I flew in a TWA 747 as an un-accompanied kid in the 80s and it was the most luxurious and super cool experience I ever had in a plane. And British Airways staff were the most polite. Not to mention how amazing take offs used to sound with old turbo fan engines.
True. But security kinda ruins it. Arriving 3 hours before a international flight adds 37% to an 8 hour New York to London flight. No amount of first class tickets/ lounges make up for that
I forget to mention that my late mother was a United stewardess from 1950 to 1955. The part about being weighed was true but oddly it worked both ways. She was 5' 2" and all of 99 lbs and was occasionally told to put on weight if she got much below that! She did have to stop flying when she married my dad but was still a United employee, she just ended up working reservations instead. When she got pregnant with me she left the airline as was normal in those days but I don't think she was forced to leave, it was her choice.
@@FerretKibble I suspect that was often more the decision of the husband than the employer but my dad was fine with it. She would not go back to work again until I was in college however but she worked for the next 40 years or so until she passed at 89.
I think the real golden age of flying was in the 1990s, once planes had become fairly safe and affordable to the middle class, but before security was such a hassle and airlines did away with meals altogether and started unbundling costs.
@@djscottdog1 The need for airport security is not exactly their fault. All those services that they used to offer the full cabin are still offered, but only in 1st class. It's better for everybody because it lets them fly more people at once, keeping ticket prices low.
Also the aircraft much then had so much more character than they have today. 747's still in service everywhere, MD-80 dominating the category 737/A320's fill today, L-1011, more 757/767's, more turboprops, etc.
@@julosx Well not counting the pandemic, travel was at all time high across the world. While it's true it's still a luxury for the majority, you don't need to be a millionaire to step foot on an aircraft anymore.
@@christodang In a way it was better since less people traveling meant also less people dying in a crash when it occurred, which happened awfully often. Flying in the 60s for instance was a pretty dangerous business. Of course, the same was true for the other means of transportation.
I am in my 70’s. Flying was much, much more pleasant and comfortable back in the 60’s!! You weren’t packed in like sardines in a can. And meals! Food! The food was superb and served hot. You had good choice of meals. People dressed up and looked clean, People were courteous to each other. Seats were wider and further apart. Not that many people were smoking on plane at once.
If you adjust for inflation, the cost of those "economy" class tickets of the 1960s are equivalent than business class today. The reason why the plane was more spacious and had better service is because the whole airplane was essentially modern day business class. Most people couldn't afford to fly back then. People say it was the "Golden age" of air travel because only the rich and white people could fly.
Well the 2020’s is your decade if you don’t like being shoulder to shoulder with other freaks. 2 metres is all the elbow room you’ll ever need. There are a couple of caveats. You’re only allowed out to work if your duties cannot be undertaken from home, to buy essential supplies and to exercise outside (i.e. walking, jogging, running, riding a bicycle, etc). Nothing else. Oh, and don’t even think about going down with a cough, a fever or a loss of taste or smell, otherwise you’ll have to stay at home for a fortnight and not even be allowed out for the aforementioned purposes.
I remember my first ride in an airplane at 8 years old. It was in 1974 an overseas flight in a 747. I remember how beautiful the stewardesses were and I got the chance to hang out with them in the back of the aircraft. Best experience an 8 year old boy could have!
In 1964, I was 10 years old and on my way back to Los Angeles from Switzerland. In those days children traveling alone were charges of the stewardesses and in those days the stewardi were also all young, charming & beautiful. Sky nannies plus. And at ten I was just beginning to understand what that meant. As we approached California it was announced that LA was socked in and we were diverting to Las Vegas where we landed & disembarked. The stewardesses gathered me up and off we went to our hotel where they had two conjoining suites. I will only say that I was first introduced to the beauty of the female form that night & next morning. And my jealous father never forgave me for it.
747’s used to fly cross country in the US in the 70’s. I was a kid and remember it fondly. Sure you had to dress up but they had an all you can eat ice cream bar which was the stuff of dreams to a 10 year-old.
An aunt of mine who’s getting on for 90 worked with Air France as flight attendant, the company financed her French until she became fully fluent, had service courses in Paris and so on. She always tells us stories about her twenties crossing the pond on a Jumbo 747, it was a supreme life experience for her.
A couple of corrections. One, airlines were offering first class and "tourist" class back in the 1950's. This didn't start in the jet age. Two, today's airplanes don't travel any faster than the 707 and 747, in fact they're a wee bit slower. But otherwise, this was a fun video. Thanks.
Today's aircraft are designed for the most efficient speed, if you go above this the drag increases rapidly. Aircraft like the Convair 880/990 traveled beyond that optimal speed, and were gas guzzlers even for the 60s when fuel was dirt cheap. th-cam.com/video/CHw3nRjj5xc/w-d-xo.html
False. Modern airliners are much faster by far! They are typically not flown that way for fuel consumption. But every time you hear a captain saying they’re going to make up the time after a delay, best bet, throttle up!
@@airdailyx ....but they aren't indeed. Just check the cruise speed of these beasts. The Boeing 707 (one of the very 1st jet airliners by the way) cruises at 965km/h, that's from Boeing's own data on their website: www.boeing.com/history/products/707.page . Heck an Airbus A320 does 829km/h. The very 1st commercial jet airliner, the DeHavilland Comet did 740km/h on it's 1st model, on the very early 50s, but by time of the Comet 3 it already did 840km/h. That was 1954 by the way.
I remember my first flight a good 50 years ago. What made it so pleasant was the emptiness. Everything was half empty. Parking, terminal building, check in, security, even the plane was half full.
The golden age was great, and everything today is crap. My mother was a flight attendant in the late 50s and early 60s, and she said things turned to crap.
