The first commercial flight in 1914 cost $400, equivalent to over $9,000 today. The flight was a 23-minute journey between St. Petersburg and Tampa, Florida, carrying two people on a Benoist XIV plane. The Wright brothers invented the first powered aircraft in 1903, and the first round-the-world flight occurred in 1924. The first supersonic flight was accomplished by US Air Force Captain Charles Yeager in 1947.
As you can imagine, a seat on a commercial flight wasn’t as affordable in 1914 as it is today. So how much exactly does a seat on the first commercial flight cost? It was $400, which might not seem all that outrageous until we factor in inflation and flight length. If we calculate $400 in today’s currency, adding an annual inflation rate of 3.17%, that would equal just over $9,000. Nor frequent flyer miles. The first commercial flight took off in January 1914 and completed a 23-minute, 18.6-mile (30 km) journey between St. Petersburg and Tampa, Florida. The plane, a Benoist XIV, was carrying two people on board that day. The plane was piloted by Tony Jannus and the passenger was former St. Petersburg mayor Abram Pheil, who won the seat in a special auction for $400.
More information on early flight:
The Wright brothers, originally from Dayton, Ohio, invented the first powered aircraft and completed their maiden flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1903.
The first round-the-world flight occurred in 1924, a journey of approximately 25,000 miles (40,234 km) and more than 5 months, starting and ending in Seattle, Washington.
The first supersonic flight was accomplished by US Air Force Captain Charles Yeager in 1947. Yeager’s Bell X-1 reached speeds of 700 miles (1,127 km) per hour, exceeding the speed of sound.
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