Naked Science Forum

Non Life Sciences => Technology => Topic started by: syhprum on 18/09/2014 20:26:22

Title: How much would a Hindenberg ticket have cost?
Post by: syhprum on 18/09/2014 20:26:22

I would dearly have loved to travel to America on the Hindenburg Hydrogen not withstanding but I fear the cost of the trip would have been well outside of what I could afford.
What would the cost have been in terms of 2014 money and how would it compare with a Concord trip or a Virgin Atlantic third class trip..

Title: Re: The cost of air transport
Post by: CliffordK on 19/09/2014 06:25:31

How much were the tickets on the Hindenburg?

I had a friend who looked at booking a flight on the Concorde, and it was around $5000, I think.  That puts it beyond the reach of most frugal travelers. 

Although, I suppose you couldn't necessarily compare the cost of travel to the low cost providers that can get a person across the ocean (and back) for well under $1000.

Perhaps one should compare it to the price of passage in a sailing ship across the Atlantic which might equate to several years of indentured servitude for the impoverished travelers.

One of the things that has occurred over the last half century or so is an enormous accumulation of wealth.  So, frills that may have only been available to the super-wealthy a few decades ago are now available to nearly everyone today.  Of course, there are certainly new luxuries for the privileged few.

Title: Re: The cost of air transport
Post by: alancalverd on 19/09/2014 07:01:29

Hindenburg transatlantic return tickets cost $700 in 1937. Using standard inflation tables this is equivalent to around $12,000 in 2014, so comparable with a "walk up" Concorde ticket.

As the flight took between 2 and 3 days each way, and involved banquets and concerts as well as whale-watching and iceberg-spotting, I'd put it down as better value for money than BA's scrambled eggs and videotape. And why do Virgin serve such disgusting wine?

Thanks to the internet, there's no need for speed these days - you can be everywhere at once without leaving your office. So perhaps it's time to enjoy the flight again.