I made my first intercontinental flight in 1993 in economy. Tickets were very expensive. But even in economy seats were comfortable and large (better than now) and meals were excellent (they were similar to actual business class ones) and in a 8 hours flight you got two real meals with a mid flight snack. Airlines were the ambassadors of their countries so everything on board was perfect. Now planes are more silent, technological and safer. But service and food have worsened
You are absolutely correct, I remember 1989 to Florida from the UK and 1991 to Toronto, wonderful service, meals, flight deck visits, games and like you say 2 full meals and more cabin crew per passenger’s …. To name a few……
Comparing my first transatlantic flight in Economy class back in 1981 to today‘s in Premium Economy: Better Seats, same meal quality but lower fares now (plus state of the art IFE and amenity kit).
By 1993 Reagan had deregulated the airlines. It made it a pain to fly, as there were very few non-stop flights anymore. Just like now, you could shop around. Not all tickets were expensive!
Airlines have discovered that most customers care about price and nothing else. All the luxury is gone because customers consistently chose the cheaper option, no matter how unpleasant.
It wasn’t awful I remember the days and it was beautiful. On safety you are right of course but hey, nobody wore safety belts and/or had airbags in cars either.
Exactly, the notion of safety, and desired level of safety back then was very different. People didn't have the internet to watch, learn and compare safety measures, so you just didn't expect anything else. And again, 50 years from today, what we now consider safe might be considered totally unsafe! It's easy to say the past was so bad for xyz reason either because you didn't live it or more generally because your current standards are totally different, but that's precisely the reason which make such broad sweeping statements baseless.
airplane should have seatbelts honestly every vehicle should have seatbelts but they don't need to be required in certain spots but for the safety yes but you realize traveling was more special and luxurious back then than nowadays is
I still remember my first flight on a 747 around about 1971 . The excitement as kid seeing this incredible aircraft waiting to fly you away. Remembering that the 747 hadn't been out that long . Non of the digital stuff just a pair of ear phones and a music system in one of seat rests . Then the movie which was projected from the cabin ceiling on to a massive retractable board near one of the galleys set up by the cabin crew . This was on SAA South African Airways which was very good . And to think my particular 747 is now a museum piece. How aviation has changed .
Some inaccuracies here. There was more than one class of service, the planes were more comfortable than what the average person gets today (only the super rich can afford those seats that lay out 180 degrees), and it wasn’t mind numbingly boring on flights like you’re making it sound. People back in the day enjoyed reading or talking to each other. -- Yes there were bad things but there’s lots of bad today. Customer service today is lousy, these medium and huge airports are maddening, and seats for the regular passengers are shrinking as well as the space between seats. I really wish the US train service was better, I’d rather take that for shorter hauls. Flying today is often a pain in the rear experience from start to finish.
I've flown on Delta One (with the lay down seats) on a few transatlantic flights, and I am NOT "super rich." Super rich is what you had to be to fly in the 1950s-60s when a flight might cost up to six months salary and DIDN'T have lay flat seats.
Train service is bad because freight is prioritized in practice. They take so much track they block passenger rail despite technically being prioritized over freight. On the upside, freight costs are lower than other countries.
Having flown starting in the 1950s, I can say that flying before deregulation in the USA was usually a pleasure. While the equipment was not what is today, I appreciated these advantages : -stewardesses and stewards gave excellent service -1st class food was wonderful (economy food not so good) -seat space was good -could visit cockpit during flight -when I got old enough the stewardesses flirted with me. I looked forward to flying, it was an adventure and most airlines treated you well. In California we had PSA where you could get a ticket when you arrived and be someplace else in California quickly. If your schedule changed you could fly the hour before or after or even another day without fees. If I bought a real ticket and there was a problem with my interstate flight I just walked over to the competition gate and asked if I could have a seat. Since I walked, or ran fast, they would smile and give me an available seat and take my ticket on 1st airline as full payment, even if the cost on the 2nd airline was more. This was because if they didn't give me the seat, there airplane would leave with an empty seat as opposed to getting the money from the other airline. Airline tickets were fungible securities. Another wonderful thing is before 1960, few people flew, it was extremely expensive for the average person. I never had any problem with boredom as I would sleep if there was nothing better to do.
My argument is always that if you could afford to fly back then, you can afford to fly business or first class now and get the same if not better experience. I think the main downside to modern air travel is the airport experience. I've travelled low cost and business class and other than a fast track through security and priority baggage (first off the belt) the bulk of the airport experience has been identical and tends to vary more between airports than anything related to carrier or ticket price (my best airport experience was with low cost Flybe on a domestic flight, through the doors to sitting at a bar near the gate in about 10mins).
I agree, having said that, upgraded on an easyjet flight for something like £15 sat front row, priority boarding, first off the aircraft, first bag at reclaim and first out the airport at the destination. Well worth the extra! And the crew were very attentive.
I've flown Delta One several times and it costs about the same as a regular transatlantic fare in the "Golden Age." But it is MUCH better than that would have been. The seat lies fully flat, so you can sleep in total comfort across the ocean. The food is quite good, and plentiful - served with real china, glassware, and silverware. You get a cocktail before dinner, and a four course meal. A large IFE screen provides hours of entertainment as though you were sitting in your own living room. The airport experience is better too, because the First Class ticket gets you Sky Priority for checking your luggage and going through security. You also get access to some pretty nice lounges before your flight so you board relaxed and ready to enjoy the trip. No kidding, the flight is so nice, it is actually an enjoyable part of the vacation rather than something you suffer through to get to your destination.
I flew as a kid on multiple airlines over the Pacific and throughout the US West Coast. I distinctly remember the "Golden Age". Planes are definitely more safer and quieter now, but the food was better and they used to let kids visit the pilots in flight. I even remember getting a toy plane. Also the landings (for the most part) were smoother than the landings now.
