Half a century ago, airline stewardesses wore double-breasted suits and perky cloth hats: in-flight refreshment consisted of a thermos of ice water: and passenger seats were fashioned out of tubular aluminum covered in wool. Today lucky air travelers are treated to fine wines, gourmet meals, personal television monitors and even the chance to sleep in a real bed, while the rest of us make do with increasingly skimpy leg room and a bag of peanuts. From utilitarian to luxury, from sensible to chic, from humdrum to kitsch, the evolution of air travel is one of the most dramatic and fascinating reflections of our changing culture, and it is colorfully and whimsically documented in this unique collection of photographs and entertaining text.

Air travel has a unique, global style unlike any that exists on earth. Airline examines every aspect of this style, from the exterior and interior design of planes to the advertising and haute couture. It uses hundreds of photographs and archival illustrations to show how the world has changed -- and how it is in some ways ver