Page Dimensions

Approx. 8 1/4" x 11" (21cm x 28cm)

Story and Details

This 1965 Pan Am advertisement proudly and prominently displays what may be the most iconic airline logo of all-time... Designed in the mid-1950s, the signature blue "globe" graphic intentionally incorporates longitudinal lines passing through as a way to communicate the reality of global travel. Like how a stamp in a passport marks a visit to a foreign country, this famous emblem emblazoned on the rudder symbolizes a bygone era. An era when Pan Am Airways was the leader in international travel. And not just because they safely transported passengers to far off destinations... Also because Pan Am treated passengers to the best experience. 

The airliner pictured on the tarmac is a Boeing 707. With this technology, the aviation industry was thrust into a new age - the Jet Age. As the first Jet airliner produced by Boeing, the 707 quickly cemented itself in the industry. Passengers could now fly to places never before possible, in record time, all with the quiet comfort offered by jet engines. This made the 707 the first commercially successful jetliner, becoming commonplace among 31 airlines during its lifetime, including Pan American World Airways. Established in 1927, Pan Am’s flying boats - Clippers - were at the forefront of the aviation industry, being the first to fly across both the Atlantic and Pacific and the first to circumnavigate the globe.

With the advent of the Jet Age, Pan Am’s Clippers took on a new form, the Boeing 707, becoming the first airline to operate the state-of-the-art jetliner at the time. All of these firsts made Pan Am truly a "one of a kind" airline, and set the standard for others to follow. Not just with its impeccable safety record, but with its proven, reliable, and luxurious in-flight service, offering a comfort and peace of mind to passengers never before experienced prior to the advent of jetliners. It was this which led to the 1960s being remembered as the Golden Age of aviation. And it was the legacy of achievement, and luxury experience, which established Pan Am as the beacon of the Golden Age - to aviation and travel enthusiasts alike. 

This Pan Am advertisement is the best of all-time. In my mind, no other Pan Am print ad does as good a job capturing the history and spirit of the company. The visual and written elements perfectly summarize the famed airline and make this ad "First-class."