There's a famous incident in Germany where the captains kids were allowed in the cockpit during the flight. The plane crashed and everyone died. That's probably why it's not allowed now
It used to be a running joke back in the 60's and 70's that you buy a transcon or transatlantic ticket and a "surprise" stop in Cuba was included along the way, so please plan your schedule accordingly when you fly.
Yeah I will exchange standing in airport security line waiting to take my shoes and belt off to step into a machine that digitally strips me naked, because of a .0000001% of being hijacked......
@@sammy080798 Except your chances of getting hijacked was not .00000001%, it was near certainty back in the 70's. Hundreds of flights got hijacked every year back then before security finally clamped it down to single digits annually prior to 9/11.
Flying was more expensive, but it was made to be an event. If you flew to Hawaii, they served Hawaiian fruit out of wooden bowls and gave everyone leis. It was part of the experience. I don't know anyone flying in coach these days who says "You know, that was almost the best part of the vacation." Most people buy a ticket, clench their jaw, and try their best to get through the flight without being too uncomfortable now.
People who always talk about the “Golden age of flying” talk as if they would’ve been able to afford back then.. say what you want about modern air travel, but at least it’s a lot less expensive and safer. You can still fly like this, just buy a first class ticket 🤷♂️
Don't fool yourself, First Class today and the Golden Age of flying are not the same - not at all. Way back then many of us choose the economy food as it was often times better than our First Class - everyone was neat and tidy and smelled wonderful. Getting into First Class today is much like what economy was during the Golden Age of the fifties and sixties.
@@camlacasse3760First Class, where you get your own private room with a bed, shower, flat screen TV, pyjamas, high-end room service, etc, is the same as economy class in the 1960's?😂
The only thing that is better now is the last of smoke on board. With prices regulated, the airlines had to compete on service. In 1967, my family flew to Europe on a plan in which you paid for your most expensive tickets and then could fly between other cities. We went New York-London-Oslo-Trondheim-Copenhagen-Hannover (drove around Germany and Austrai for 2 weeks)-Cologne-Paris-Amsterdam-New York. When we were at Heathrow waiting for our BEA flight to Oslo, a gate agent announced that our flight would be delayed for two hours, BUT--and this is the part that's hard to believe--that we should all follow her to this room (a lounge, maybe?) where they had a buffet of sandwiches and tea. Both seating and compensation for delays have gotten worse and worse since then. Seeing the present-day airline with seats 11 across was appalling.
My earliest memories of flying was from the 90s, but when I still fly for business/pleasure, I still feel like I should dress appropriately. At least slacks/jeans, and a polo shirt. It just seems weird to travel with sweats for me. Maybe it's my late grandpa's influence since he always dressed up when flying to/from the old country...
I am a survivor of air travel in the 1950’s and 60’s. In the 50’s, slow noisy and unreliable propellor driven airplanes. Great meals, but.....no inflight entertainment, you read, talked to the person next to you, or slept. Low flight altitudes which meant you flew in the weather, not above it. Some flights became “ vomit comets” because of this. Flights that now take 4 hours took 12. Shift to the 1960’s. The flight times shrank, the aircraft were more reliable, the quality of the meals started to deteriorate towards the end of the decade, but how you passed the time remained the same. On a positive note, airline accountants had not started to turn the interiors into sardine cans, ( that started in the 70’s) so not all was bad. 😉. P.S. I’ve done one of those 19 hour long haul flights. Frankly, I’ll happily travel on a cruise ship anytime. They sure beat modern airline flying.😁
You think cruise ships are good? What about how much easier it is to catch viruses on cruise ships, as opposed to aircraft with excellent airflow and filter systems?
@@rafaelwilks 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Sure, aircraft have excellent filter systems...even better when the filter elements are changed when they should be. I've seen filters come out of those systems that were plainly saturated with growths that would keep a scientific lab interested for months. 😉 But you fail to consider that viruses can be caught from any person who may be knowingly or unknowingly carrying a virus and is stting in the aircraft cabin. That filter llimits them, but does not stop them from settling on tray tables, armrests, toilet facilities , clothing on both your and your fellow passengers and the cabin crew. Despite the filers you mention, a lot if that anti virus stuff airlines talk about is P.R. spin. Airliners are not hospital operating theatres and unlike hospital practice where a member of a surgical team dors not work on an operating theatre if they have a cold or flu, people with sniffles and colds still get on commercial flights, trains and buses, taxi"s and ubers, just as they did on Cruise ships. Until Covid-19 appeared, I flew in airliners at least twice a year every year since 1953 and I've caught plenty of virus's from travelling in airliners. I have caught 1 cold from 6 different cruise ship holidays, but could also have caught that from a fellow passenger on the flight that took me to the embarkation port. 😉 Who is to know. So no multi passenger carrying transport is guaranteed to be safe, if catching a virus is your concern. Besides, this video has nothing to do with virus safe methods of transport. It's comparing modern day airline travel with what the world experienced in the 1950's, 60's and 70's. Compare traveling stuffed inside an aircraft in coach class for a Perth to London NON stop flight (19 hours) getting cramps , unable to sleep and risking getting DVT, eating cardboard food off plastic plates and using plastic cutlery, to traveling in a Cruise ship where you can sleep in a long sized bed, walk around or sit outside in fresh air and eat freshly cooked food off China plates using stainless steel cutlery......if you think the former is the best, then you are quite welcome to it.
It's not true that plane arrived with cabins filled with "unfiltered" cigarette smoke. The air was filtered and although people could smoke they were generally MUCH more considerate than today. Although most people did smoke, most also didn't chain smoke and a more occasional cigarette was the norm.
