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Before computers, airlines took reservations manually. Centered around a large board that displayed the next thirty days of flights, employees would receive calls for reservations, write down passenger's information, and then assign them seats on their chosen flights. Modern reservation systems developed with the evolution of computers. Shortly after World War II, American Airlines introduced the first automated reservation system, the Reservisor. Image: United Air Lines flight planning "Big Board", 1940s. Gift of United Airlines Archives. 1999.047.260 This image was posted on February 10, 2018.