Although only 25 people died in an air accident that year, it was perceived as
Air travel early in
the decade was limited mostly to the upper class and to those who had a good
reason to fly, such as manufacturers' representatives and those involved in
banking. Flying was more expensive than traveling by train and “discretionary”
flying was not yet practiced. According to aviation historian Roger Bilstein, a
market survey of the 2,500 air fares in 1930 revealed that “85 percent of the
passengers came from major businesses and high-income residential areas.”
Charles Solberg states that, in 1932, the main reason people flew was speed.
Although only 25 people died in an air accident that year, it was perceived as
dangerous; a $5,000 insurance policy for a plane trip cost $2 while for a trip
by train, the cost was 25 cents. From 1932, the most famous airline passenger
of the 1930s was very likely First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who crisscrossed the
country by air.