81 years since the first inflight movie was shown - Travelers United
Travelers United
81 years since the first inflight movie was shown
October 8, 2010
Filed Under: Today By Charlie Leocha Leave a Comment
Our government at work — This is the daily “Profile America” feature from the U.S. Census Bureau for today, Friday, October 8th. This is the 81st anniversary of the first inflight movie ever shown. A little-known travel gem.
Friday, October 8th, celebrates one of the few joys left in long-distance flying, sitting back and enjoying a feature-length movie. But recently, one major airline announced it will be ending this entertainment, joining several low-cost airlines in the policy. While movies have been generally available on long flights for decades, the first movies shown in the air were a newsreel and two cartoons. These were shown on this date in 1929 aboard a Ford Trimotor operated by Transcontinental Air Transport. Regular in-flight movie service began in July 1961 on a Trans World airline flight from New York to Los Angeles. Now, more than 3.9 million passengers fly between New York and Los Angeles every year. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at
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