WHERE TO FROM HERE?

From moving jam to masses of people, flying has come a long way — maybe too far. By Hugh Morris

On August 25 1919, the staff of Aircraft Transport and Travel Limited loaded jam, Devonshire cream, newspapers and a brace of grouse onto a singleengine DH16 on the turf at Hounslow Heath Aerodrome in London. The lone passenger hopped aboard and the Paris-bound plane took off on the first-ever scheduled international passenger service.

Aviation’s progress following that summer’s day has been remarkable. Today, the skies are filled with planes, connecting every corner of the Earth. Some 4.3 billion passengers flew last year, a record broken year after year. Within years, six airlines were flying between

London and Paris and AT& T began its mergers that would result in British

Airways.

Decades passed.

Flying boats made arduous trips to Australia and back; the services run by Imperial Airways and Qantas Empire Airways took 12 days and involved a rail trip between Paris and Brindisi in Italy.

In 1949, the British de Havilland Comet was the first jet airliner to take to the air. Boeing entered the fray in 1958 with the 707, followed in 1969 by the 747, the

Queen of the Skies. The original “jumbo jet” made long-haul travel a viable option for the masses for the first time.

There is no denying, however, that the romance of air travel has been stripped back. As commercial flying marks its

100th year, the concern is not so much “look how far we’ve come” as it is “have we gone too far?” Between carbon emissions, overtourism and budget carriers, there is little awe left.

The ubiquity of commercial air travel has made the world smaller, helping millions of holidaymakers see more of the world than ever before. But one wonders where the path might continue from here, and where commercial flights will be in another 100 years. One way or another, the future of travel depends on it.

— The Sunday Telegraph