American Airlines DC-7 cabin, Los Angeles to New York, circa 1953

About this postcard

The main cabin of an American Airlines DC-7 Flagship shows passengers seated in blue and white seats while a stewardess in a blue uniform places a red bag in an overhead rack. A red carpet runs down the aisle, and the travelers wear mid-century attire. The caption reads "Mercury" and promotes the DC-7 as a 365 mph airliner flying nonstop between Los Angeles and New York. American Airlines used the DC-7 on transcontinental routes in the mid-1950s, when nonstop coast-to-coast service was a selling point and cabin service was presented as a mark of modern air travel.