Pan Am's First Office
American international aviation was born in a Key West bait shack in 1927. The building is now a celebrity's microbrewery.
On October 19, 1927, Pan American Airways operated its first international flight — a Fokker Trimotor carrying mail from Key West to Havana. The airline's first office was a converted bait shack on the Key West waterfront. From that shack, Pan Am would grow to become the dominant American international airline for five decades, connecting the United States to Latin America, Europe, Asia, and eventually the world.
Pan Am's first passenger flight carried seven people from Key West to Havana in 1928. The fare was $50 — roughly $900 today. The flight took 90 minutes. It was the beginning of American international commercial aviation.
The original building no longer stands, but the site on the Key West waterfront is marked and the story is told at the nearby Custom House Museum. The location is now occupied by the Waterfront Brewery, owned by actor Kelly McGillis. The juxtaposition — birthplace of American international aviation, now a craft beer bar — is very Key West.
The historic marker is at the Key West Seaport, near the foot of William Street. The Key West Custom House Museum at 281 Front St has the best documentation of Pan Am's founding. The Waterfront Brewery occupies the approximate site and is worth a stop for the history alone.