A Legacy of Air Cargo Carriers
June 2010 - December 2010
In 1910, Philip Olin Parmalee flew one hundred pounds of silk for a department store from Dayton, Ohio to Columbus, Ohio. It was one of the earliest freight shipments to be sent by air. Yet, not until the late 1920s, did airlines begin providing regular airfreight services. During the 1930s, these were expanded to include a wider range of goods and destinations. Over the next fifty years, airlines created separate air cargo divisions, and new, all-cargo airlines emerged. To the benefit of businesses and the greater public, competition compelled carriers to offer faster, more extensive, and specialized services. With the recent rapid growth of technology, and its associated need to move parts and products quickly within an interdependent global economy, airfreight has and will continue to grow. Presented within this exhibition are a selection of aircraft models, uniforms, publications, advertisements, and promotional items representing nine major airfreight carriers over the last seventy years.
Photography is not permitted.
©2010 by San Francisco Airport Commission. All rights reserved.