It's seems that in the past the airlines had the customer in mind, comfort, respect, and pleasing the passengers was their main goal. Now it seems like we are all treated as though we are common criminals and money is the airlines goal. I love to fly in airplanes, but I hate the hoops you must jump through. I prefer the train or automobile where it's more comfortable. Even the Grey Hound busses treat their passengers with more dignity than today's airlines do.
Delayed flights, half ounce pretzel bags, cramped seats, and being forced to check bags because there's no room in the cabin. Ugh, I wish I was alive in the 70s
My father was an exec on Pan American Airways in the '50s and 60s. We literally traveled the world in First Class back then, and in the earlier years slept in overhead berths. Maxim's of Paris was the caterer for the incredible food we were fed. Life was great and then we had to adjust to a harsher world when Pan Am went out of business. Saddest day of my parents life. It never got better than that.
What an incredible story, being an honored customer and guest aboard the fleet by the then greatest air carrier! And food from Maxim’s, amazing. There’s a good reason why director Stanley Kubrick chose the company name of Pan American to represent the fictional sleek passenger space shuttle Orion as depicted in “2001: A Space Odyssey”.
as a bi-coastal child after the divorce of my parents my brother and i flew back and forth every summer from Los Angeles to New York in the 70s and early 80s. mostly of 747s, the plane was never full and if one wanted to sleep there was always a row of center seats empty to do so. in the beginning of our trips alone we were escorted at all times and presented to the cockpit to meet the captain and receive our wing pins, always a strong james bond type with greying temples that put us instantly at ease. there was a bar lounge in first class on the upper deck. food in coach was always with silverware and cloth napkins. i remember several breakfast buffets in coach class at the rear of the plane followed by a full service lunch and the drink carts moved though several times, the crew really worked hard and found time to talk to us, it seemed effortless to these professionals. it was a magnificent time, once upon a time.
Thank you for sharing such wonderful memories from your life. Something, I will never experience… I’m from India, born in the 90s.. flying wasn’t even maintstream here until the late 2000s. I get to live vicariously through your precious writing. God bless!
@@dominaevillae28 While your statement is true, there was something exciting about dressing up in my patent leather Mary Jane shoes…white gloves..and best Sunday dress for the flights we took in the early 70’s. It was an event and I have wonderful memories of the excitement leading up to flying on Pan Am with my family.
So do I. As a young girl in the 70’s I’d be in my Sunday best with patent leather shoes..gloves..and a pocketbook that matched my shoes. We’d fly on 747’s overseas for my Dads work assignments as an aerospace Engineer for Boeing. First Class….my Mom used to tell us kids to really enjoy it because there was no way we could afford to fly if Boeing didn’t pay our way. Those memories are priceless 😎
I still remember as a teen taking an Olympic 747 400 to Athens. It was so damn good. All our pals and cousins were with us, the food was great, the seats were huge and you could smoke up a storm. Man, everything was so much better in the old days.....
Yep now tell this to today's young people 35 and under and see the response you get! They couldn't care less and never Will and that's a proven Fact !!!!!
In the '70s my family went to Athens on Olympic airways and flew first class. It was awesome! Flew back to Athens last summer and the flying experience sure wasn't the same. Those were the days!
I actually remember when my mom would call the airline and talk to a real person. She would ask about what movie would be showing and what meals would be served. She always wore a dress suit, heels, and pearls on the flight ✈️.
worstnetizenbasedonmicros653 absolutely, the photos perhaps go back what air travel was in its infancy in the early 50' s. Yes, you did dress in style, to travel. Do remember the airlines that are no longer in existence, unless they were absorbed or merged with other airlines.
Do recall when I was flying for work or on holiday, when you were deboarding the pilot was at the door, that also transpired on boarding the flight as well. It was a nice to see that, welcoming the passengers. Do recall the air hostesses did bring you to your designated seat, you did not have to do a look see, to find it. Unfortunately that feature don't believe it was carried through later flights throughout the years.
I remember those days. But the cost to fly back then was 400% more than today. And with that, comes luxury and service. I remember that my parents had to save for 3 years to afford a flight to Bermuda. The tickets were $700 each back in 1970. Today, we fly across country for $200. Something has to give with that low price!
I flew to London in 1962 at the age of 10. We ate steak on Doulton China, I was given a model of the plane we were in, and I was taken up to meet the pilot. Now, 62 years later, I get treated like cattle.
My family flew on 747’s First Class in the early 70’s because my Dad was an Aerospace Engineer for Boeing and me moved to wherever his “assignments” were. I remember wearing my patent leather shoes, gloves, and best Sunday dress for travel. There was a movie theater in first class…it was an amazing experience and I always got a pair of wings (pin) from the elegant Stewardesses. I still have a Pan Am travel bag I was given on our trip to Tokyo. Wonderful memories!!
I had one of those Pan Am bags too. I didn't fly until I was in HS and traveling for college interviews. I wore a skirt, blazer, hose, and high heels. I remember the lounges and spiral staircases.
@@patriciasalem3606 Those bags were EVERYTHING! What a treat being able to explore the upper lounges and travel in style for your college interviews. Memories that last a lifetime. ♥
@@XZeroOneArmourNot true. Being elegant and classy is a personal choice. I grew up in the 70s/80s and we were on the poor side and couldn’t afford business or first class but I remember my dad always putting on his best suit every time he air traveled to go see my grandparents. That class has been lost bc society caters to the new everything goes cry babies that throw a tantrum whenever they cant get away with nonsense foolish behavior.
@@XZeroOneArmour pretty much this, First class on a good airline today like Ana or Emarates is much better than what these people in the 50s and 60s had
The passengers featured in these old photos are mostly upscale. That's because back then, flying was expensive. Only businessmen and the wealthy flew on a regular basis. Deregulation turned flying into an airborne subway: working people now ride the planes because after adjusting for inflation, flying is much, much cheaper than it was when I was a kid.
I agree 100%! I’m a Flight Attendant and PAX these days wear their pajamas or gym wear on the plane. If you adjusted the cost of a ticket for inflation half the people that fly these days wouldn’t be able to purchase a ticket.
I was curious about the cost of air travel, so I researched and found that domestic flights, adjust for inflation, cost about the same as now. However, International flights were MUCH more expensive.
@@bostonphotographer20 Did you find actual domestic ticket prices, or someone’s guess, or inaccurate math? Seattle to LA in 1948 was the equivalent of $1400-1700, and San Francisco to Miami in 1954 was $3300 in today’s dollars. Today’s unrestricted first class fares compare to regular fares back then, so if you do an apples to apples comparison you will find your mistake. Good luck 👍
In my younger years (I am now 78 but still going strong) I had the pleasure of making a number of intercontinental flights in 1st class from/to the Netherlands (with the Connie, DC8, 747 and later the 767 as well as the Concorde). I recognize many of the images shown and realize that it is a past tense (but also one of privilege and major differences in wealth).
In 1971 I headed to California from Mich to start basic training. I boarded a then brand new 747 in Chicago that had a spiral staircase that went to this piano bar! I bought my first drink (I was 18) at that bar, 35,000 feet up and going 500 mph! So cool and surreal and a memory for a lifetime..piano player wasn't bad either. For that afternoon I felt like a young Bond...James Bond... Merry Christmas everyone!
If you were given access to the upstairs lounge of a 747 you would have been travelling First Class and therefore would not have had to 'buy' your drink. Drinks were free in F only had to be paid for in Y.
I used to think old people were always grumbling about "How thing s used to be" when I was younger. Now having traveled in the past 50 years the GRUMBLE is me now . The conditions on planes is appalling now. It really is horrible. We used to get excited and look forward to the food and meeting people. Now people are fighting and have no business being in public with the attitude and condition they are in. Yes kids things were better back in them old days!
No they weren't. You're just getting old, and like the old people before you, you have a longer frame of reference to look back upon. The generation after you will fall into the same trap.
@@scarpfishSay what you want, but in previous years of American life, we had better manners, hygiene and respect for one's self and others. Education was something worthy of striving for. Most everything has been slowly deteriorating as we go on, although I am sure we're doing better in some areas. ?
@@tommypaget2294 Not just first class, some executive class still have good buffet. Seats are also very comfortable. Just don't fly coach and some airlines.
We dressed up to fly in the 1970's. It was elegant and everyone used good manners! Children sat in their seats and kept their feet off other passengers seats. Now flying is horrible.
Blah, blah, blah with your revisionist history. There were asshats back then too and any woman who was a flight attendant in those days will back me up on that.
