How did the word "liner" become attached to airplanes and ships?
Wife and I just heard the oldies song “Big Old Jet Airliner” and we both wondered how liner became attached to airplanes and ships. Question: How did the word liner become a part of airplane and ship and what’s it’s meaning?
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“Line” is synonymous with “fleet.” The White Star Line was a fleet of ships owned by the White Star Company. An oceanliner would be a member of that line of ships owned by that particular company. Each company’s ships are different.
“Line” originally referred to shipping and passenger routes or lanes (lines). Airplane companies adopted the word for use in marketing to associate themselves with luxury travel. My, how times have changed.
“Regular scheduled voyages on a set route on the sea are called ‘line voyages’ and vessels (passenger or cargo) trading on these routes to a timetable are called liners. In older usage, ‘liner’ also referred to ships of the line, that is, line-of-battle ships, but that usage is now rare. Today, the term refers to a ship that is constructed to a higher standard than a normal cruise ship, enabling it to cross oceans such as the Atlantic and Pacific with passengers, in inclement weather conditions.”
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“The Lawson Airplane Company opened its facilities on South Water Street in Milwaukee during April, 1919. The company was formed to build aircraft for the Lawson Transportation Company—namely the Lawson C-2, which he called an Airliner.”
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