1962 American Airlines System Map
DESCRIPTION
This striking American Airlines System Map was published in 1962 by Rand McNally on behalf of American Airlines, Inc. as a fold-out poster designed to promote the carrier’s new “Astrojet” fleet of Boeing 707 and Convair 990 jetliners.
The date of publication was determined by the map’s reference to “Jet Age: Stage II – The Astrojets,” a phrase used by American Airlines only in early 1962 to mark the introduction of the Convair 990, as well as by its matching route network and period design style. The map showcases the airline’s expanding domestic and international system during the height of the Jet Age, when commercial aviation was rapidly transforming American travel.
A View Across the Interconnected Continent
The front of the map presents a detailed relief map of the continental United States, parts of Mexico, and southern Canada, with American’s major flight routes shown in vivid red lines radiating from key hub cities such as Dallas–Fort Worth, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. The base map employs shaded topography to convey the dramatic landforms visible from jet altitude, giving passengers a sense of both geography and elevation, with mountain ranges, plains, and coastlines rendered in three-dimensional realism.
Scattered throughout the design are airport runway diagrams, miniature schematics that depict the runway layout of airports within major cities and smaller cities. This clever visual feature that adds technical accuracy and emphasizes the growing infrastructure of airports throughout the United States. Those served by American Airlines are depicted in "Red" and all other airports are depicted in "Black." Finally, three illustrated aircraft glide across the Pacific, two labeled “Astrojet,” symbolizing American’s new generation of sleek, turbine-powered silver jets that promised greater speed, comfort, and range.
Educational Reverse and Design Innovation
The reverse side, titled The New Dimension Below, transforms the piece into a compact educational magazine. It features geological diagrams and photographs explaining the landforms of North America, from the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains to the Appalachian Range. Insets and charts describe the physical geography passengers might observe from their cabin windows, while additional sections highlight “The Jet Age: Stage II, The Astrojets” and list “Cities Served by American Airlines.” Combining geography, science, and marketing, the piece embodies the optimism and sophistication of early 1960s airline culture.
Historical Context
Issued at the height of America’s fascination with flight and technology, this map reflects the transition from propeller-driven travel to the jet-powered era that redefined global connectivity. American Airlines used the Astrojet name to brand its first fleet of pure-jet aircraft, emphasizing speed, modernity, and comfort. The educational content on the verso also mirrored a wider mid-century trend of blending commercial promotion with scientific learning, much like space and atomic-age advertising of the same decade, making this map not only a promotional artifact but also a celebration of aviation as a new dimension of American progress.
CONDITION
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