@@praxton Why so quick to judge? My dad was in the armed forces so we had to fly overseas. We weren't rich and my parent are champion Penny pinchers. Navy showers, cheap home cooked food, etc.
@@scarpfishNot necessarily, way back yes but in the glorious 1970s and 1980s it became more affordable and people for the most part were still decently dressed and food was still served for the most part and the crew was courteous!!!!!
@@scarpfishSo what you did is what my parents did and that was travel in style by TRAIN, white linen service and for less cost (for domestic destinations anyway) like my family managed in 1964.
well-blazeredman6187 that was the norm to dress up both the ladies and gents. You are perhaps looking at photos from the 40's, 50' s era and going forward. It was a different era, very classy era.
The L1011 also had a lounge with bar available as an option. It would be installed below the area where the first 10 rows were. No airline I know of ordered it because it ate up valuable cargo space.
@@largol33t12I think Lockheed also proposed a "boarding lounge" option for that space. Airstairs would be integrated so you'd walk straight up into the lounge then ascend another set of stairs to the main cabin. On DC-10s this was usually the main galley with 2 service elevators.
I’m 74. My first flight was in 1967 from Cleveland to NYC. I think much of what is presented in the video reflects flights earlier than my first and almost certainly First Class (there was no Business Class). That said, the seats in what is now called Economy were deeper, wider and more leg space, the food and service better and everyone dressed up for their flight. I remember you could choose the smoking or non-smoking section. The difference was that the smoking section was designated as being all the rows beyond row X.
Despite the implied danger: You got fresh-brewed coffee in real ceramic cups and were able to walk around the cabin visiting with friends or strangers. Drinks were mixed out of sight; service carts didn’t exist and today, even they have disappeared. Those days were a different time - you had to put on your Sunday best just to go to your family doctor, even if sick! I do, indeed, miss those “casual times.” The great smell of leather.
I took my first flight by myself from New York in 1961 when I was 6 yo. I remember I had a "walking" doll that accompanied me and was almost as tall as I was. She had her own seat and of course we were both dressed in our best including hat, gloves, and patent leather shoes with frilly lacy socks. The stewardess showed me how to ring the buzzer if I wanted anything and I happily obliged. The times keep on changing 😊
Nice rewind of old times. I can remember my first flight, I was just 6 years old. My parents were afraid I might be anxious... The stewardess took my hand and walked with me to the plane, lead me inside. I was allowed to visit the cockpit and watch the pilots doing flight check... All of that impossible nowadays due to security. But anyways it should be mentioned: The luxury shown in the video had a price. Flying and enjoying such a flight was an event for the upper class, for rich people. A usual wage earner never was able to pay for a ticket.
@@mrkiplingreallywasanexceed8311 oh ffs, there's always one, isn't there! If not Jesus it's climate change. I'm sure it's ok if you fly though, isn't it, as you have the right opinions and eat tofu. PS Google's servers create more carbon than the entire airline industry, and yet here you are lecturing us. So how about this Mr Progressive: turn off your computer, go eat some bugs, and try not to vandalise too many priceless works of art while you're at it.
vernefits1953 yes absolutely, meals were prepared, fresh not microwavable. Brought to you, silverware, no plastic, no trolleys either. Sorry, that era has passed, never to return, so unfortunate. When the airlines took pride in servicing there passengers in a proper way.
Let's put it this way. It may be safer to fly now than it was then, but years ago flying was a real experience. It seems you were treated better as a regular passenger than you are treated in first class these days. It was something akin to a flying hotel.
I've been flying since the late 70s and it seemed turbulence wasn't as bad as it is now. Maybe because they were larger planes on coast-to-coast and transcontinental routes, so better at withstanding rough weather. In the past 20 years, I've made more trips on smaller planes and been bounced around more than before. Landing at Newark in an Embraer during a severe summer storm seems to me more perilous than riding a Rollercoaster that's been erected by a traveling carnival crew.
Glamorous, luxurious, and relaxing travel is still available to the rich. What's changed is there are now air travel options cheap enough to be affordable to almost everyone else.
Did anyone else notice the curious shape of the windows in the last photo? The aircraft is instantly recognizable as a Sud Aviation Caravelle which was the very first short-medium range jetliner. It’s troichoidal windows were unique. It is considered by many to be the prettiest subsonic passenger jet. Interestingly, Sud Aviation merged its effort to build the Caravelle II supersonic transport wirh that of Britain’s Bristol Aircraft which became the Concorde, the very last vestige of the “elegant age” of air travel.
The "elegant" age of flying ended when the 747 took to the skies, it made it economically possible for anyone who wanted to fly, to do it. It's all about money, the golden age of travel by air was made by money, when there is no more money, everything goes to hell. By the way, the Sud Caravelle was a nice bird, United was the only American company to buy it, I flew it often with VARIG in Brazil, along their 707's, and specially my favorite Convair 990A Coronado!
If every person commenting in this section could take a time machine back to 1962, less than 5% of us could afford to fly the way they show in this video.
WOW!! How cool that would have been. Last time I flew from Cali to NY, I receive a bottle of water, and a small bag of peanuts. That is a long flight to.
One important feature of these old flights was just how long they took to go anywhere. Pre-jet & even pre-turboprop, these flights took many hops and were endless!
@@Heartwing37 First commercial flight I took was in early 1990 right around my tenth birthday, so if it stopped in the late 80s that would explain it. To be fair I thought it was stopped even before the 80s lol. I do remember smoking sections in restaurants and most public places until IIRC well into the 90s though. edit: Just looked it up and it wasn't fully banned on aircraft in the US by the FAA until the year 2000. Color me surprised....
@@Heartwing37 Do you recall when smoking was restricted to the last 5 rows in the tail, or when we flew over certain states airspace, they would announce no smoking while in the airspace of the state that banned smoking on planes.
During my childhood every summer and holidays I remember flying on all these planes mentioned in this video, I loved it ! We would fly to New York City , stay awhile, then fly to Puerto Rico. I must have traveled by plane ( with my parents and three siblings ) at least or over a dozen times by the 1970’s , it was an experience I’ll never forget, certainly quite different than todays flights. Nice meals, snack’s desserts and beverages. I miss those days! Great video!!
My first flight was in the 1960’s, I was a kid and flew from LAX to New York by myself. I remember thinking it was great that they gave us menus with several choices. Fast forward to today… 🤷🏻♀️
I used to love air travel, it was a great experience and the meals served on the flight were lovely, the air stewardesses were always glamorous and their outfits really smart.
I remember getting on a plane and going all the way to the last row, just because it was easier. There, several people were smoking, and it was like a haze began to develop. Looking back, it was unbelievable. So much has changed.
I am 50 and can clearly remember smoking on airplanes. Can clearly remember seeing butts in the ass tray in the arm rest. Crazy what was normal. Heck one of the parents that used to carpool of swim team smoked in his BMW with the window just so slightly cracked.
Worth remembering a few things: many of the stills used in this video are from print ads that may not have been completely accurate even at the time. And flying in general was more expensive and less accessible. Also: many of the upscale amenities described here are still available in Business Class, First Class and even Premium Economy, all offering wider seats with longer pitch. I even had an excellent meal on real china with premium flatware on a recent Air Canada flight in Premium Economy.
According to the USA CPI Calculator (on the Web) 1 dollar in 1955 is equivalent to about 11.50 in todays money. So multiply a ticket price from 1955 by 11.5 times.
One thing to note though, the experience is still the same in business class. In the 70's a flight could cost 300-500, inflation adjusted it is around 3-5k USD in today's prices. With this price you can access business class and have the same experience. What happened with the airlines is that they started developing the economy class, and shrank the business class. The experience didn't change, airlines just made it more accessible.
One of my first plane rides was a DC-3 in 1959 or so.. I was 2 years old, and don't really remember it, but I do remember later flights on piston prop engine airplanes like the Lockheed Constellation.
My grandfather told me about his trip from New York to Chicago in 1952……it was luxurious, big, big seat, champagne, caviar, full-flat sleeping bed❤……only for $650!!!❤……..that’s equivalent to about $7,530 (in today’s dollars)……very affordable for a one-way ticket from New York to Chicago in 1952.
