The holiday travel season is fast approaching, and some of us look toward our upcoming air travel with a sense of dread – or even resignation – as we prepare for cramped conditions, long lines, delays, cancellations and more unforeseen challenges. Photos of transcontinental travel I came across in the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Collection (FSA/OWI) took me back to a much slower time – literally. Flying from New York to California in the 1940s could take triple the time it takes today, and include multiple stops. The 1950s are largely considered to be the golden age of air travel, with pressurized cabins, as well as quieter, faster and more comfortable travel overall, but these photos of the cabins of airplanes in 1941 make it appear that the flight was fairly comfortable and included many amenities, even if it’s hard to know how it felt for travelers.
Take a closer look at these photos taken by FSA photographer John Collier, Jr. of people traveling by plane in December of 1941. Regardless of changes that would make the experience better in the next decade, these travelers were then enjoying the fastest possible way to cross the country – and seem to be enjoying plenty of legroom!






Learn More:
- Explore other photos related to airliners from the early 1940s in the FSA/OWI Collection.
- Travel Around the World with the Library of Congress Poster Collection: An Overview of Travel Posters.
- Revisit a previous Picture This post: A Century of Air Travel in Pictures.
- Explore photos and drawings of various airport terminals in the collections of the Prints & Photographs Division.
Comments
I miss the days when there was a hook for your fedora above every seat.