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America's earliest planes
OP 02/07/2017

These days, mass air travel is far from a glamorous affair.

But we can only imagine how exciting it would have been when it first broke onto the scene in the late 1920s - and no carrier was more pivotal to its development than Pan American Airways.

From its modest beginnings at a time when flying was still absurdly expensive (and considered far from safe), Pan Am refused to consider anything impossible and single-handedly revolutionized air travel - in part thanks to its highly effective publicity campaigns.

The pioneering airline launched the world's first commercial flight across the Pacific in 1935, and over the next 30-plus years, stood at the forefront of nearly all significant advances in the industry.

Pan Am's immaculately turned-out staff, too, contributed to the company’s image of friendliness, precision and reliability - but none of that was enough to save the company from crashing into bankruptcy in 1991.

These photos, taken from Pan Am: History, Design & Identity, a recent celebration of its past, prove that despite its eventual demise, no airline has even come close in terms of its glittering legacy.

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