I joined the airline industry in 1977 as Ground staff for a legacy airline and was lucky to experience the golden age of travel. Everything described in this video was absolutely to a tee. The first airline was an Asian one. I worked for had berths on the upper deck for the 747s which was accessible to First Class ticket holders for a US 50 dollar fee. Being the ground handling agents for a lot of other airlines that use to fly into our airport, we used to have impromptu parties with cabin crews from other airlines where we dined on the "leftover meals" which were still perfectly fresh and edible but had to be disposed of due to Health Regulations. When our flights incurred delays of more than three hours, we arranged for lunch or dinner for the passengers from the nearby four and five star hotels. When flights were cancelled we booked rooms for all the passengers at hotels like the Intercontinental, Hyatt, Peninsula, the Garden Hotels or the Regent Hotels and provided meals at no cost for the passengers. We arranged for transfers from and to the airport stayed with the passengers and attended to their needs. The passengers were about 99 percent behaved and showed up at the airport decently in their best Sunday wear. I could be tiring at times but I loved my job. Later I joined an American and then a European carrier- both legacy airlines until my retirement 5 years ago. Even as a kid I was always fascinated by this industry I love so much and which enable d me to see the world.
You get what you pay for. Deregulation of airfares led airlines to compete on price rather than service. Customers demanding the lowest fares has led to today's miserable travel experience. If you dread flying, buy first-class seats on non-budget airlines.
I flew from the mid 70's to 03. A few memories: I walked up to the counter in Montreal once and the agent said "you've got a nice suit. we'll put you in business class today." Agents could make decisions like that. I flew to Europe from time to time and the first class passengers were in the very nose of the 747. The stewardesses didn't serve drinks (unless you asked), they put the bar out and you just got up and mixed what you wanted. I had a stewardess apologize to me because they only had one kind of single malt scotch on the flight (free of course). I often flew from Calgary to and from Montreal. So you bought a late afternoon ticket but if you finished your business you went to the airport, looked at the board and went over to the next flight leaving an got on. It almost always worked. What happened? Deregulation. I once saw an airline president, almost in tears, say "it doesn't matter what we do...all they want is cheap!" I feel really sorry for business travelers because air travel today really beats you up.
And now we have Canada Air threatening two women with arrest and the no fly list because they weren't happy sitting on seats that were covered in vomit, passengers getting kicked off flights to make way for fat passengers needing three seats to fit their fat @$$£$ in, screaming babies everywhere, passengers getting shoved in like sardines, cheap pap that you wouldn't feed to a pig... it's not just that passengers only want cheap. Even if one pays a fortune for a first class/business class ticket, it's not much better than economy class. The airlines want to make profit instead of providing a decent service.
@@LittleKitty22 Yes, that's why I don't travel anymore. The airlines do try to make a profit, but their profit margins are low. The flights seem to be packed even with their poor service, so why should they change?
@@tonyhladun9081 Exactly. People have low standards now so they put up with anything, so they keep using the services no matter how bad. Shocking how low the standards are even in first/business class! People pay for it only to be away from the riffraff, but otherwise there's not much difference to economy.
Even back as late as the 1980s, I remember eating delicious boneless spareribs and the best-tasting key lime pie ever. That other stuff (amenities) mentioned about in this video isn't familiar to me but there were no peanut handouts when I flew.
I remember a United flight on a DC10 from Detroit to LA that served a wonderful buffet of salads, cold cuts, and chips in economy class back in 1974. A most enjoyable flight!
Maybe on a few flights, but I have been flying since the early 1950s and have NEVER encountered "gourmet meals" or piano lounges. Okay, there was a little more leg room and the seats were wider back then, but the really big difference was the pasengers were more polite back then and cabin crew were not grumpy and up themselves. And they didn't cancel one in three flights!
I took my first flight in 1967. These economy class piano lounges did exist, on US domestic widebody flights ONLY - not on international flights or outside the US - for a short period in the early 1970's as a result of the massive over capacity which occurred following the introduction of wide body aircraft. The idea that Y class seats were wider is to some extent a myth. I am not familiar with the piston engine era of the 1950's, but as far as the jet era is concerned the 3 X 3 Y class seating on a 707/DC8 or an early 727 or 737 were exactly the same width as 3 X 3 seating on a single aisle 737 today. On wide body aircraft however, the launch configuration seats were wider. For example, up until circa 1980 747 Y class cabins were 9, not 10, abreast in a 2 X 4 X 3 configuration. Legroom was better though. Curiously, legroom was never an issue and airlines never mentioned seat pitch. Seat pitch did not become an issue until it became inadequate. As for 'gourmet meals' the F class catering shown in the video at 1.18 is FAKE. I would describe Y class meals as freshly cooked for the flight and of restaurant quality rather than gourmet. Yes, First Class long haul meals were very elaborate with many courses and some airlines did actually offer Caviar.
Wow, my mother used to be an airline stewardess for National airlines ! The last few years he had the route from Miami to Havana on the DC-3 And boy was Miami international different. If you take a look above the name, it says Wilcox field. My mom used to mention some of her stories and how she had actors and actresses Ethel Merman, Gary Cooper, Errol Flynn.
My 1st flying experience was in 1956. Flew on Pan Am, Trans Caribbean, eastern airlines, American Airlines and a couple others. It was a great experience.
If you are an aviation enthusiast like me, you need to stay at least one night at the TWA hotel at JFK airport. The TWA flight center is the lobby of the TWA hotel and it is absolutely awesome and amazing. Including a few hours of rooftop access at the TWA hotel and one night stay, it was about $450 and it was absolutely worth every penny.
I remember being in that terminal and it didn't cost a penny other than the airline fare. Mind you, fares back then were extremely high relative to earnings. Today it is much cheaper to fly and if you want the comforts of old you can fly first class and even that fare is relatively cheaper than it was back in the 1960s, and far more comfortable today.
I was in the TWA terminal at JFK in early 1979 when there was a modeling photo shoot. I could not possibly imagine how ridiculous they looked prancing forward and backwards, stomping their legs as they walked. I supposed out of the hundreds of wasted photos on the film rolls just to make a magazine ad or cover shot.
I had expected a line or two about the price of a ticket in, say 1955, in today's dollars. An article I read, written in 2014, calculated the one way bargain fare from NY to Paris in 1955 was roughly equivalent to $2600. That would be almost $3300 in 2023. Airline passengers paid dearly for those amenities. Furthermore, safety in those days was significantly less, with a rate of crashes at a level that wouldn't be tolerated today.
Today few people would tolerate the cigarette smoke. For good reason. Allergies seem to be more common now. I was in a flight where they anoounced the peanuts would not be served with alcohol because one passenger siad he had an allergy.
I started flying in the 60s and it was fantastic, Comfort, food and being treated like a guest. The photos being shown were of international flights. I only flew from coast to coast but the planes had so much room. The meals were great! I refuse to fly these days. My last flights were from Vegas to LA. I was treated like a criminal and the planes were so small I had to bend over to walk the aisle. It was simply get them in, get them out and get their money. The airlines no longer provide a service.
I remember being able to smoke on the flight to basic training in February of ‘89. Had ashtrays in the arms of the seats and all of us were smoking like freight trains because we knew we couldn’t smoke in basic lol.
Am I that old that I remember a good deal of this stuff? I recall smoking was a thing......the DC9 and 727 air stairs....Great video. It takes me back to when stuff was much simpler. Possibly much more violent and unforgiving...but simpler, nonetheless.
I started flying for business in the late 70s. As part of travel policy of the company I was working for air travel for flights over 4.5 hours was above a certain pay grade you were allowed to travel first class. It wasn't usual to see somebody in his/her late 20s or early 30s in first class and I was often called back from "going left" to check my boarding pass, mainly because I liked to travel on Saturdays in order to have Sundays off in order to have a day in the city of destination. Most of my flights were in South America and comfort (or casual dressing) was my way of travel. Travel nowadays is a hassle and often people get frustrated, drunk and disorderly causing all kinds of mayhem and delays. I stopped traveling somewhere in the early 2000s.
Luxury flying still exists, just PAY for the first class ticket. Me, I prefer the way it is now: less glamurous, but more democratized. (And no tobacco stench.)
I used to love spending time in that TWA terminal at JFK. Especially sitting in that conversation pit with the big picture windows. In the winter you could watch the snow flakes fall as the planes took-off on the runway beyond. I hear that it has since been turned into a hotel since it became obsolete as a terminal.
That terminal was amazing! We used to drive there just to watch the planes and people watch. Wonderful seeing families meeting their loved ones at the gate. Those were the days!
