was used by many airlines worldwide. However, newer designs, such as the Lockheed Constellation and the Douglas DC-4, were also introduced during the 1940s, offering greater range and capacity.

The air travel experiences during this time were still considered luxurious, but they were becoming more accessible to the general public. Airlines offered a limited number of flights and destinations, and the flights were not as frequent as today. Air travel was still considered a luxury and was more expensive than traveling by train or ship.

Passenger services during this time were more advanced than in the 1930s, with in-flight food service and limited in-flight entertainment, such as movies, becoming more common. Flight attendants were also more common, and their role expanded to include safety and customer service.

The flight crews of the 1940s were composed of highly trained and experienced pilots, navigators, and radio operators. Many of them were veterans of World War II and had extensive training and experience. The flight crews were also larger than in the 1930s, with a pilot, co-pilot, navigator, and flight engineer as a standard crew.

#1 In the 1940s, a male flight attendant walks with his arms linked with two female flight attendants in front of a small plane.

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#2 Around 1945, a stewardess is pictured in Le Bourget (Seine-Saint-Denis).

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#3 In July 1945, a baby travels by plane in New York.

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#4 In 1945, a viewing gallery at an airport shows a Douglas DC-3 airliner of Eastern Airlines (‘The Great Silver Fleet’).

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#5 On December 23, 1946, air hostess Patricia Palley attends to passengers in the decorated cabin of a Pan-American airliner over the Atlantic.

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#6 A couple is pictured on a plane in 1940.

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#7 Passengers are seen dining on the Empire in 1940.

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#8 Passengers are shown playing on the Empire.

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#9 The interior of a Douglas DC-6 passenger airliner is shown, featuring passengers and flight attendants on a flight.

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#10 The Transcontinental & Western Air airlines (T&WA, TWA from 1950) Lockheed Constellation named “Paris Sky chief” with registration number NC86505 arrives at Orly airport near Paris.

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#11 Passengers are seen in the cabin of a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser.

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#12 In July 1946, June Fogg models a black-and-white lounge suit during a fashion show staged on board a Pan American Airways Clipper aeroplane during its transatlantic flight from the USA.

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#13 In 1949, a mother is pictured tucking in her children in bunks aboard a Pan American Airways’ Boeing 377 Stratocruiser.

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#14 US President Franklin D. Roosevelt is pictured on an inspection tour of the Douglas Aircraft Company’s factory in Long Beach, California, USA.

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#15 A group portrait shows uniformed flight stewards posing in front of the Eastern Airlines ‘Silversleeper’ airplane, a passenger and mail delivery plane.

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#16 In 1945, Flight Lieutenant Maurice Crump catches a flight from Prestwick Airport in Scotland to Canada, to ferry another Liberator bomber across the Atlantic to Britain.

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#17 Swedish film actress Mai Zetterling is pictured reading a newspaper brought over from Sweden on the first passenger plane to arrive at Northolt Airport, England, since the merging of the Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish airlines.

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#18 Five sons of King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia are shown boarding a plane at Herne Airport in Hampshire.

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#19 A motor-tricycle ‘scooter’ is being used for quick communication between airport buildings and planes at London Airport (Heathrow). One of the planes on the tarmac is a Pan-Am Clipper Line Yankee.

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#20 American newspaper editors are shown arriving in London during a round-the-world trip in 1947.

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#21 The factory floor of the Boeing Aircraft Company is shown featuring the manufacture of their Stratocruiser airliner.

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#22 In 1945, a female flight attendant is standing on the stairway of a United Airlines airplane, waving.

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#23 In 1945, flight stewardess Isle Berger of Pan American World Airways is showing the first full-length sound movies to passengers aboard a Transatlantic Clipper.

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#24 In 1947, J S Armstrong of the Canadian consulate is saying goodbye to a group of emigrants leaving for Ontario.

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#25 In 1947, a model poses as a passenger walking off the Pan American Clipper “Challenge” Lockheed 1049 airliner.

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#26 Passengers are shown seated two to a row, talking with their inflight neighbors aboard a Mainliner Convair aircraft, while the flight attendant works at the back of the plane in the late 1940s.

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#27 The first of the Handley Page ‘Halton’ aircraft, the civil transport version of the Halifax bomber, with its interior changed for passenger accommodation, is christened the BOAC ‘Falkirk’ in 1946.

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#28 In 1945, stewards are shown serving passengers on board an airplane.

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#29 American stage and screen actress Carol Bruce is seen arriving at Los Angeles Airport to make her film debut at Universal Studios.

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#30 Air hostess Patricia Pelley is serving an in-flight meal to passengers traveling across the Atlantic on board a festively decorated, Pan-American aeroplane.

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#31 Passengers are boarding a Lockheed ‘Constellation’ on the tarmac at an unidentified airport in 1946. The plane could accommodate 57 passengers and a crew of seven and fly coast-to-coast in 6 hours, 58 minutes.

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#32 Stewardess Jane Driscoll lights a cigar for airline passenger Carl Graulein, 68, of East St. Louis, as he prepares to depart for his native Germany aboard an American Airlines overseas flight.

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#33 Passengers are relaxing in the luxury lounge of a Boeing airplane in 1945.

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#34 In 1949, in-flight passengers are shown playing cards and making conversation on a spacious airliner.

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#35 A female travel clerk with a large umbrella provides shelter for a passenger arriving during heavy rain on an incoming British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) flight at an airport in England.

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#36 Through a window of the terminal at LaGuardia Airport, passengers are boarding an American Airlines’ ‘Flagship’ plane on the tarmac in 1946.

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#37 The interior of a McDonnell Douglas DC-6 is shown with flight attendants working with passengers to make the cabin comfortable.

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#38 Purser K Everall is assisting a female passenger with a passport query aboard a British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) flying boat flight from England during World War II on 31st August 1942.

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#39 Four passengers are enjoying a meal at a table aboard the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) Boeing 314A Clipper flying boat Berwick on an international flight from England during World War II on 31st August 1942.

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#40 In December 1941, a child passenger and a female flight attendant are pictured during an American Airlines flight from Washington to Los Angeles.

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#41 Employes are shown assembling and packing 20,000 bags in the candy shop at Baur’s in scene 2050.

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#42 Four passengers are enjoying a meal at a table aboard the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) Boeing 314A Clipper flying boat Berwick on an international flight from England during World War II on 31st August 1942.

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#43 Four men are shown sitting on stools at a counter, with a man behind the counter.

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#44 Four passengers are seen enjoying a meal at a table aboard the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) Boeing 314A Clipper flying boat Berwick on an international flight from England during World War II on 31st August 1942.

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#45 In 1942, two members of the cabin crew are casting off the mooring ropes from the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) Boeing 314A Clipper flying boat Berwick (registration G-AGCA) prior to an international flight from England.

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#46 Captain D Peacock (on the left) and Captain Bill Craig are seated in the cockpit of the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) Boeing 314A Clipper flying boat Berwick (registration G-AGCA) prior to flying the aircraft on an international flight from England in 1942.

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#47 Purser K Everall is assisting a female passenger with a passport query aboard a British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) flying boat flight from England during World War II on 31st August 1942, while aboard the plane.

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