The Great Pan American Airship Mystery, or, Why I Murdered Robert Benchley

Title: "The Great Pan American Airship Mystery, or, Why I Murdered Robert Benchley"
Author: David Gerrold
Published: Asimov's Science Fiction, July 2015
Description, by Sam Tomaino (SFRevu): "In a world in which Nikola Tesla had developed "an efficient method of low-cost helium extraction" and had made dirigible travel economical. Pan Am is investing heavily into it. It launches its flagship craft, Liberty (three times larger than the Hindenburg), on June 3, 1937 on an inaugural flight from New York City to San Francisco which will take just over a day. A horde of celebrities are on board, including the Algonquin Round Table. Our narrator is a steward tasked with serving them. An aspiring writer, he hopes to pick up some tips but all they do is drink and eat. There is a long discussion on writer's block and what to do about it. They also discuss murdering someone, Louis B. Mayer, a critic or Robert Benchley. "
Category:Best Novelette