You have to remember as stated in this video flying was a luxury. Also the flight destinations were limited you didnt have regional airports. Aircraft was not as fast or fuel efficient as now. Not everyone was able to fly,majority took trains or buses.Plane tickets are cheaper focused on anyone not just those with money
It may surprise you but today's airplanes are not faster than they were in the 60's or 70's. In fact, speed hasn't evolved in the past 50 years. An airline couldn't care less how fast you get to your destination. What they do care though is the bottom line $$$. In that sense, airplanes have become more fuel efficient. This is the reason why turbofans have grown in size with high bypass ratios as opposed to the ''cigar-like'' jet engines of the past.
The way they dressed was immaculate! If we miss it, it’s up to us to bring it back. About to go to the grocery store but dressed like I’m going to church! (:
Airliners followed the same progression as ocean liners. From catering first entirely, and then mainly, to first class passengers - to catering mainly to third class passengers. From a purely environmental point of view, air travel should have remained for first and business class passengers only - with tickets remaining very expensive and out of economic reach for 99% of the world's population.
Remember that flying back then was a luxury. Usually it was 1st class and very expensive. Hence the elaborate meals, entertainment, and perks. You still have such luxuries today if you're willing to spend $10K to $20K per trip going 1st class
Wow. Nostalgia! My very first flight as a kid was in a 727 with the airstairs in the tail. I wore a suit, bought specially for the occasion. Those were really the days! It does not go unnoticed that the vast majority of the hijackings and security issues end up with one common denominator, a very specific religious culture that cannot be named..🤐
What religion is behind most wars? Ahh the Christians'. And dont forget the systematic rape and molestation of children by the church, covered up by said church. Oh, was I not supposed to name the religion? Don't be so obtuse to call out Muslims while not decrying the violence of the Christianity AND the US being at constant war since our inception. But sure. That "specific" religion. How many of that specific religion were killed in, say, the Gulf War vs the Christians? You can name the religion. Just take accountability for other religions.
I've flown on plans since the 1980s and even in First Class the experience was awkward and uncomfortable. People dress down even in First Class and the lack of professionalism of the Flight Crews is sometimes an issue. I remember flying when I was a kid: TWA and PanAm were classy airlines.
Your family or friends could actually go all the way to the gate and could even accompany you on the plane to help you settle. If you did not check luggage, you did not stop between your ride or taxi and plane's door - as late as the 1990's. We are much more controlled now, everywhere.
What happened to the leg room? Heck I'm short and I can't stretch my legs. I feel so sorry for tall people, and larger people. I'm only 5''3 and weigh 128 pounds, and my rear barely fits in a seat! Take my advice, take a train, lots of leg room and you feel more free to move about. And you have a nice scenic view. Much cheaper too.
Well, I suppose that is not going to happen. A ship maybe, but an airplane is the logical choice. Curious if you have all of the security checks like the USA. @@lanamack1558
Try taking a train from Ireland to anywhere outside of Ireland. As regards legroom, many airlines offer the choice of cabin, from first class to economy class. Whilst you will pay considerably more for first class, comfort yourself in knowing that the price in inflation adjusted terms is probably cheaper than economy class back in the 'golden era' of aviation.
Not even the high end, but I remember flying Frontier Airlines from Casper, Wyoming to Denver’s old Stapleton Airport in the 70s. The landing was delayed for some reason so the crew broke out champaign from the Airline’s vineyard and everybody sipped champaign as we circled Rocky Mountain National Park!
How does air travel back then compare to your flight experience now?
It's horrible in retrospect how it is now!
It's seems that in the past the airlines had the customer in mind, comfort, respect, and pleasing the passengers was their main goal. Now it seems like we are all treated as though we are common criminals and money is the airlines goal. I love to fly in airplanes, but I hate the hoops you must jump through. I prefer the train or automobile where it's more comfortable. Even the Grey Hound busses treat their passengers with more dignity than today's airlines do.
Delayed flights, half ounce pretzel bags, cramped seats, and being forced to check bags because there's no room in the cabin. Ugh, I wish I was alive in the 70s
I'd take the second hand smoke to get all that seat room, food, and standing areas back.
I hate flying. It's cramped, and a person always gets treated badly. Everything back then was made for comfort, not just airplanes.
My father was an exec on Pan American Airways in the '50s and 60s. We literally traveled the world in First Class back then, and in the earlier years slept in overhead berths. Maxim's of Paris was the caterer for the incredible food we were fed. Life was great and then we had to adjust to a harsher world when Pan Am went out of business. Saddest day of my parents life. It never got better than that.
When Pan Am and TWA went out of business 30 years ago, the entire industry changed for the Worst!!!!!
What an incredible story, being an honored customer and guest aboard the fleet by the then greatest air carrier! And food from Maxim’s, amazing.
There’s a good reason why director Stanley Kubrick chose the company name of Pan American to represent the fictional sleek passenger space shuttle Orion as depicted in “2001: A Space Odyssey”.
Wow! What an absolute treat! ✈
Thank you for sharing such wonderful memories.
That’s sad. ): I’m sorry about that.
as a bi-coastal child after the divorce of my parents my brother and i flew back and forth every summer from Los Angeles to New York in the 70s and early 80s. mostly of 747s, the plane was never full and if one wanted to sleep there was always a row of center seats empty to do so. in the beginning of our trips alone we were escorted at all times and presented to the cockpit to meet the captain and receive our wing pins, always a strong james bond type with greying temples that put us instantly at ease. there was a bar lounge in first class on the upper deck. food in coach was always with silverware and cloth napkins. i remember several breakfast buffets in coach class at the rear of the plane followed by a full service lunch and the drink carts moved though several times, the crew really worked hard and found time to talk to us, it seemed effortless to these professionals. it was a magnificent time, once upon a time.
Thank you for sharing such wonderful memories from your life. Something, I will never experience… I’m from India, born in the 90s.. flying wasn’t even maintstream here until the late 2000s. I get to live vicariously through your precious writing. God bless!
I miss the big seats and people dressing up, I still do.
I don’t dress grungy when flying but I do dress practically for emergencies. “Dress up” isn’t the best clothing to be wearing after a crash.
So wwill you get dressed up for your next flight? To set a good example?
@@dominaevillae28 While your statement is true, there was something exciting about dressing up in my patent leather Mary Jane shoes…white gloves..and best Sunday dress for the flights we took in the early 70’s. It was an event and I have wonderful memories of the excitement leading up to flying on Pan Am with my family.
So do I. As a young girl in the 70’s I’d be in my Sunday best with patent leather shoes..gloves..and a pocketbook that matched my shoes. We’d fly on 747’s overseas for my Dads work assignments as an aerospace Engineer for Boeing. First Class….my Mom used to tell us kids to really enjoy it because there was no way we could afford to fly if Boeing didn’t pay our way. Those memories are priceless 😎
@@lizzieb6311 No one is stopping you from wearing your sunday best while flying.
I remember the days when flying was a real enjoyable part of the vacation.
Quite so - rather than an ordeal to be endured. I quite simply don't bother with it any more - it's just not worth the hassle....
@@mrkiplingreallywasanexceed8311 yeah, I know the feeling. But if the devil has the wheel,?,
@@mrkiplingreallywasanexceed8311just buy a business ticket and you’ll have a similar experience. don’t expect to pay less but get premium service
nowadays the worst 😄
@@XZeroOneArmour yeah deffo the worst. Just wait until they ban drinking in airports 😩.
I still remember as a teen taking an Olympic 747 400 to Athens. It was so damn good. All our pals and cousins were with us, the food was great, the seats were huge and you could smoke up a storm. Man, everything was so much better in the old days.....
Yep now tell this to today's young people 35 and under and see the response you get! They couldn't care less and never Will and that's a proven Fact !!!!!
In the '70s my family went to Athens on Olympic airways and flew first class. It was awesome! Flew back to Athens last summer and the flying experience sure wasn't the same. Those were the days!
Greek here. All that was good except for the bloody smoking !!!
@@harrodsfan Hahaha! I agree! As the child of a chain smoker being trapped on a plane or in a car with the windows rolled up was beyond awful!
@@harrodsfan Actually brother, I did not like the smoke either but that smoke was covering up some pretty funky body odor....lol
I actually remember when my mom would call the airline and talk to a real person. She would ask about what movie would be showing and what meals would be served. She always wore a dress suit, heels, and pearls on the flight ✈️.
A different age, is a reflection of how life has been commoditized to the lowest threshold of commercial viability these days.
Yes today everybody must live according to the lowest common denominator lest some people feel left out marginalized or offended.
@@VandaPietrantonionot me. I like looking as if I have some class. I refuse to behave in a way that's beneath me. Sorry, not sorry.
@@chiarac3833Good for you, it's important!!!!!