I don't know when or where you're referring to, but I remember being a kid in the "nonsmoking" section sucking on my inhaler, fighting off an asthma attack from the smoke on every flight in the 80s in the US. I remember my only being able to fly if she brought an oxygen tank on board with her. I mean I had a babysitter who smoked in her house & I was fine with it, so it wasn't just any exposure to cigarette smoke, it was the environment in the planes, the airplanes were just awful.
Yeah. Back in the day before they banned smoking on board... Flying was awful! Even if the air in the plane was filtered and you grabbed the air from outside the plane.
The air was filtered through the insulation in the walls. Those yellow insulation blankets were saturated with nicotine , smelled horrendous and looked like a 10 foot diaper saturated in diarrhea. On the plus side every hole in the fuselage had a brown streak.
Actually, I would say the “Golden Age of Air Travel” reached its apex in the early 70s with the 747, DC-10 and L-1011- the early variants of these were truly luxurious.
@@mohabatkhanmalak1161 The early 747's have piano bar lounges on their upper decks. Some DC-10's and L-1011's even have a bar area at the back of the plane.
The poor old DC-10 Got a real bashing after the Turkish crash . It couldn't fly any where with out getting bad press . Yet it was a great aircraft and I flew on them many times .
Let me see here. : 1. tickets were reasonable price for services 2. Passengers were comfortable 3. the food existed , and was half way decent 4. you could catch a plane at more places 5. Airlines actually competed for your business Oh man ! that sounds just awfull !! Why would anybody possibly want that back ? Today the competition is to see how miserable they can make it for the individual , and how much money they can extort , while pleading poverty the entire time . Yep , sounds like modern progress to me .
@@evacody1249 That was the old tech of the aircraft ......nothing to do with the service of the industry . Machineguns used to shoot off their own planes propeller in early WW1 ...........they fixed that problem also . Had nothing to do with the quality of the pilot .
@@tolik5929 Nope. A lot of accidents and crashes like the Tenerife collision, the worst crash ever, were due to pilot/control tower error. Hell, planes used to just fly straight into mountains or bad weather and crash or run out of fuel and straight up crash because the pilots and control tower screwed up and didn’t know what to do. Not to even talk about the hijackings that also crashed planes. Now that never happens. It’s been almost twenty years since a major and total loss in US and Europe. Pilots are much better trained and more intelligent and intuitive like Captain Sully.
Having experienced early jet “luxury” service (as a kid), you are so right. One other modern plus we enjoy is reliability in the event of marginal weather - part of the safety thing but also a big convenience. Now, if you want the old-time luxury, you have the option to pay for it. That’s what I do.
Not quite sure what you mean by reliability in the event of marginal weather. In all my years of flying, it seems there was less discomfort due to bad weather and turbulence, as there is today. I blame it on climate change, myself.
In the 50's most routes had first and second class. In the late 50's some airlines added economy class (no fancy meal). The prop planes were noisy, but take-offs were exciting. Until the jets, meals even in tourist class were served on china.
Nice clips. I disagree about classes onboard. There was generally a 2 class set-up on most first gen. jets. First and tourist. Tourist was better than economy of today. Economy was the bran child of Juan Trippe the boss of Pan Am. By the time of the 747 first and economy classes were long established The upper deck of the early 747 was a lounge or even a silver service dining room (on Pan Am) and only available to first class. As to safety, the 707 and DC 8 were a massive step forward in safety, performance and reliability compared to the Constellation or Stratocruiser of the 1950s. However the first passenger jet, the flawed 1948 Comet crashed several times due to unrecognised metal fatigue. Thanks for the vid.
My first airplane trip was in 1959 at the age of eleven, as an unaccompanied child. That Connie had first and economy class. Although I got to sit in first, as it was a short flight, and the plane was only half full.
@@dc10fomin65 , "People did not degrade others back then!" Oh yes they did degrade others back in the era of the early B707s and DC8s. There were still vicious national disagreements about the 1954 SCOTUS Brown versus Board of Education decision. The voting rights legislation proposals were severely disliked. The concept of nationally enforced Equal Housing Laws was considered ridiculous .
Putting aside the cost and safety factor for the moment, I’d like to fly like people did back then at least once. The idea of well dressed and good mannered people sounds good to me. The experience of flying today is hellish. Tiny seats, bratty kids, people dressed like slobs, etc. Most people understandably dislike the smell of cigarette and cigar smoke. But the idea of flying in a huge seat, being dressed to the nines, eating a filet, smoking a cigar, end enjoying a cognac after dinner sounds like a nice experience. If only once.
Flew a lot of transcontinental flights with the parents in the 70's in. 747s. 10 minutes after take off they would go up the bar. Can hardly blame them since drinks were included. Got to do a crash landing in a 707 as the front wheels didn't come down but the pilot was an ex Air Force B-52 pilot and just eased it down, barley even felt it.
The golden age of flying is today. Tickets are affordable and you can travel a lot more frequently to a lot more destinations. I will happily trade Caviar, lobster and Champagne for a cheap getaway to say London, Rome, Belgrade - and even overseas travel is possible for more and more people. Also, first class is available for those yarning for "the golden age"
Absolutely correct! The average person could never have afforded to travel as we do now. If you want luxury, you just have to pay more for it. More choices today... and more opportunity to travel, benefits MORE people.
'Golden' for those very few, who were selected to become a pilot or flight attendant. Payments and benefits were huge, compared to today. I know flight attendants of Lufthansa German Airlines who worked in the late 1960's to early 1970's and were able to buy a house just with their salaries close to Frankfurt airport. Today they are retirees in their 70's and real-estate millionaires! But that's definitely over: today flight attendants have a much higher workload, much more passengers and earn as little as supermarket clerks.
