Monday, Aug. 29, 1927

Flying Trains

The country has broken out in a rash of airplane companies, if one credits the flow of items which bubble up each morning to attract the newspaper reader. The latest project is a New York-to-Chicago airway; there to connect with the Chicago-and-San Francisco planes, already operating. The fare will be $400; the flying time 32 hours. Trains take 90 hours; cost $140.

Alluring reports of various concerns picture the passenger stepping into a deeply upholstered cabin; sailing smoothly, swiftly above the realms of way stations; ordering luncheon from a white-coated and obsequious steward. Actual facts from the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce of America indicate'that the solid citizen is skeptical of airways. Last year only 7,651 citizens paid for tickets on U. S. flying trains. At least two companies, lacking passengers, evaporated. Flying taxicabs,

specially chartered planes and short-ride airplanes which carried people curious "just to see what it was like" did better business. Nearly 670,000 people took their first bird's-eye-views of life thus.

Airway travel is roughly three times as fast as railways; costs three times as much. There are eight passenger airways now operating. The figures:

Chicago to San Francisco

New York to Boston

Portland to Los Angeles

Salt Lake City to Los Angeles

Chicago to Minneapolis

Cheyenne, Wyo., to Pueblo, Col

Detroit to Grand Rapids, Mich

San Diego to Los Angeles

ATB RAILROAD

Time fare Time Fare

22 hr. 40 min. $200.00 68 hr. $79.84

3 hr. 5 min. 30.00 5 hr. 8.24

11 hr. 15 min. 113.50 39 hr. 30 min. 40.88

7 hr. 15 min. 60.00 30 hr. 28.05

5 hr. 50 min. 40.00 12 hr. 14.66

3 hr. 25.00 8 hr. 8.16

1 hr. 45 min. 18.00 4 hr. 5.49

1 hr. 10 min. 17.50 3 hr. 30 min. 4.55