Could Akron simply fly over mountain ranges?

Could Akron move between the Atlantic and Pacific without the Panama Canal simply by flying over the mountains?

In principle, but not without constraints: its cited ceiling was about 26,000 feet, while payload, pressure height, oxygen requirements, weather information, and mountain air currents narrowed the practical margin.

A flying carrier did not need the Panama Canal or a voyage around South America, which gave Akron a real geographic advantage. Mountains created an atmospheric barrier of their own. A source supplied during the exchange gives Akron a ceiling of roughly 26,000 feet, comfortably above the highest peaks but with less margin against dangerous currents or pressure-height limits under an operational load. Theoretical altitude alone did not make a coast-to-coast transfer quick, routine, or weather-independent.