The air was completely cycled every 2 minutes. They stopped doing that in the 90s. You're basically smelling every fart, armpit and foot of every single person who's been on that plane for the past few months. I flew from the late 70s through 2015. I never smelled smoke on any flight. The air was much cleaner in the plane due to the cycling than it is now. So were the planes. So were the passengers.
You also used to be guaranteed your ticket would be honored and the flight rarely was delayed. Airline staff went out of the way to be extremely professional and courteous. Cancelling a flight was unheard of. You would neverm ever imagine your bags would be lost or misplaced. Now it's normal
Been flying now for going on 40+ years People have been complaining about lost bags for decades. Not that long ago entire airports would be shut down for fog. The service you got from airlines depends heavily depended of the company. All you points are pure fantasy.
It was not awful. It was comfortable. I preferred it. Flew first time in 1954. I did not mind the propellers. Flew often on the Connie, DC-7, Vickers Viscount.
This is a bunch of bullocks. Price air travel for the few is better than modern days. The Golden Age of Air Travel is much better than today. Except maybe the treatment of cabin staff and the increased probability of crashes. I have to admit I'm glad those are in the past. "Oh it's cheaper and more people can afford it" does not excuse how passengers are treated today.
Nah. The real golden age was just after the war when massive, luxurious flying boats carried around two dozen passengers in absolute comfort. The plane would land in the evening, disembark the passengers into a luxury hotel for the night, and recommence the journey the next morning. Okay, so it took days to get from London to Oz, but it was a great experience.
@@xetalq What a great question! I'm pretty certain that I wouldn't have been able to afford it if I'd been alive back then, and I doubt very much that I could afford it now. There are some things that if you have to worry about the price, you can't afford it ;-)
-Technology was less advanced. - Pilot training was less intense. Jobs were basically handed to you once you’ve proven you can do the bare minimum. - Safety (for many transportation) wasn’t valued. - Finally, pre-9/11 routines of boarding planes. (No airport security).
@@amylee8969 Was a stewardess in mid-1960's. our captains were WW2 pilots and they knew they could everything, and we totally believed they could. They were very well trained. Yes, there were accidents and we had to take away papers which carried a crash story, especially on front page. Everyone had a clean seat back linen, clean bathrooms, clean seats, tray tables, etc. Cleaners had time to do an excellent job. We had ovens and burns. We all pretty much started to smoke as there were lots of free cigarettes. Everyone was friendly and passengers had class and were wonderful. Even kids behaved well. We have gained in technology and have lost in grace and dignity.
@@camlacasse3760 Yeah, I agree. I think that loss of grace and dignity is less of an airplane thing and more of a western society problem. I think that if you took the same modern planes and security and injected them into 1960 the experience would be better than today because of the people.
As a child in the 60’s we were a well traveled family and we did get dressed up when flying but mother had a phobia of flying which I didn’t understand at the time and I found her hysterics embarrassing. She had no option but to fly but once she calmed and was strapped and slapped I enjoyed flying.
With the great reset in the works...only the elite and super rich will be able to fly..... Us plebian peasants will be too busy working in the fields and uranium mines to worry about materialistic things like travel and luxury....
I feel sorry for anyone who didn't experience international flight when it was a new and exciting method of travel. Today, most people on a flight behave like they're on a Greyhound bus.
I got a bit of this as a kid, my first flight was in 1980 ad as a kid it was so different to the way it is now. My last flight that was a smoking flight was in a JAL flight to Tokyo in early 2000. I’m happy that smoking is not allowed anymore. It was bad at the back of the plane even though I was a smoker. The smell of smoke really lingered.
As a flyer born long after all of this, I'm glad there's no smoking on planes allowed anymore. Being in an enclosed tube miles in the sky that must recycle pressurized air to make sure the passengers can breathe while people also put carcinogen-filled smoke into that same air just doesn't sit right with me.
I grew up with pan am in the 50s and 60s, both parents worked for Pan Am, that's when flying was the finest!! today you're in a city bus with wings!! if I can't drive, I don't go!
No B-747 was operated as an all-first-class "one class" aircraft as stated at 2:15. The upper deck lounge on the 747 was limited to the small number of passengers in first class; it was not available to the much larger number of passengers flying in tourist class.
Well every 747 Jumbo i flew on in the 90s allowed us to go to the upper deck lounge with a normal ticket in the 90s, and i must have flown on it 20+ times. So youre wrong.
Eastern, National, Mohawk Airlines were the ones I used to fly growing up. The smoke used to linger forever in the cabin. Non-stop flights were non-existent. At the end of the day I smelled like a old bar saloon by the time I reached home. Aside from that, the airports were not crowded, and the ease of getting thru the airport was awesome. To this day I have a romantic vision of flying right up till I reach the airport then all it's gone. I do still enjoy flying, just have to get my game-face on to be ready for anything. Cheers!
Apart from the smoking, it looked like a real bit of luxury. However I daresay it would be no guarantee against turbulence. Funnily enough planes nowadays don't really travel that much faster, they just cram more people in.
I flew as a kid in the early 90's and I felt even then was better than it is today. I remember getting complimentary toy airplanes, coloring books, etc and pretty much every flight I went on. A lot of times they would let me go poke my head into the cockpit and say hi to the pilots. Overall it really was a much better "experience"
As a kid the only reason we flew was when the government paid for it, as my father was in the military. Airline ticket prices were out of the reach of the ordinary person back then. And passengers smoking on the planes sucked. But as a kid they would give you little toys and pilot wing pins to wear. And at least you weren't charged stupid baggage fees.
This is like how people born in the 90’s and later don’t understand how people back then could smoke or bring fire arms on a plane. To use the idea of being stuck in a tube for a few hours with total strangers is normal, while people back then were used to “higher standards”
Btw. Seats 💺 in old jets and props were much more comfortable than nowadays. The speed of jet airliners that time was higher and provided meals were also better
@@mikegehre570 Not before the early 70s oil crisis. Before that gas was very cheap, no need to try to be efficient. These days most airliners fly slower than they did 40 years ago, to be more efficient.
