when was the first commercial flight

The first true commercial airline flight took place on January 1, 1914.

Quick answer

• The first scheduled commercial passenger flight was flown by pilot Tony Jannus on January 1, 1914.

• It operated the St. Petersburg–Tampa Airboat Line in Florida, flying from St. Petersburg to Tampa.

• This 23‑minute hop across Tampa Bay is widely recognized as the start of modern commercial air travel.

A tiny bit of story

On New Year’s Day 1914, more than 2,000–3,000 people gathered at the St. Petersburg waterfront to watch the world’s first scheduled airline departure.

Businessman and former mayor Abram C. Pheil won the first seat at auction for about $400 , a sum equivalent to over $11,000 today, and rode in an open Benoist XIV flying boat just a few meters above the bay.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.