Fun with Maps ISSUE 2025-174
By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)
LOVELAND, OH (October 22, 2025) – In today’s edition of Fun with Maps, we honor commercial air travel over the Pacific Ocean.
Fly Away
The first commercial flight between the US mainland and Hawaii commenced on October 22, 1936.
Commercial aviation dates to World War I. The first international flight was by AT&T – not the phone company, rather the British Aircraft Transport and Travel Company in 1919.
In the US several airlines emerged between World Wars – American Airlines, TWA, PanAm and Eastern Airlines. The list multiplied over time.
Air travel was rather exclusive and for the rich at first, but over time it became rather mundane and for the masses — bus in the air.
Hawaiian Airline route map is presented here from 1960.
Hawaii – by Hawaiian Airlines – Circa 1960 (Credit Steve Kovacs)
Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.
Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.