Yes, but since safety is a biggie when getting in any aircraft, that’s always been my number one priority. Sure airport security and the “3 hours before your flight” rule is annoying, and sure more room and wider isles would be nice, but I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. Plus for meals, you can just eat before or after boarding a plane and pack your own packaged snacks.
Dulles International Airport had a morgue built into the original construction. Many international airports did in the 60s. It was assumed there was the possibility for gruesome accidents and it would be easier to have the coroner come to the airport. Also, there wasn't a unilateral, federal ban on smoking in an airplane until 2000!
That seems so strange because presumably, gruesome accidents wouldn't happen right at the airport, more likely they would be somewhere far away, and then it's unlikely they would transport all the bodies to one particular place, wouldn't it?
@@tstieber Most air accidents do happen near an airport--the riskiest stages of flight are takeoff and landing, and that's generally been the case. But I also wonder if the morgues weren't there in part because these were simply busy places where there were a lot of people, and they weren't in city centers already--newer airports like Dulles would often be way out in the boondocks by 1960s standards (I moved near there in the early 70s and I remember people thought of it as out at the edge of the world in rural territory). People would sometimes die there for all sorts of reasons, and it would make sense to construct it as a world unto itself.
I'm 66 and remember as a kid getting dressed up to go on a rare and expensive airline flight in the 1960's. Later on, by the 70/80s started to travel by coach bus which was cheaper, and you got to see and feel the great expanse of the country. Downside to those Greyhound bus rides, besides being 10 times longer, were the drunks, ex-cons and mental patients that sometimes rode with you and caused havoc till the police arrived. These days with the lower priced airline rates, you can fly across the country for the same price as a bus ride and get the same in-flight entertainment from those drunks, ex-cons and mental patients who can also afford the fares and without police interruption.
In my country during the 1980s 3 in 4 people smoked, compared to reverse nowadays, 1 in 4. If you didn't have lung cancer when you boarded you sure as hell had it when you reached your destination. As a child it was not a pleasant experience!
I fly regularly to visit my mom these days. People are rude all too often. Back in the 70's, folks were much more friendly and polite. It makes all the difference to me. I'll take flying 45 years ago to flying today in a heartbeat.
I also fly regularly to see my Mom and other family members. My first flight was in 1974. Not sure what your problem is, the people I encounter (economy) are at least as polite as in years past. Granted, seats are smaller and security is a hassle. On the flip side flying is much cheaper now and the "polite" person in the next seat isn't spewing clouds of noxious fumes into the cabin. BTW, I used to do that "back in the day". I have become a better person.
It was Golden. You could change any ticket at no charge, there was no security, you got more space, food, free booze, you could smoke, they gave you goodies like playing cards and toys for the kids.
The main difference between the 70s and early 80s and today is that the cabins were less cramped, and 'security'. There weren't a lot of endless lines, taking off belts and shoes and all that nonsense. You just got on the plane. The planes were more nosier but it wasn't that big a deal. Most people smoked back then, the air circulation in the planes wasn't bad so that wasn't a big deal, for most folks, either. Planes today are quieter, the pilots are actually a bit better and there's no smoke. But for most people the difference wasn't all that great. But the cabins in coach and economy these days are terribly cramped. It tends to make most people continuously uncomfortable for the entire flight, with whatever results that causes, often resentment and surliness constrained by manners and natural decency...but not always. That makes a flight distinctly unpleasant, if tolerable for most folks. The fact most people deal with it well and with good nature doesn't mean it's fun. But the main difference is the security regime and the 'crowd management efficiency' features of modern air travel. The entire experience was less regimented and bovine. It was much more 'people flying' than today's 'cattle being herded' ambience. Other than the very cramped cabins in economy and coach the biggest difference is the whole endless, intrusive and inconvenient security process. It's hard to decide whether airline passengers today are treated more like enlisted personnel in military formations or like prisoners in a detention facility, but the experience seems a bit of both these days. It may be unavoidable and it may be efficient, but it's certainly unpleasant. No 'screens'? Really? You seems to forget that back in those days, not so very long ago, people actually used to do this thing called 'reading', and actually talked to one another. I know that seems impossible to today's post-literate, 'on-line', 'remote work' generations, but it's true.
I flew on DC3s DC4s DC6B DC7c Caravels and DC8s as a kid (My dad was an airline pilot and we had free tickets) - and on the DC6 and up SAS had 2 classes Turist and first. On first class on transatlantic flights in 1957, they made up full length beds, on the DC6B, (they even had special windows for the top bed, you had a ladder, just like on the old sleeper trains) Service was good - the stewardess to passenger ratio was much higher than later. Even Singapore airlines long haul business class full length seats are not as comfortable as I remember the SAS 1957 models - but then again, when you are just 7 og 8 you do sleep better that when you are 70 !
True story. All the cigarrette tar made slow pressurisation leaks easy to find. They left a smear on the outside of the fuselage. In one case where an airliner burst apart in mid air, it was found that there was a tar-stain on the damaged panel - years after smoking had been banned.
My mother has been a flight attendant with United since 1968, she's of the opinion that things have absolutely gone downhill. The uniforms now are frumpier, the passengers are angrier, and everybody dresses like slobs. Even compared to the 1980s, air travel now doesn't have any pretensions of class, it's all flip flops and fistfights.
I'm solidly Gen-X (i.e. starting to get older, but not quite "boomer") But I don't see why anyone would want to or expect dressing up for a flight. I mean I'm not advocating wearing your pajama pants on the plane, but comfortable jeans and a t-shirt are just fine. This is mass transit, not a wedding party.