@@VandaPietrantonio Well said and sadly true.
Vintage pictures are so beautiful
worstnetizenbasedonmicros653 absolutely, the photos perhaps go back what air travel was in its infancy in the early 50' s. Yes, you did dress in style, to travel. Do remember the airlines that are no longer in existence, unless they were absorbed or merged with other airlines.
Do recall when I was flying for work or on holiday, when you were deboarding the pilot was at the door, that also transpired on boarding the flight as well. It was a nice to see that, welcoming the passengers. Do recall the air hostesses did bring you to your designated seat, you did not have to do a look see, to find it. Unfortunately that feature don't believe it was carried through later flights throughout the years.
I remember those days. But the cost to fly back then was 400% more than today. And with that, comes luxury and service. I remember that my parents had to save for 3 years to afford a flight to Bermuda. The tickets were $700 each back in 1970. Today, we fly across country for $200. Something has to give with that low price!
I flew to London in 1962 at the age of 10. We ate steak on Doulton China, I was given a model of the plane we were in, and I was taken up to meet the pilot. Now, 62 years later, I get treated like cattle.
My family flew on 747’s First Class in the early 70’s because my Dad was an Aerospace Engineer for Boeing and me moved to wherever his “assignments” were. I remember wearing my patent leather shoes, gloves, and best Sunday dress for travel. There was a movie theater in first class…it was an amazing experience and I always got a pair of wings (pin) from the elegant Stewardesses. I still have a Pan Am travel bag I was given on our trip to Tokyo. Wonderful memories!!
Flying in the 70s was wonderful! I looked forward to it and now I miss it!
@@journeytothemosthigh5021 Yes it was wonderful! The flight itself was an exciting as the destination. It was truly an event 😎
I had one of those Pan Am bags too. I didn't fly until I was in HS and traveling for college interviews. I wore a skirt, blazer, hose, and high heels. I remember the lounges and spiral staircases.
@@patriciasalem3606 Those bags were EVERYTHING! What a treat being able to explore the upper lounges and travel in style for your college interviews. Memories that last a lifetime. ♥
We need to get back to this.
you can , it's called business class or First class. The option still exists
@@XZeroOneArmourNot true. Being elegant and classy is a personal choice. I grew up in the 70s/80s and we were on the poor side and couldn’t afford business or first class but I remember my dad always putting on his best suit every time he air traveled to go see my grandparents. That class has been lost bc society caters to the new everything goes cry babies that throw a tantrum whenever they cant get away with nonsense foolish behavior.
prices need to go way up and people need to learn to act like adults
Typical tickets in economy used to cost $7000-$10,000 round trip. This type of travel and lifestyle was still for the wealthy.
@@XZeroOneArmour pretty much this, First class on a good airline today like Ana or Emarates is much better than what these people in the 50s and 60s had
ah the memories! how do we ever find our way back to those good ol' days!?
If only there was a time machine ....
The passengers featured in these old photos are mostly upscale. That's because back then, flying was expensive. Only businessmen and the wealthy flew on a regular basis. Deregulation turned flying into an airborne subway: working people now ride the planes because after adjusting for inflation, flying is much, much cheaper than it was when I was a kid.
I agree 100%! I’m a Flight Attendant and PAX these days wear their pajamas or gym wear on the plane. If you adjusted the cost of a ticket for inflation half the people that fly these days wouldn’t be able to purchase a ticket.
@@kirkgriffin333690% would not be able to buy a ticket
I was curious about the cost of air travel, so I researched and found that domestic flights, adjust for inflation, cost about the same as now. However, International flights were MUCH more expensive.
Your point is well taken, but I would add the factor that people just in general did not dress as casually back then as they do now.
@@bostonphotographer20 Did you find actual domestic ticket prices, or someone’s guess, or inaccurate math? Seattle to LA in 1948 was the equivalent of $1400-1700, and San Francisco to Miami in 1954 was $3300 in today’s dollars. Today’s unrestricted first class fares compare to regular fares back then, so if you do an apples to apples comparison you will find your mistake. Good luck 👍
In my younger years (I am now 78 but still going strong) I had the pleasure of making a number of intercontinental flights in 1st class from/to the Netherlands (with the Connie, DC8, 747 and later the 767 as well as the Concorde). I recognize many of the images shown and realize that it is a past tense (but also one of privilege and major differences in wealth).
In 1971 I headed to California from Mich to start basic training. I boarded a then brand new 747 in Chicago that had a spiral staircase that went to this piano bar! I bought my first drink (I was 18) at that bar, 35,000 feet up and going 500 mph! So cool and surreal and a memory for a lifetime..piano player wasn't bad either. For that afternoon I felt like a young Bond...James Bond... Merry Christmas everyone!
If you were given access to the upstairs lounge of a 747 you would have been travelling First Class and therefore would not have had to 'buy' your drink. Drinks were free in F only had to be paid for in Y.
well then I ORDERED and CONSUMED my first legal drink there@@Ben-xe8ps
and I tipped the waitress and the piano player@@Ben-xe8ps
I used to think old people were always grumbling about "How thing s used to be" when I was younger. Now having traveled in the past 50 years the GRUMBLE is me now . The conditions on planes is appalling now. It really is horrible. We used to get excited and look forward to the food and meeting people. Now people are fighting and have no business being in public with the attitude and condition they are in. Yes kids things were better back in them old days!
No they weren't. You're just getting old, and like the old people before you, you have a longer frame of reference to look back upon. The generation after you will fall into the same trap.
@@scarpfish You have no idea what you're talking about flying was obviously more prestige years ago
@@scarpfishSay what you want, but in previous years of American life, we had better manners, hygiene and respect for one's self and others. Education was something worthy of striving for. Most everything has been slowly deteriorating as we go on, although I am sure we're doing better in some areas. ?
@@greenbeans575I completely Agree and it can be Proven!!!!!
I agree!
I would be willing to pay to have this style of flying again.
You could try first class.…..
@@tommypaget2294have you seen the people in first class these days? Most belong on a greyhound bus. Commercial flying has lost its elegance
Me too
@@tommypaget2294
Not just first class, some executive class still have good buffet. Seats are also very comfortable. Just don't fly coach and some airlines.
You can, it is called first class and business class. And it often is more luxurious today than it was back then
We dressed up to fly in the 1970's. It was elegant and everyone used good manners! Children sat in their seats and kept their feet off other passengers seats. Now flying is horrible.
Blah, blah, blah with your revisionist history. There were asshats back then too and any woman who was a flight attendant in those days will back me up on that.
Cattle class…
Rich kid talking like they know what's best.
@@praxton Why so quick to judge? My dad was in the armed forces so we had to fly overseas. We weren't rich and my parent are champion Penny pinchers. Navy showers, cheap home cooked food, etc.
Society is horrible as well no class no manners
The men in suits. The ladies wearing hats. Air-rage: unknown.
The prices: unaffordable for most.
@@scarpfishNot necessarily, way back yes but in the glorious 1970s and 1980s it became more affordable and people for the most part were still decently dressed and food was still served for the most part and the crew was courteous!!!!!
@@scarpfishSo what you did is what my parents did and that was travel in style by TRAIN, white linen service and for less cost (for domestic destinations anyway) like my family managed in 1964.
well-blazeredman6187 that was the norm to dress up both the ladies and gents. You are perhaps looking at photos from the 40's, 50' s era and going forward. It was a different era, very classy era.
@@kay9549 Never to return. I only witnessed the very tail end of this bygone era.
Continental Airlines once had “The Pub” on their DC-10’s. A nice lounge area where you could socialize with your fellow passengers. It was great fun!
But they all smell like a backroom casino of Circus Circus Las Vegas cuz passengers were allowed to smoke and how could they miss this chance?
The L1011 also had a lounge with bar available as an option. It would be installed below the area where the first 10 rows were. No airline I know of ordered it because it ate up valuable cargo space.
@@largol33t12I think Lockheed also proposed a "boarding lounge" option for that space. Airstairs would be integrated so you'd walk straight up into the lounge then ascend another set of stairs to the main cabin. On DC-10s this was usually the main galley with 2 service elevators.
I’m 74. My first flight was in 1967 from Cleveland to NYC. I think much of what is presented in the video reflects flights earlier than my first and almost certainly First Class (there was no Business Class). That said, the seats in what is now called Economy were deeper, wider and more leg space, the food and service better and everyone dressed up for their flight. I remember you could choose the smoking or non-smoking section. The difference was that the smoking section was designated as being all the rows beyond row X.
