15

I was searching online, and find a lot of references about the Pan Am moon tickets.

I'm curious how much they were going to cost though. I saw somewhere that said there was no down-payment... just reservations.

Was there ever an actual, established price on those tickets before Pan Am went out of business?

(+ Apparently TWA was also going to offer flights to the moon)

Improve this question
2
  • 2
    Added a link that talks about the flights.
    – eidylon
    Jul 23, 2013 at 16:13
  • 1
    They were unbooked reservations (a waiting list) so it was just names, no prices.
    – Tyler Durden
    Aug 27, 2014 at 17:52

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
17

Well, according to all sources I can find they issued free travel vouchers - in the form of "First Moon Flights" Club cards - that could be redeemed for a trip to the moon when the service started.

Front Face Rear Face

Image source

According to a Wired article on Virgin Galactic (as well as Wikipedia...) some 98,000 people placed reservations and one individual attempted to pay 1 Million USD to secure his seat.

The cards, says Pan Am, are not transferable and card holders must produce them before they can buy tickets to the moon. Although no deposits were required for the reservations, one would-be passenger was so anxious to secure his place in line that he sent along a check for $1 million. The check wasn't cashed, Arey says.

"Pan Am Has 90,002 Reservations : Public Interest Grows in Flights to the Moon", Los Angeles Times, February 10, 1985. ROBERT E. DALLOS

The waiting list for Pan Am's first moon flights was closed in 1971 as the company was suffering financial difficulties and decided to remove the administrative cost of the cards. (Quote from the same article as above)

Pan Am distributed numbered cards to anyone who asked. Though 100,000 cards were printed, the airline stopped taking reservations a few years later when they became an administrative burden at a time when the airline was experiencing severe financial difficulties. It does not plan to take new reservations until it inaugurates service to the moon.

So, in conclusion, no - it appears there never was a fixed price for the flights.

Improve this answer
2
  • and how could there have been without even an indication of what the vehicle would be to get the passengers there and back, let alone the infrastructure?
    – jwenting
    Aug 28, 2014 at 10:05
  • Exactly, they might have been able to charge a "reservation fee" but as this was just a publicity stunt, I doubt that was ever discussed.
    – Kobunite
    Aug 28, 2014 at 10:27
0

In the summer of 1969, there was a large, spiffy PanAm poster, a white pointed rocketship on moon and black ground, advertising flight reservations to the moon for $500, posted on the wall at the soda fountain at our local Bill Thames pharmacy.

Improve this answer
2
  • 1
    I'm adding this post notice under a wee bit of protest. This answer got flagged, and I have to admit we usually expect some kind of reference for non-trivial historical facts. "That dude "mike" says so" isn't supposed to be enough. Sometimes we'll weaken that for first-hand testimony though. So perhaps this is a like 3/4 of a post notice? :-)
    – T.E.D. ♦
    Jan 26, 2022 at 3:26
  • 2
    Still, if you're asserting that a poster with that exact amount on it used to exist, perhaps someone with good Google-fu can find a picture of one?
    – T.E.D. ♦
    Jan 26, 2022 at 3:27

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.