I remember in the early 1970s, when 2 minutes after takeoff the "no smoking" sign would shut down, and immediately 90% of passengers, I'd say all adults would immediately light up cigarettes and smoke for the entire trip. Also on overnight flights there was a lot of caughing at night, I do wonder why... later in the 1980s, a brilliant solution to the smoking problem was found, by having the last 20 rows reserved for "smokers" as if there was an area in pools where people were allowed to urinate.
Travel was so much better. jet fuel was cheaper so aircraft traveled near their top speed. Occupancy was often at half capacity. Plane seats were roomier. Hotels and meals were offered if a connecting flight was cancelled. Meals were served. People were better mannered. I usually fly 1st class now and folks from coach try to use my overhead rack and 1st class lavatory. People are so rude today. My first flight was in 1944 on a DC-2.
Anyway, it was much better untill the 1980s, empty airports, still excitement about flying, easy security, nobody was annoyed about smoking, kids could enter the cockpit, better food and travelling was much more civilized than today. I often ask myself, how people nowadays, esp. families, can even afford to fly longdistance if they have no idea about baggage limitations, security control measures and block the passport controls for 10minutes
When you described the 747 and it's upper deck lounge, you mentioned that everyone on the plane had access. I have flown the 747 in the 70's and it had coach and first class. The lounge was only available to FC passengers. Although, in the early 70"s, AA briefly had a piano lounge at the rear of the coach cabin.
It is wrong to criticize "the golden age of flying" for being expensive. It's like criticizing a Rolls-Royce for costing a lot of money. It was meant to cost. That's why it was elegant and exclusive => hence its high-society allure. Today's cheaper flying, no longer elegant and in certain aspects compromising to human dignity, is accessible to masses, but this does not undermine the "old golden days" - it's just losing something for gaining broader access. I'd even say some risk even made things more enviable and almost heroic, while today flying is very prosaic - being so safe also makes it lose some charm.
Its not wrong to criticize it for being so expensive most people could never experience it. Being abled to opt out of the steak and lounge for a price affordable to the middle class is a very good change.
Military family, grew up in the Far East in the 1960's and we flew back to the US every summer, so I've done the transpacific countless times. Beginning with the 707 thru Hawaii, and was on one of the early 747 flights on PAA. The smoking was awful, and God help you if you ended up in the smoking section at the back of the cabin. First class on Pan Am was amazing, my parents would frequently put us kids up there on the Tokyo-SF-LAX flight just to get rid of us for a day, like glorified baby sitting LOL (We got airline employee discounts and treatment because Dad was a pilot.) I remember the roast beef carved in front of my seat, the circular staircase up where you could make dinner reservations to eat in the lounge "dining room." I remember the first time Pan Am tried to sneak the 10 across seats in coach....they did 1 of the 3 coach sections that way, the other 2 were the original 9 across. It was a test to see if passengers would notice and they claimed people liked it better, HAHA!
I started flying in the mid 70's. Been to 59 countries. I can assure you that I would be more than happy to go back to the old planes and old ways. Today you get on a cattle car with people in their pajamas, drunk, stoned and stupid. I hate flying now.
I'm lucky that I only fly Muslim airlines like Royal Jordanian and EgyptAir and even Emirates, where that stuff doesn't happen because most passengers are religiously forbidden from all that stuff.
That was the golden age of flying. Now, with many jet engines maintained, repaired, and overhauled by the manufacturers as they should be (and with better means available), safety levels ten times better now, and first class products, the golden age of flying is over with. Now, we have a superior age: I call it the platinum age of flying.
I don't agree. Past decades were by far better than this safety & health driven nightmare. Speaking about Australia, its borders have been closed for YEARS.
It was actually ocean liners that crossed the Atlantic. Cruise ships are a different kind of ship. Literally built different from cruise ships as well. Titanic, Olympic, Mauretania, Ile De France, Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary. Those are all ocean liners.
Have been on 3 world cruises (5 1/2 to 6 months each) and learned that the only difference in cruise liners and cruise ships is in their names! Maybe Carnival so-called cruise buckets don't count, they are the bottom of the barrel of cruising.
Air travel now is awful. Seats are cramped, food is mediocre or none, flight attendants are old and ugly and people are dressed like their going to Walmart. The Golden Age of travel was the best if you can afford it - that is why it is called Golden.
Couldn't tell from a quick run through the comments section here. I'm aging out and would love to contribute to a video on how the 60s and 70s was a delusional shit show. Ha.
@@samensign5369 I remember travelling in the 90s, whilst it was still legal to smoke on planes. I'm not saying current air travel is a pleasant experience, but I'm not entirely sure it's worse than it was.
Flying in the seventies was a big event the family would come to see you off all excited, it was an adventure. Now it’s like an old bus where you’re going to get searched a couple of times like a criminal.
I was blessed to be born into a life as an airline brat of two travel loving parents. I got to enjoy the perks of the tail end of the golden age of travel...first class upgrades, almost empty airplanes...but after watching your video I agree with the aspects of safety and the way the flight attendants are treated now make this time the golden age of air travel. I’m really looking forward to taking my teenage son on a 787 and just being present...not comparing it to the DC 8s or 727s I flew on when I was his age...just enjoying it for what it is... a state of the art beautiful flying machine ✈️ great video. Thanks!
My parents flew quite a bit in the late-'50s and early-'60s. I went with them to the Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, in '64. I was eight years-old and my contemporaneous memories of that flight over and back are of the luxury and tedium too; yeah, because I was a kid and it wasn't yet in my make-up to be able to fully appreciate it. Had prime rib on the inbound leg with tiny, multi-colored potatoes and a special side of colorful cole slaw. As we were preparing to depart Innsbruck there was discussion of some weather overhanging everything. My father said something to me to the effect that 'The pilot is going to get us upstairs in a hurry.' Sounded interesting. Up we went through the clouds with my weight pushed back into the soft seat cushions and then the sun was streaming through the windows so brightly. I remember the shadows moving around the cabin as the pilot adjusted our course and leveled us off so that the clouds looked like they were brushing the jet engines. Ever since then, any time I've flown, I get a kick out of the pilot getting us above the weather quickly.