1967 was before fare deregulation. Even in Economy you paid a high fare.
Yes I remember everything covered in this video, and why I avoid air travel at all cost now. Nice pic of Joan Collins and George Peppard!!!
I caught that, too!
Despite the implied danger: You got fresh-brewed coffee in real ceramic cups and were able to walk around the cabin visiting with friends or strangers. Drinks were mixed out of sight; service carts didn’t exist and today, even they have disappeared. Those days were a different time - you had to put on your Sunday best just to go to your family doctor, even if sick! I do, indeed, miss those “casual times.” The great smell of leather.
I took my first flight by myself from New York in 1961 when I was 6 yo. I remember I had a "walking" doll that accompanied me and was almost as tall as I was. She had her own seat and of course we were both dressed in our best including hat, gloves, and patent leather shoes with frilly lacy socks. The stewardess showed me how to ring the buzzer if I wanted anything and I happily obliged. The times keep on changing 😊
So much has changed I remember flying to Hawaii in the late 70’s and even in coach you were served multi course on real plates
and now a flight is less comfortable than a bustrip. I remember some old times and it was amazing.
Nice rewind of old times.
I can remember my first flight, I was just 6 years old. My parents were afraid I might be anxious...
The stewardess took my hand and walked with me to the plane, lead me inside. I was allowed to visit the cockpit and watch the pilots doing flight check...
All of that impossible nowadays due to security.
But anyways it should be mentioned: The luxury shown in the video had a price.
Flying and enjoying such a flight was an event for the upper class, for rich people.
A usual wage earner never was able to pay for a ticket.
And is that SUCH a bad thing, given what we now know about climate change??
@@mrkiplingreallywasanexceed8311 oh ffs, there's always one, isn't there! If not Jesus it's climate change. I'm sure it's ok if you fly though, isn't it, as you have the right opinions and eat tofu. PS Google's servers create more carbon than the entire airline industry, and yet here you are lecturing us. So how about this Mr Progressive: turn off your computer, go eat some bugs, and try not to vandalise too many priceless works of art while you're at it.
Affordable flying brought in the crazies
Passengers look very classy. Travel seems a pleasant experience
vernefits1953 yes absolutely, meals were prepared, fresh not microwavable. Brought to you, silverware, no plastic, no trolleys either. Sorry, that era has passed, never to return, so unfortunate. When the airlines took pride in servicing there passengers in a proper way.
Let's put it this way. It may be safer to fly now than it was then, but years ago flying was a real experience. It seems you were treated better as a regular passenger than you are treated in first class these days. It was something akin to a flying hotel.
True. Nowadays you are likely to find a leftover cheese sandwich in the pouch on the seat in front of you.
@@raylopez99 Indeed. Probably with someone's teeth marks in it.
True, but it was out of reach for most people. The only reason I was able to is that my dad worked for the airline.
I would rather have it how it is today, as nowadays it’s available to the masses rather then the few. Because of the lower fairs etc.
Back then flying was a luxury. Today it's an entitlement.
Imagine the plane hitting severe turbulence and having all the dinner plates, glasses, wine bottles and silverware flying in all directions.
Not to mention the piano! 😮
@@MariaWerner-k4g Piano was probably bolted to the floor :)
I've been flying since the late 70s and it seemed turbulence wasn't as bad as it is now. Maybe because they were larger planes on coast-to-coast and transcontinental routes, so better at withstanding rough weather. In the past 20 years, I've made more trips on smaller planes and been bounced around more than before. Landing at Newark in an Embraer during a severe summer storm seems to me more perilous than riding a Rollercoaster that's been erected by a traveling carnival crew.
@@MariaWerner-k4g Oh look there's a piano coming flying... 🤣🤣🤣Not mocking you by the way, I'm just trying to picture that, lol.
shaken & stirred
Glamorous, luxurious, and relaxing travel is still available to the rich. What's changed is there are now air travel options cheap enough to be affordable to almost everyone else.
Well said. All these perks are still available on flights, and for a comparable price as a ticket cost then.
International flights with Arab, African and Asian airlines. The us based ones not so much and forget it on domestic flights
Awesome. Folks dressed up, smiling and having a grand ole time.
I worked for TWA in those glory days. What a wonderful time! Great memories. That's where I met my husband. Sill going strong after 44 years.
Did anyone else notice the curious shape of the windows in the last photo? The aircraft is instantly recognizable as a Sud Aviation Caravelle which was the very first short-medium range jetliner. It’s troichoidal windows were unique. It is considered by many to be the prettiest subsonic passenger jet. Interestingly, Sud Aviation merged its effort to build the Caravelle II supersonic transport wirh that of Britain’s Bristol Aircraft which became the Concorde, the very last vestige of the “elegant age” of air travel.
The "elegant" age of flying ended when the 747 took to the skies, it made it economically possible for anyone who wanted to fly, to do it. It's all about money, the golden age of travel by air was made by money, when there is no more money, everything goes to hell. By the way, the Sud Caravelle was a nice bird, United was the only American company to buy it, I flew it often with VARIG in Brazil, along their 707's, and specially my favorite Convair 990A Coronado!
Legroom and shoulder room along with real meals
and airline staff who actually care about their customers
are what I miss about air travel
Funny enough it felt more like luxury because it was what they paid back then would be much much higher than most people pay for similar flights today
If every person commenting in this section could take a time machine back to 1962, less than 5% of us could afford to fly the way they show in this video.
I actually remember flying "coach" and not only having a real steak but being able to light up afterwards.
WOW!! How cool that would have been. Last time I flew from Cali to NY, I receive a bottle of water, and a small bag of peanuts. That is a long flight to.
I remember! I also remember as a teen having an empty seat next to me. I could stretch out and sleep. Try that now…
Now if you want to smoke on an airplane you have to fly private jet.
By coach you mean ''economy class'' yeah ? Right.
One important feature of these old flights was just how long they took to go anywhere. Pre-jet & even pre-turboprop, these flights took many hops and were endless!
In 1955, a return flight from New York to London cost $10,000 in today's money. Flying was definitely for the rich.
@@timonsolus The video misrepresents the "good old days were always better". Any time is better is you are very rich.
It was like a different world. I remember. I miss America everyday. Just a memory now.
I remember those days when I was a child. This is real.
I actually remember flying "coach" and not only having a real steak, but being able to light up afterwards.
Holy cow being able to smoke on a fight lol. Is this one of those real "ok boomer" moments? 😂
I'm 43 and that was even before my time....
@@NordicDan Smoking was allowed on planes until the late 80s. Maybe you just didn’t fly until later in your life?
@@Heartwing37 First commercial flight I took was in early 1990 right around my tenth birthday, so if it stopped in the late 80s that would explain it.
To be fair I thought it was stopped even before the 80s lol. I do remember smoking sections in restaurants and most public places until IIRC well into the 90s though.
edit: Just looked it up and it wasn't fully banned on aircraft in the US by the FAA until the year 2000. Color me surprised....
@@Heartwing37 Do you recall when smoking was restricted to the last 5 rows in the tail, or when we flew over certain states airspace, they would announce no smoking while in the airspace of the state that banned smoking on planes.
@@Heartwing37 Much further, some airlines allowed smoking well into 90-s
Thank you for sharing our life in the airline industry.😊😊
During my childhood every summer and holidays I remember flying on all these planes mentioned in this video, I loved it ! We would fly to New York City , stay awhile, then fly to Puerto Rico. I must have traveled by plane ( with my parents and three siblings ) at least or over a dozen times by the 1970’s , it was an experience I’ll never forget, certainly quite different than todays flights. Nice meals, snack’s desserts and beverages. I miss those days! Great video!!
My first flight was in the 1960’s, I was a kid and flew from LAX to New York by myself. I remember thinking it was great that they gave us menus with several choices. Fast forward to today… 🤷🏻♀️
I used to love air travel, it was a great experience and the meals served on the flight were lovely, the air stewardesses were always glamorous and their outfits really smart.
I remember getting on a plane and going all the way to the last row, just because it was easier. There, several people were smoking, and it was like a haze began to develop. Looking back, it was unbelievable. So much has changed.
I am 50 and can clearly remember smoking on airplanes. Can clearly remember seeing butts in the ass tray in the arm rest. Crazy what was normal. Heck one of the parents that used to carpool of swim team smoked in his BMW with the window just so slightly cracked.
Worth remembering a few things: many of the stills used in this video are from print ads that may not have been completely accurate even at the time. And flying in general was more expensive and less accessible.
