St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line

USA

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With the backing of the city of St. Petersburg, the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line commenced operations on January 1, 1914, to become the world's first scheduled commercial airline. Its pilot, Tony Jannus, carried freight and one passenger across the Tampa Bay in a Benoist Type XIV flying-boat. This had been constructed by Thomas Benoist of St. Louis, who was responsible for the operations of the airline. Frequency was two round trips a day. Demand was such that a second, larger, flying-boat had to be acquired, flown by Tony's brother Roger. With the end of the tourist season in April the service was terminated. The two poster timetables below have the same flight times, fares and rates. The only difference is the information about City News Stand.

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Undated (1914)
Poster timetable
(From the collection of George N. Johnson jr)
Click for larger view

Undated (1914)
Poster timetable illustration from the April 1914 issue of "Travel" magazine
(From the collection of Michael Dawes)

Undated (1914)
Promotional brochure for St. Petersburg w/timetable printed inside
(From the collection of George N. Johnson jr)
Click to view postcards of the flying-boat service

This page last updated February 7, 2016.