Originally published in Jetstream Magazine by Sanghyun Kim.

In the early decades of intercontinental air travel, it was common to see airlines operate routes far beyond the borders of their home countries. A Pan American World Airways flight, for example, might run from Mumbai to Karachi, onward to Frankfurt, and finally to New York, all under the same flight number. Likewise, a British Airways flight could operate from London, UK, to Bombay, India, then onto Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Perth, Australia, and Melbourne, Australia before finally arriving in Auckland, New Zealand.

This patchwork routing was the result of passenger demand, aircraft range limitations, and the economic logic of serving multiple markets with a single aircraft. Every stop offered new revenue opportunities, while each additional tag-on improved aircraft utilization.

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