Over the 113 years since the first airplane passenger, Leon Delagrange, climbed aboard with French pilot Henri Farman, air travel has gone through drastic changes. Commercial aircraft have seen incredible technological developments. Many airlines have come and gone. And the procedures passengers go through, including the way they board jets, are almost nothing like they were back in the day.
But a few of the things airline customers have come to expect had their beginnings a century ago. The first flight attendant was aboard a zeppelin in 1912. The first onboard meal, a cold one, was served on a flight from London to Paris in 1919, according to Fortune magazine. Aeromarine Airways showed the first in-flight movie, a film called “Howdy Chicago,” in 1921 as its amphibious airplane flew passengers over Chicago, CNN said.
Passengers didn’t get their first frequent-flyer program until 1979, but they were allowed to smoke on domestic flights until 1990. (This is the world’s busiest air route.)Â
Check out the list of changes in air travel below.
Click here to see 50 ways air travel has changed over the last 100 years
Source: FPG / Archive Photos via Getty Images
1908: First airplane passenger
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Source: Topical Press Agency / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
1912: First flight attendant (on a zeppelin)
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Source: Topical Press Agency / Getty Images
1914: First scheduled passenger service
Source: Topical Press Agency / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
1919: First on-board (cold) meal served
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Source: General Photographic Agency / Getty Images
1921: First in-flight film
Source: Topical Press Agency / Getty Images
1922: First airplane flight attendant
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Source: Fox Photos / Getty Images
1928: First hot in-flight meal served
Source: Central Press / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
1928: First female airline co-pilot (volunteer)
Source: Hulton Archive / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
1930: First female flight attendant (“stewardess”)
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Source: Davis / Getty Images
1933: First modern airliner built
Source: Fox Photos / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
1934: First female airline co-pilot (official)
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Source: A. Hudson / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
1935: First air traffic control tower
Source: Stevenson / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
1939: First airport lounge
Source: Arthur Tanner / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
1939: First nonstop trans-Atlantic flight
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Source: 45379817@N08 / Flickr
1940: First pressured cabin
Source: FPG / Archive Photos via Getty Images
1948: Coach fares introduced
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Source: Central Press / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
1949: First domestic “no frills” airline
Source: Central Press / Hulton Royals Collection via Getty Images
1951: First commercial jet airliner
Source: Hulton Archive / Hulton Royals Collection via Getty Images
1953: First nonstop transcontinental flight
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Source: Stroud / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
1958: First covered airport jet bridge
Source: Stroud / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
1958: First Black flight attendant
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Source: McCabe / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
1960: First automated reservation system
Source: Evening Standard / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
1965: Overlapping nationwide radar system completed
1965: First Black commercial airline pilot
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Source: Express / Moviepix via Getty Images
1966: First trans-Atlantic “no frills” airline
Source: Tim Graham / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
1968: Mandatory flight attendant retirement age lifted
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Source: Dove / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
1969: Wide-body jet introduced
Source: Fox Photos / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
1972: Passenger screening begins
Source: Angela Deane-Drummond / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
1975: First in-flight video games
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Source: Express / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
1976: First female airline captain
Source: Evening Standard / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
1978: Airline industry deregulated
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Source: Central Press / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
1979: First frequent-flyer program
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1988: First seat-back video screens
1990: Smoking banned on all domestic flights
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Source: Getty Images / Getty Images
1994: First e-ticket issued
1995: First self-service check-in kiosk installed
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1996: First independent flight reservation service
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Source: Tim Boyle / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
2000: First in-flight wifi
Source: David Silverman / Getty Images News via Getty Images
2001: Transportation Security Administration (TSA) formed
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Source: David McNew / Getty Images News via Getty Images
2001: Food service stops on most major airlines
Source: Getty Images / Getty Images News via Getty Images
2003: Reinforced cockpit doors installed on major U.S. airlines
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Source: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images News via Getty Images
2005: Superjumbo jets introduced
Source: Thomas Cooper / Getty Images News via Getty Images
2006: Limits on carry-on liquids introduced
2007: Smartphone boarding passes accepted for first time
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2008: Checked baggage charges introduced
Source: David McNew / Getty Images News via Getty Images
2008: Global Entry begins at some airports
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Source: Win McNamee / Getty Images News via Getty Images
2011: TSA PreCheck introduced
Source: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images News via Getty Images
2018: Airlines begin charging for seat assignments
Source: Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images News via Getty Images
2021: U.S. requires passengers and crews to wear masks
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