America’s First Commercial Airline
Long before the age of modern-day airlines, in the early 1900’s, an average person’s means of transportation consisted of: boats, cars, walking and trains. Prior to the innovation of commercial arial transportation, planes were still being modified and used for single-person, short-distanced flights. The idea of having arial transportation for masses was in its infancy stages yet—aviator and aircraft manufacturer, Thomas Benoist—blazed the trail for what later aviators would soon come to follow.
In these times the distance between St. Petersburg and Tampa Bay, Florida was vast for the mediums of available transportation. In order to close the gap between the two cities, Benoist was brought in to start an air passenger service in 1913, the first of its kind. Thus in the wake of arial innovation, as well as commercial enterprise, the transportation service entitled, St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line was created.
The First Flight
The first flight took place on January 1st, 1914 as it ushered in not just a new year, but a new model for commercial aviation. The plane, Benoist XIV, better known as, The Lark of Duluth, was piloted by Antony Jannus. The airplane was a two-seater plane, pilot and one passenger. The day created a heap of buzz in the area generating more than 3,000 spectators at a parade who all bore witness history as well as an Italian band who at the departure point. In addition, the buzz heightened as there was an auction held which granted the highest bidder the first round-trip ticket. The winner of the auction was former mayor of St.Petersburg, Abram C. Pheil who won the ticket with a bid of $400 ($10,500 in 2021). The aircraft itself was more-so a hybrid between a boat and an airplane—this would be dubbed “airboat.” The flight covered 18 miles and lasted 23 minutes, about 11 hours less than traveling between the two cities by train. Despite it being an aircraft, they craft rarely exceeded five feet above the water.
“To me, flying is not the successful defying of death, but the indulgence in the poetry of mechanical motion…” Antony Jannus
The birthplace for commercial aviation would spread its wings in the following months after its first flight. The SPT Airboat Airline would go on to add additional aircraft from Benoist’s collective—one that was used to ferry passengers and another to train pilots. The price of a ticket was $5 per person ($130 in 2021) and after four months of its conception, the airline service ended (May 5th, 1914).
Despite its short tenure, the SPT would etch itself in history as the first commercial airline service in America. With over 172 flights, 1,205 passengers and totaling over 7,000 miles during their flights, the stage would be set for other aviators to follow.
Today, Tampa Bay is home to three international airports, Tampa International Airport St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport, and Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. It is also home to the MacDill Air Force Base and 14 general aviation airports. In 2019, Tampa International Airport had almost 23 million passengers on 292,000 flights.
Article written by Brandon Drain