Also: many of the upscale amenities described here are still available in Business Class, First Class and even Premium Economy, all offering wider seats with longer pitch. I even had an excellent meal on real china with premium flatware on a recent Air Canada flight in Premium Economy.
According to the USA CPI Calculator (on the Web)
1 dollar in 1955 is equivalent to about 11.50 in todays money.
So multiply a ticket price from 1955 by 11.5 times.
It was luxurious but the ticket cost was astronomical to cover all these expenses
One thing to note though, the experience is still the same in business class. In the 70's a flight could cost 300-500, inflation adjusted it is around 3-5k USD in today's prices. With this price you can access business class and have the same experience. What happened with the airlines is that they started developing the economy class, and shrank the business class. The experience didn't change, airlines just made it more accessible.
Miss those days..there was respect for those around you. There were social graces. Gone forever
I love flying. I even got to ride in DC-3's when they were still working. Thanks for this feature.
One of my first plane rides was a DC-3 in 1959 or so.. I was 2 years old, and don't really remember it, but I do remember later flights on piston prop engine airplanes like the Lockheed Constellation.
I so miss the old L1011 TriStars. Flew on a Cathay TriStar to Hong Kong in the early 1990s. That was one of my favorite memories of flying.
My grandfather told me about his trip from New York to Chicago in 1952……it was luxurious, big, big seat, champagne, caviar, full-flat sleeping bed❤……only for $650!!!❤……..that’s equivalent to about $7,530 (in today’s dollars)……very affordable for a one-way ticket from New York to Chicago in 1952.
I joined the airline industry in 1977 as Ground staff for a legacy airline and was lucky to experience the golden age of travel. Everything described in this video was absolutely to a tee. The first airline was an Asian one. I worked for had berths on the upper deck for the 747s which was accessible to First Class ticket holders for a US 50 dollar fee. Being the ground handling agents for a lot of other airlines that use to fly into our airport, we used to have impromptu parties with cabin crews from other airlines where we dined on the "leftover meals" which were still perfectly fresh and edible but had to be disposed of due to Health Regulations. When our flights incurred delays of more than three hours, we arranged for lunch or dinner for the passengers from the nearby four and five star hotels. When flights were cancelled we booked rooms for all the passengers at hotels like the Intercontinental, Hyatt, Peninsula, the Garden Hotels or the Regent Hotels and provided meals at no cost for the passengers. We arranged for transfers from and to the airport stayed with the passengers and attended to their needs. The passengers were about 99 percent behaved and showed up at the airport decently in their best Sunday wear. I could be tiring at times but I loved my job. Later I joined an American and then a European carrier- both legacy airlines until my retirement 5 years ago. Even as a kid I was always fascinated by this industry I love so much and which enable d me to see the world.
Decks of cards given out, magazines, being able to switch to a better seat because the flight was only half full...gone.
I remember so, so so.......... fondly. Today, ittsa trailer park in the sky.
Flying cattle cars today. I dread flying.
You get what you pay for.
Deregulation of airfares led airlines to compete on price rather than service. Customers demanding the lowest fares has led to today's miserable travel experience.
If you dread flying, buy first-class seats on non-budget airlines.
Love this❤ If I owned an airline, I would bring back the music bar🎉
I flew from the mid 70's to 03. A few memories:
I walked up to the counter in Montreal once and the agent said "you've got a nice suit. we'll put you in business class today." Agents could make decisions like that.
I flew to Europe from time to time and the first class passengers were in the very nose of the 747. The stewardesses didn't serve drinks (unless you asked), they put the bar out and you just got up and mixed what you wanted.
I had a stewardess apologize to me because they only had one kind of single malt scotch on the flight (free of course).
I often flew from Calgary to and from Montreal. So you bought a late afternoon ticket but if you finished your business you went to the airport, looked at the board and went over to the next flight leaving an got on. It almost always worked.
What happened? Deregulation. I once saw an airline president, almost in tears, say "it doesn't matter what we do...all they want is cheap!" I feel really sorry for business travelers because air travel today really beats you up.
You are still more likely to get an upgrade if you look like you belong in first class.
And now we have Canada Air threatening two women with arrest and the no fly list because they weren't happy sitting on seats that were covered in vomit, passengers getting kicked off flights to make way for fat passengers needing three seats to fit their fat @$$£$ in, screaming babies everywhere, passengers getting shoved in like sardines, cheap pap that you wouldn't feed to a pig... it's not just that passengers only want cheap. Even if one pays a fortune for a first class/business class ticket, it's not much better than economy class. The airlines want to make profit instead of providing a decent service.
@@LittleKitty22 Yes, that's why I don't travel anymore. The airlines do try to make a profit, but their profit margins are low. The flights seem to be packed even with their poor service, so why should they change?
@@tonyhladun9081 Exactly. People have low standards now so they put up with anything, so they keep using the services no matter how bad. Shocking how low the standards are even in first/business class! People pay for it only to be away from the riffraff, but otherwise there's not much difference to economy.
Even back as late as the 1980s, I remember eating delicious boneless spareribs and the best-tasting key lime pie ever. That other stuff (amenities) mentioned about in this video isn't familiar to me but there were no peanut handouts when I flew.
Back in those days flying was considered something special. A different attitude back then. Not so commonplace as it is today.
It was priced something special as well, to be fair. Today it's just cram as many paying customers on board for the cheapest price
Specia because you had to be rich to afford flying. My family took the car, train or just stayed home. flying, even Coach, was out of the question.
I remember a United flight on a DC10 from Detroit to LA that served a wonderful buffet of salads, cold cuts, and chips in economy class back in 1974. A most enjoyable flight!
Maybe on a few flights, but I have been flying since the early 1950s and have NEVER encountered "gourmet meals" or piano lounges. Okay, there was a little more leg room and the seats were wider back then, but the really big difference was the pasengers were more polite back then and cabin crew were not grumpy and up themselves. And they didn't cancel one in three flights!
I took my first flight in 1967. These economy class piano lounges did exist, on US domestic widebody flights ONLY - not on international flights or outside the US - for a short period in the early 1970's as a result of the massive over capacity which occurred following the introduction of wide body aircraft.
The idea that Y class seats were wider is to some extent a myth. I am not familiar with the piston engine era of the 1950's, but as far as the jet era is concerned the 3 X 3 Y class seating on a 707/DC8 or an early 727 or 737 were exactly the same width as 3 X 3 seating on a single aisle 737 today. On wide body aircraft however, the launch configuration seats were wider. For example, up until circa 1980 747 Y class cabins were 9, not 10, abreast in a 2 X 4 X 3 configuration. Legroom was better though. Curiously, legroom was never an issue and airlines never mentioned seat pitch. Seat pitch did not become an issue until it became inadequate.
As for 'gourmet meals' the F class catering shown in the video at 1.18 is FAKE. I would describe Y class meals as freshly cooked for the flight and of restaurant quality rather than gourmet. Yes, First Class long haul meals were very elaborate with many courses and some airlines did actually offer Caviar.
Wow! These photos… amazing.
Wow, my mother used to be an airline stewardess for National airlines !
The last few years he had the route from Miami to Havana on the DC-3
And boy was Miami international different.
If you take a look above the name, it says Wilcox field. My mom used to mention some of her stories and how she had actors and actresses Ethel Merman, Gary Cooper, Errol Flynn.
My friend's mom always got Ethel Merman on the phone for her boss.
My 1st flying experience was in 1956. Flew on Pan Am, Trans Caribbean, eastern airlines, American Airlines and a couple others. It was a great experience.
When flying was a treat before it became as unpleasant as a cross city bus trip.
I miss the old days.
If you are an aviation enthusiast like me, you need to stay at least one night at the TWA hotel at JFK airport. The TWA flight center is the lobby of the TWA hotel and it is absolutely awesome and amazing.
Including a few hours of rooftop access at the TWA hotel and one night stay, it was about $450 and it was absolutely worth every penny.
I remember being in that terminal and it didn't cost a penny other than the airline fare. Mind you, fares back then were extremely high relative to earnings. Today it is much cheaper to fly and if you want the comforts of old you can fly first class and even that fare is relatively cheaper than it was back in the 1960s, and far more comfortable today.
I was in the TWA terminal at JFK in early 1979 when there was a modeling photo shoot. I could not possibly imagine how ridiculous they looked prancing forward and backwards, stomping their legs as they walked. I supposed out of the hundreds of wasted photos on the film rolls just to make a magazine ad or cover shot.
