When KLM started flying Amsterdam-Batavia in the 1930s it was dangerous but people preferred it to spending weeks on a ship.

Preferred like people today prefer their private jet? It cost more than your typical annual salary at the time.

I just read that the trip was still a 5 day journey, involving 20+ stops and spinning that takeoff and landing roulette wheel quite a bit..

The novelty factor might have been just as big a deal as time savings. It was something cool to try as an ultra wealthy globe trotter.

	▲	netsharc 19 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		This page (1) reports 9 stops (between start and destination): > The plane took off – for the 1st leg of the flight from Amsterdam to Batavia – on 30 April. The schedule: Budapest 30 April, Athens 1 May, Cairo 2 May, Baghdad 3 May, Jask 4 May, Jodhpur 5 May, Calcutta 6 May, Tavoy 7 May, Medan 8 May and arriving in Batavia on 9 May. This page(2) claims a max speed of 190km/h. Budapest to Athens is 1130 km apart, so if the plane was flying around 150km/h, it's a 7 hour trip for that segment. Ouch. At least the passengers probably had a nice dinner and slept every night in a nice hotel... (1) https://dutchaustralianculturalcentre.com.au/archive/dutch-a... (2) https://aircraftinvestigation.info/airplanes/Fokker_F.VIIa.h...