Living in the Age of Airplanes was initially planned to be released as Aviation: The Invisible Highway before National Geographic Films acquired it for distribution.

Critics praised its technical and narrative aspects but some felt it lacked comprehensiveness on the history and disadvantages of aviation; fans of One Six Right were disappointed by its difference.

The second chapter, "The Portal to the Planet", says aviation is crucial to connecting the world and is the equivalent of time travel: a bridge between cultures.

The third chapter, "Redefining Remote", depicts Maldives, a country that is accessible with seaplanes, since its small islands and shallow waters, make airports difficult to build and ships impossible to approach.

[2] Terwilliger chose to show the difficulty of pre-aviation life to make the film relatable,[6] and gave it a philosophical theme, comparing aviation to the Internet, which "could help us share ideas and communicate with other people so quickly now.

Amid pre-production, a short film called Flying Full Circle, in which Terwilliger flew with the Blue Angels, was made.

[3] Filming began in 2010 when the first Arri Alexa camera was released; the crew decided to purchase its seventh iteration before the model was made available to the public.

Andrew Waruszewski, who had filmed documentaries for National Geographic, was engaged as cinematographer upon recommendation to Terwilliger by producer Bryan H. Carroll.

[15] In "The World Comes to Us", Terwilliger chose a flower as the primary object to depict cargo aviation because it is "timeless", culturally appreciative, and perishable.

[2] The film crew followed a shipment of roses from Kenya as they travel to an Alaskan house, transiting at an Amsterdam warehouse and Memphis International Airport.

[17] Although some shots were planned using flight data from FlightAware,[5] some were impromptu at the cost of the crew staying in the locations for extra days.

Harrison Ford, who is also a pilot, recognized Terwilliger from One Six Right and accepted his offer to narrate the film, which was done over three days in early 2014.

Visual effects for the Earth and flight patterns were produced by Whiskytree, for disappearing infrastructure by Identity FX, and for the three-dimensional text tracking by Legion Studios.

[30] According to Seginus Aerospace, the film's theme is connection because it shows how people and objects may travel more easily and quickly using aviation; according to the narration; "Everywhere we go, we find pieces of everywhere else".

[32] Blake Snow of Paste summarizes the film's moral as commercial aviation having "enhanced human life, especially [their] adventurous spirit"; although the industry is imperfect, it deserves one's perspective and gratitude.

[10] Paul Thompson, writing for TravelPulse, said "Perspective" is a reference to sitting in an aircraft's window seat; "There are so many awful, divisive things going on in our world right now, that flying seven miles over it all is quite a wonderful escape sometimes".

[36] The first trailer for Living in the Age of Airplanes premiered on July 19, 2014, under the title Aviation: The Invisible Highway, at the 2014 Global Business Travel Association convention.

[45] Following a press conference at the Emirates Lounge,[44] attendees (comprising aviation enthusiasts, museum staff, and the press) were able to watch it on the aircraft's entertainment screens[46] as well as interview Terwilliger and Horner; Ford was unable to attend after being injured in a plane crash,[43] which National Geographic reported created more interest in the film.

[44] Living in the Age of Airplanes then premiered theatrically at the Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater[48] at the National Air and Space Museum on April 8.

[54] In Montreal's Canadian Museum of History, the film was translated to French, retitled Vivre À L'ère des Avions.

The film appeared on several charts, gaining 17th place at "All Time Worldwide Box Office for National Geographic Entertainment Movies".

[53] Film critics were polarized on the contents of Living in the Age of Airplanes; many praised it as a celebratory and insightful look at aviation[71][72][73] while others panned it as an publicity stunt of the industry,[71][74][75] although Snow thought that is not a bad thing.

[76] The film was also endorsed by prominent figures in the aviation industry,[38][77] and was used in a 2018 event in collaboration with several United States airlines in response to the decline in the number of pilots.

[78] Several critics thought it succeeds in showing the difficulty of life pre-aviation and the subtle impacts of aviation, making it an overall emotional experience;[35] Paula Fleri-Soler of the Times of Malta called it "An ode to planes".

[72] The quality of Ford's narration received polarizing opinions; some reviewers called it stiff and overblown,[43][69] though it was also labeled awe-inspiring[71] and personal.

[65] Other critics were dismayed by the film's lack or omission of historical content and the disadvantages of aviation such as being a major contributor to climate change.

[75] The uncertainty over the future of aviation is also not covered, though John Hartl of The Seattle Times called the film "modest" and a "nearly seamless, [...] sunny depiction of what to expect and [has] been accomplished".

[32] Sandie Angulo Chen of Common Sense Media criticized Ford's narration for "accusing" travelers of not enjoying flights without mentioning the root of the problem.

[28] Chen recommended it as an add-on to a museum admission, especially for aviation enthusiasts, citing its rich visuals and educational value.

[18] In response to Horner's death in a plane crash shortly after the film's release, Terwilliger said:[6]The issues [in aviation] are in the news: they are talked about, they do get their screen time.