Christmas 1972 I played Christmas songs on the piano at the rear of a DC-10 from NYC to Chicago.
I had expected a line or two about the price of a ticket in, say 1955, in today's dollars. An article I read, written in 2014, calculated the one way bargain fare from NY to Paris in 1955 was roughly equivalent to $2600. That would be almost $3300 in 2023. Airline passengers paid dearly for those amenities. Furthermore, safety in those days was significantly less, with a rate of crashes at a level that wouldn't be tolerated today.
Also, I am not so sure about the comforts back then, what with the noise and vibration and the fact that the flights took twice as long.
A $2,600 airline ticket in 1955 would be closer to $30,000 in today's dollars.
@@ADAPTATION7 What he meant is 2600 in 2014 dollars
As I am saying, Paris to Toronto I flew in 1993 for $200 CDN, regular price was $250 CDN
Today few people would tolerate the cigarette smoke. For good reason. Allergies seem to be more common now. I was in a flight where they anoounced the peanuts would not be served with alcohol because one passenger siad he had an allergy.
The most wonderful memories.
You can still get this kind of service in first class. You just have to pay for it.
It's not the same thing.. at all.. I've done both.
Good old days.
I prefer today's flight safety than yesterday's perks.
Ha ! It was fantastic ! I remember as a child and then young teen everyone wearing their Sunday best. Very classy. Food was
great !
I started flying in the 60s and it was fantastic, Comfort, food and being treated like a guest. The photos being shown were of international flights. I only flew from coast to coast but the planes had so much room. The meals were great! I refuse to fly these days. My last flights were from Vegas to LA. I was treated like a criminal and the planes were so small I had to bend over to walk the aisle. It was simply get them in, get them out and get their money. The airlines no longer provide a service.
and how much did you pay for your flight in the 60's and how much did you pay for your last flight from Vegas?
I would rather drive than fly nowadays. And I am only comparing to when we had slightly roomier seats……
I can recommend ewatching a video or two about the Concorde. THAT was crammed AND SUPER expensive
@@laurelcosten1012except premium economy seats and business seats still exist
I remember being able to smoke on the flight to basic training in February of ‘89. Had ashtrays in the arms of the seats and all of us were smoking like freight trains because we knew we couldn’t smoke in basic lol.
Those days were terrible lol
Am I that old that I remember a good deal of this stuff? I recall smoking was a thing......the DC9 and 727 air stairs....Great video. It takes me back to when stuff was much simpler. Possibly much more violent and unforgiving...but simpler, nonetheless.
I started flying for business in the late 70s. As part of travel policy of the company I was working for air travel for flights over 4.5 hours was above a certain pay grade you were allowed to travel first class. It wasn't usual to see somebody in his/her late 20s or early 30s in first class and I was often called back from "going left" to check my boarding pass, mainly because I liked to travel on Saturdays in order to have Sundays off in order to have a day in the city of destination. Most of my flights were in South America and comfort (or casual dressing) was my way of travel. Travel nowadays is a hassle and often people get frustrated, drunk and disorderly causing all kinds of mayhem and delays. I stopped traveling somewhere in the early 2000s.
I was a first class traveler in my 20s too and yes, I was usually the youngest person in first. Enjoyed it immensely.
Luxury flying still exists, just PAY for the first class ticket. Me, I prefer the way it is now: less glamurous, but more democratized. (And no tobacco stench.)
I prefer how it was in 1990-s. Democratized, but still comfortable, with good service in the air and on the ground
I used to love spending time in that TWA terminal at JFK. Especially sitting in that conversation pit with the big picture windows. In the winter you could watch the snow flakes fall as the planes took-off on the runway beyond. I hear that it has since been turned into a hotel since it became obsolete as a terminal.
That terminal was amazing! We used to drive there just to watch the planes and people watch. Wonderful seeing families meeting their loved ones at the gate. Those were the days!
You have to remember as stated in this video flying was a luxury.
Also the flight destinations were limited you didnt have regional airports. Aircraft was not as fast or fuel efficient as now.
Not everyone was able to fly,majority took trains or buses.Plane tickets are cheaper focused on anyone not just those with money
It may surprise you but today's airplanes are not faster than they were in the 60's or 70's. In fact, speed hasn't evolved in the past 50 years. An airline couldn't care less how fast you get to your destination. What they do care though is the bottom line $$$. In that sense, airplanes have become more fuel efficient. This is the reason why turbofans have grown in size with high bypass ratios as opposed to the ''cigar-like'' jet engines of the past.
@@ADAPTATION7 Actually, modern airplanes fly a tad slower than in 80-s-90-s. Not to mention airport security added a lot to travel time
@@ADAPTATION7 They couldn't travel as far without stopping to refuel. NYC to Tokyo nonstop? No way
The way they dressed was immaculate! If we miss it, it’s up to us to bring it back. About to go to the grocery store but dressed like I’m going to church! (:
Airliners followed the same progression as ocean liners. From catering first entirely, and then mainly, to first class passengers - to catering mainly to third class passengers.
From a purely environmental point of view, air travel should have remained for first and business class passengers only - with tickets remaining very expensive and out of economic reach for 99% of the world's population.
Remember that flying back then was a luxury. Usually it was 1st class and very expensive. Hence the elaborate meals, entertainment, and perks. You still have such luxuries today if you're willing to spend $10K to $20K per trip going 1st class
At this point it can be said, we’ve regressed!
Corporte jets provide such luxury today like old airplanes. Some international airlines have beds for long travel and regular food services.
Wow. Nostalgia! My very first flight as a kid was in a 727 with the airstairs in the tail. I wore a suit, bought specially for the occasion. Those were really the days!
It does not go unnoticed that the vast majority of the hijackings and security issues end up with one common denominator, a very specific religious culture that cannot be named..🤐
Also bad security. Reinforced doors and El Al protocol for security probably would have prevented 9-11.
Nine 1 one, was an insider's job. More "security wouldn't have prevented it". @raylopez99
@@k3iler05 no.
What religion is behind most wars? Ahh the Christians'. And dont forget the systematic rape and molestation of children by the church, covered up by said church. Oh, was I not supposed to name the religion?
Don't be so obtuse to call out Muslims while not decrying the violence of the Christianity AND the US being at constant war since our inception.
But sure. That "specific" religion. How many of that specific religion were killed in, say, the Gulf War vs the Christians?
You can name the religion. Just take accountability for other religions.
Actually, it was not. Rush of hijackings of the 70-s had nothing to do with religious culture
I really what to be kid of the 50s. Everything looks so nice up until late 70s. Even music was better, culture and other stuff. Even those posters.
I've flown on plans since the 1980s and even in First Class the experience was awkward and uncomfortable. People dress down even in First Class and the lack of professionalism of the Flight Crews is sometimes an issue. I remember flying when I was a kid: TWA and PanAm were classy airlines.
Emirates and AirFrance are excellent
Qatar airways is better than Emirates in my personal experience.
Your family or friends could actually go all the way to the gate and could even accompany you on the plane to help you settle. If you did not check luggage, you did not stop between your ride or taxi and plane's door - as late as the 1990's. We are much more controlled now, everywhere.
What happened to the leg room? Heck I'm short and I can't stretch my legs. I feel so sorry for tall people, and larger people. I'm only 5''3 and weigh 128 pounds, and my rear barely fits in a seat! Take my advice, take a train, lots of leg room and you feel more free to move about. And you have a nice scenic view. Much cheaper too.
Try taking a train Sydney to Zurich.
Well, I suppose that is not going to happen. A ship maybe, but an airplane is the logical choice. Curious if you have all of the security checks like the USA. @@lanamack1558
Try taking a train from Ireland to anywhere outside of Ireland. As regards legroom, many airlines offer the choice of cabin, from first class to economy class. Whilst you will pay considerably more for first class, comfort yourself in knowing that the price in inflation adjusted terms is probably cheaper than economy class back in the 'golden era' of aviation.
Rail is the last civilized form of travel.
I would imagine that most people that were flying were fairly rich.
And everyone dressed up to fly because it was an event. Sigh….
Not even the high end, but I remember flying Frontier Airlines from Casper, Wyoming to Denver’s old Stapleton Airport in the 70s. The landing was delayed for some reason so the crew broke out champaign from the Airline’s vineyard and everybody sipped champaign as we circled Rocky Mountain National Park!
Nicely done. Great memories. 😅
When I was a kid I flew Pan Am to Rio 💃🎉 I got to visit the cockpit and say hi to the pilots. It was 1974 or 1975 around there. Those were the days!