The year 1950 was a pivotal year for innovations in air travel, marking the start of the Jet age after the invention of the jet engine by Frank Whittle some nine years earlier. Airlines began to spring up everywhere, catering to the demands of passengers wanting to go just about anywhere, but the flights were domestic only at the time. Pre-war travel was sold as a luxury experience afforded only by the rich, but post war, the emphasis was on comfort and customer service for both the rich and middle class. However air travel was still out of reach for those on a low income. Speed was the key, getting passengers from New York to London or Paris in six and a half to seven hours was the various airlines' biggest coup.