In September 1928 , DELAG began operating the successful rigid airship LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin , which made regular , nonstop , transatlantic flights possible before airplanes had flight ranges sufficient to cross the ocean in either direction without stopping . For DELAG 's first transatlantic trip , Dr. Eckener commanded the '' Graf Zeppelin '' airship leaving Friedrichshafen , Germany , at 07:54 on 11 October 1928 , arriving at Lakehurst Field , New Jersey , on 15 October . In 1931 the airship Graf Zeppelin began offering regular scheduled passenger service between Germany and South America which continued until 1937 . During its career Graf Zeppelin crossed the South Atlantic 136 times . In 1936 , the airship '' Hindenburg '' entered passenger service and successfully crossed the Atlantic 36 times before catching fire at Lakehurst , New Jersey on May 6 , 1937
before catching fire
Hindenburg disaster
DELAG