The Airline Time Machine Podcast

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.

Send us a text

Not too long ago, cigarette smoking was widespread, and permitted, onboard most passenger airliners worldwide.
A lot of travelers boarding flights today who don’t remember that era would likely be surprised by how prevalent inflight smoking was, by the way the process was managed, and by the smell of aircraft cabins and the damage that lit cigarettes caused to airliner cabin furnishings.
With this podcast episode, let’s take a look at the history of smoking onboard airliners, how that smoking was gradually regulated out of existence, and a few traces of that smoking past you can still find on your next flight.

Send us a text

It's OK - this doesn't involve some sort of domestic pet violence. But this episode title highlights that assigned airport codes can sometimes appear to be something very different than their original intended purpose!

Three-character codes that identify individual airports are critical for managing air travel safely and accurately, but the code an airport ends up with may not make sense when you first come across it, and often reflects much more than the airport's name.

This is a look at how the airport codes we use today - as passengers, travel planners, airline staff, or airport managers - first came about, and we’ll explore a few of the more unusual examples!

Send us a text

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!

Send us a text

There’s a long history behind the “mile high club” lore, dating back to the 1780s. Stories of romantic interludes while at altitude hit the news pretty regularly over the years, but usually because of police involvement, and legal charges being filed.

With this episode of the Airline Time Machine podcast, I’ll look at how people “getting romantic” in the air came about, the challenges that are created for airline crews and other passengers, and notable incidents that likely resulted from “love aloft.”

Send us a text