DELAG introduced the '' Hindenburg '' , which began passenger flights in 1936 and made 36 Atlantic crossings ( North and South ) . The first passenger trip across the North Atlantic left Friedrichshafen on 6 May with 56 crew and 50 passengers , arriving Lakehurst on 9 May . Fare was $ 400 one way ; the ten westward trips that season took 53 to 78 hours and eastward took 43 to 61 hours . The last eastward trip of the year left Lakehurst on 10 October ; the first North Atlantic trip of 1937 ended in the Hindenburg disaster
Hindenburg disaster
Hindenburg disaster
Transatlantic flight