These days, we mostly begrudge flying, grousing about everything from epic TSA lines to economy seats that make us feel like sardines in a can.
It's easy to forget just how revolutionary and thrilling commercial airfare was when it began over a century ago. The passenger plane extended our ability to see new places and visit loved ones, and it did so in an undeniably exciting way — by flying us 30,000 feet in the air at exceptional speeds.
What was flying like when passenger flights began, and how has it transformed over the decades? The following gives a glimpse into the evolution of air travel — for better and worse.