Improving The Reactions Of First Time Fliers (1931)

Under the headline, “To Be Or Not To Be”, an article published in the Jan, 7, 1931 issue of AVIATION ponders a question posed by Shakespeare’s Hamlet: whether “first time airline passengers are to be repeat customers.”

This reminds us that aircraft were not huge tubes of tin at this juncture. Passengers would literally “climb” in and out. Some complained of air sickness, lack of comfort and noise as they “climbed out of their first airplane trip.

The article suggests that it is not the job of the industry to persuade the public to travel by air but to make them come back for more.

“There is just one channel of attack, - through the medium of the written word. By providing him with appropriately prepared reading matter we may win the day.”

It is suggested that a pamphlet be printed explaining that it is a normal occurrence if the plane rolls a little or drop in and out of air pockets and that it is nothing to be alarmed about and explain that air sickness is rare but the passenger can become “accustomed to the air”.

Some airlines produce such information well, some not so well and others not at all. 

Read the full article in Aviation Week’s digital archives.