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Bigger Planes. The Boeing 707s are 144 ft. long, 28 ft. longer than the biggest piston plane and longer than the distance of Wright's first flight. They seem more like roomy club cars than planes. Though the 707 will seat up to 150 people, American plans to seat only 112 at first, evenly divided between first class and coach.
New Sensations. The new jets fly ahead of their engine noise, are so quiet that American plans to play hi-fi music—so free of vibration that there is virtually no feeling of motion. They will fly above most bad weather (at 30,000-35,000 ft.).
New Terminals. Major U.S. airlines are putting up jet-age terminals and hangars across the country to gear their operations to the jet age. American's $75 million for new facilities will include a $14 million passenger terminal and a $12 million hangar at New York's Idlewild Airport, new hangars in several other cities. Passengers will wait for their flights in comfortable, soundproof lounges, board the jet on a single level through telescopic covered passageways that shoot out to the plane's two doors.
Faster Ticketing. American is working with IBM on an electronic system that can transmit information on every American flight across the U.S., enabling clerks to tell instantly which seats are free.
Daytime Flights. All of American's 1,000 daily flights will have to be rescheduled in the next three years. Since most people will prefer to fly in daytime and sleep in a bed at night, airlines expect overnight traffic to be cut to a trickle.
Faster Baggage Loading. All luggage for one city will be placed in large protective plastic containers that are hoisted automatically into the jet's belly, enabling workers to load—and unload—twice as much baggage in the same time. "Right now," says an American executive, "we are still loading baggage on planes the same way they loaded Cleopatra's barge."
Better Food. Jetliners will have four galleys, which can turn out 280 cups of coffee per hour, and on overseas flights infra-red ovens that can broil 130 steaks an hour. New facilities on the jet (including rolling serving trays) will make it possible for attendants to prepare and serve a meal a minute.
Lower Fares. If the jets prove as economical as their new owners hope, fares will probably be lowered to attract more travelers. In any case, a jet ride will cost no more.
Not all these changes will take place right away. The jet age has come so fast that the U.S. is unprepared for it in many ways. Long ignored by indifferent Congresses, airway control and airport modernization are lagging badly. Only 14 U.S. airports are now ready to handle jets. Complete air control is still a paper project—though enough may be done by January to keep American's transcontinental jets under radar surveillance across the U.S. But most of the changes are inevitable, simply because the jet age demands them.
Monk & Gambler. On American Airlines, the changes will come naturally and inevitably to Cyrus Rowlett Smith, known familiarly in the industry as "C. R.," who has spent 24 years patiently and indefatigably making improvements in his line.