Metropolitan Airport NewsMetropolitan Airport News
  • Airport News
    • Publisher’s Message
    • Fast Five
    • On Duty
    • Air Cargo
    • Airline News
    • Airport Community
    • Airport Employment News
    • Airport Safety & Security
    • Company Spotlight
    • Ground Services
    • Intermodal
    • New York Aviation History
    • Non-Rev Traveler
  • Airport & Aviation Events
  • Airport Employment
  • Latest Issue
  • Login

Subscribe for Updates

Get the latest local airport and aviation news delivered right into your inbox each week!

News Updates
New program gives access to First Officer jobs while candidates complete their military service

United Launches Industry-leading Program to Provide Active-duty U.S. Military Pilots Conditional Job Offers

September 29, 2023
PANYNJ Unveils New Construction Facility at JFK Airport

PANYNJ Unveils New Construction Facility at JFK Airport

September 29, 2023
Chrissy Toskos, Chief Human Resources Officer, Securitas North America.

Securitas North America Announces Chrissy Toskos as Chief Human Resources Officer

September 27, 2023
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Metropolitan Airport NewsMetropolitan Airport News
  • Airport News
    • Publisher’s Message
    • Fast Five
    • On Duty
    • Air Cargo
    • Airline News
    • Airport Community
    • Airport Employment News
    • Airport Safety & Security
    • Company Spotlight
    • Ground Services
    • Intermodal
    • New York Aviation History
    • Non-Rev Traveler
  • Airport & Aviation Events
  • Airport Employment
  • Latest Issue
  • Login
Metropolitan Airport NewsMetropolitan Airport News
Home»New York Aviation History»Pan American’s Dixie Clipper Makes First Regular Trans-Atlantic Passenger Service to Europe
New York Aviation History

Pan American’s Dixie Clipper Makes First Regular Trans-Atlantic Passenger Service to Europe

Metropolitan Airport NewsBy Metropolitan Airport NewsJune 26, 20201 Comment3 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
June 28th marks the 81st anniversary of the first regular trans-Atlantic passenger service via Pan Am’s Boeing 314 ‘Dixie Clipper’.

June 28th marks the 81st anniversary of the first regular trans-Atlantic passenger service via Pan Am’s Boeing 314 ‘Dixie Clipper’. The aircraft  left Port Washington, New York with 22 passengers on the southern route to Horta, Lisbon, and Marseilles. 

In 1939, the cost of the trip was US$375 for a one-way ticket or US$675 for a round trip. Southern Railway executive William J. Eck received a silver cigarette case for being the first paying passenger on the 20:50 minute route.

Also, among the passengers were famous “first flighter” Clara Adams, who was on the first leg of a record-breaking, round-the-world flight; United States Lines president John M. Franklin; and Texaco chairman Torkild Rieber, who would be later ousted over his close business relations with Nazi Germany.

This flight began the era of the heavier-than-air trans-Atlantic passenger service. Later, on July 8, the Yankee Clipper would launch Pan Am service across the Atlantic on the northern route, carrying 17 passengers to England.

The aircraft flew the southern route across the Atlantic, landing in Lisbon the next afternoon after a flight of approximately 27 hours (which included a stop at Horta in the Azores), and then flew to its final destination in Marseilles, France the next day.

The Boeing 314 Clipper was an American long-range flying boat produced by Boeing from 1938 to 1941. The type could carry 74 passengers onboard.

One of the largest aircraft of its time, the Clipper had a range of 3,500 miles, enough to cross the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. With a cost of US$550,000 (1936) per unit, it was powered by four Wright R-2600 Twin Cyclone radial engines.

For its wings, Boeing re-used the design from their earlier XB-15 bomber prototype. Twelve Clippers were built, nine of which served with Pan American World Airways.

Pan Am’s Clippers were built for one-class luxury air travel, a necessity given the long duration of trans-Oceanic flights. One of the many features was the seats, which could be converted into 36 bunks for overnight accommodation.

Other luxury features of the Boeing 314 included a lounge and dining area, with the galleys crewed by chefs from four-star hotels. Men and women were provided with separate dressing rooms, and white-coated stewards served five and six-course meals with gleaming silver service.

With a cruising speed of 188 miles per hour (303 km/h) (typical flights at maximum gross weight were flown at 155 miles per hour (249 km/h)) in 1940, Pan Am’s schedule San Francisco to Honolulu was 19 hours.

Initial Mail Delivery Flight Also Starts in Port Washington

Twelve years after Charles Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic on the single-engine Spirit of St. Louis on May 20, 1939, Pan Am’s Boeing 314 Yankee Clipper departed Port Washington, New York for the first scheduled mail service across the Atlantic. 

According to clipperflyingboats.com, the Clipper carried 112,574 pieces of mail (mostly from stamp- collectors), four dozen California marigolds for Britain’s Queen Mary, and 16 Pan Am employees under the command of Captain Arthur E. La Porte. 

Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
Metropolitan Airport News
  • Website
  • Facebook
  • X (Twitter)
  • LinkedIn

Produced by a team of aviation professionals and enthusiasts, our mission is to inform and update the more than 68,000 employees who work on the metropolitan New York airport properties, as well as the many others that provide goods and services in the surrounding communities.

RELATED NEWS & UPDATES

F-14D Tomcat ‘Felix 101’ Comes Home

F-14D Tomcat ‘Felix 101’ Comes Home

September 18, 2023
Lockheed L-188 Electra of Air Florida landing at Miami International Airport in 1976

Air Florida: From Intrastate to Intercontinental Carrier

September 9, 2023
New York Air McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 at LaGuardia Airport.

New York Air: The Big Apple Airline

August 8, 2023
Long Island Islip Airport

Long Island MacArthur: New York’s Secondary Airport

July 11, 2023
Piedmont Douglas DC-3

Piedmont: The Up-and-Coming Airline

June 8, 2023
The Mechanician: A brief history of Charles E. Taylor

The Mechanician

May 24, 2023
View 1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Alexander Jennifer on January 14, 2021 11:48 am

    Thank you for this post and detailed history of these early Pan Am flights and luxury inflight service. Fun to imagine being there.

    Reply

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

AIRPORT & AVIATION EVENTS
Civil Air Patrol Falcon Squadron Meeting
October 09, 2023
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
  • John F. Kennedy International Airport-(JFK)
Jamaica, New York
LAAMCO Monthly General Meeting
October 10, 2023
9:00 AM to 10:00 AM
  • LaGuardia Airport-(LGA)
East Elmhurst, New York
ADDAPT Dinner Group
October 10, 2023
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
The Heritage Club
Farmgindale, New York
  • >> More Airport & Aviation Events

Subscribe for Weekly Email Updates

Get the latest local airport news, events, and jobs delivered right into your inbox each week.

Metropolitan Airport News provides timely news, information and updates for both Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PANYNJ) employees and businesses that provide services at, and around the major New York airports (JFK, LGA, EWR).

John F. Kennedy International Airport
PO Box 300877
Jamaica, NY 11430 USA
Phone: (347) 396-0904
Email Us

Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn Flickr
SEPTEMBER 2023 ISSUE
Metropolitan Airport News - September 2023
LATEST COMMENTS
  • Robert Waldvogel on Long Island MacArthur: New York’s Secondary Airport
  • USN Veteran on Long Island MacArthur: New York’s Secondary Airport
  • Stephen Adams on The Ultimate Airline Employee Incentive
  • Jeff Landgrebe on The Ultimate Airline Employee Incentive
  • About Us
  • Advertising Options
  • Charitable Giving Program
  • Back Issue Archive
  • Contact Us
© 2023 Airport Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.