The smoking thing. The air in the cabin isn't recycled. It's entirely renewed every two minutes. It takes some effort to smoke up a plane. Same reasons today why your plane doesn't smell of barf and sweat. I actually miss smoking in flights. Also, there was non smoking sections at the front.
Yeah..really useful having a non smoking section..with no airtight divider. Smokers have little actual idea of how unpleasant their habit is for everyone else....
@@michaelbenardo5695 I too am a former smoker..and I think many smokers simply don't, (and sadly really CANNOT) understand how unpleasant it can be for non smokers.
First class tickets are as expensive as tickets back then. So air travel haven't become cheaper, that's a cope. You still get what you pay for and they will squeeze as much money off the passengers as they can. The only reason they created economy class was to tap into that huge market. Look around you - everything is more expensive and unaffordable than 50-70 years ago. How is that possible given the immense technological progress and automation? We've been swindled hard.
I lived through the Golden Age as kid/teen, and am now a retired airline pilot. Those times were FAR better. Our family was not rich, yet we flew. Just had to save up for vacation. Food was awesome! Jets flew just as fast, and more conveniently to more destinations. Passengers were dressed nicely & well-behaved. Now, sell a $19 ticket, you get a $19 passenger! I drive now
My earliest memory of flying was the early 1980's aboard Wardair in economy class, I ordered a steak medium rare and it actually came medium rare compare that to the in flight meals you get today in economy class, absolute garbage that could have been made a week earlier. There is a happy medium but airlines, at least North American ones, have become horrible.
@@Dangermouse2256 Not a great deal more actually. Wardair were a low cost Canadian charter airline with a great reputation who provided one of the best in-flight service experiences of any airline of the ime.
Everyone gets what the MAJORITY are prepared to pay for. So many people ONLY look at price...then bitch about the seating etc. Hardly surprising the airlines need to compete on price. I can't afford to pay for Business class (thats what FF points are for lol) so I am very happy to see Premium Economy becoming more common...
Lets see, I've flown on all models of the DC 8,9 and 10. L1011, VC10,The 707 all models, 727 all models 737 100,200,747 100,200, and the baby Fokker F28 What did they have?LEG ROOM, GREAT meals ,they were faster for the most part.On board service that cannot be matched today unless you pay a massive amount for it. And , amazingly enough I survived it all though it was "so dangerous" if being jammed into a cattle class cabin, listening to whining kids, low class animals that cannot learn to at least put on a shirt to fly.,being fed garbage for a meal AND paying for it in a frame that does little more that 500 to 520 MPH thus taking longer to get to your destination is appealing? I pity you.I'll take the the old skool aircraft in that "era"over any modern cramped incantation flying today. The "era" of flying like society has changed. From higher standards of crew and passenger to a lack of it .All one needs to look at are the people seated next to you to grab ones attention to that fact.The A350 we flew on last March was cramped,and exceedingly uncomfortable. No amount of IFE can change it.
Like you I was privileged to fly on most of the aircraft you high lighted . I suppose because of where I lived we were restricted to various aircraft we had coming in . But I have to say the super VC-10 was my favourite and to me the most beautiful looking aircraft . I flew on them several times between south africa , kenya and into london . And coming home on a sabena B707 via Brazzaville. The viscount was the jumbo of the bush (Air Rhodesia). Glad I managed to fly on these aircraft before they disappeared into aviation oblivion.
No idea what people are talking about when they claim it costs $10,000 and upwards for a seat that was nowhere near as good as in the 60s and 70s. I flew business class (which is the highest class) from Chicago to Amsterdam round trip last year on KLM for about $2,700. Private lie flat seat with direct aisle access, noise cancelling headphones, toiletry/amenity kit included. Menu with multiple meat and veggie options for dinner and breakfast, plus dessert and a wine list, not to mention multiple beer and liquor options. Hundreds of movies and TV shows available on demand (even in economy class). All this for a price that's about half the median monthly salary in the US.
Thanks for the truth. Nostalgia on here and Facebook about the "golden age" must be posted by folks way too young to know what it was really like. I started flying commercial in 1955. Air France B777 business class that I flew a year ago was the best I every experienced. Once we get past the current situation, and we will, I cant wait to try the B787 and A350.
The lie flat seats and higher pressures inside the 787 mean I get a good night's sleep and minimal jet-lag. I live in Denver so I have flown the new United Polaris Class 787 a few times. When United asked international passengers what they really wanted on long haul flights the people asked for a good nights sleep. United delivered. Best lie flat seats and very comfortable bedding. In 2019 I was fortunate to fly business class upper deck in a BA 747 before BA took 747s out of service. With their lie flats and only something like 16 seats up there it was almost like flying on a private jet. The golden age is now if you're willing to just pay for business class.
I flew in a TWA 747 as an un-accompanied kid in the 80s and it was the most luxurious and super cool experience I ever had in a plane. And British Airways staff were the most polite. Not to mention how amazing take offs used to sound with old turbo fan engines.
Geez... How old are you?
@@sygneg7348 42.
@@RoodeMenon Oh.
@@sygneg7348 lmao
Well, kids had plenty of headspace and legroom. They still do.
Today, we have First, Business and Sardines Class.... 😂😂😂
I mean just look at 4:26 it sure is sardine class if you are going to keep 11 seats in a row.......
You mean first,business and Ryanair lol
We also got sardin class+ with 15 cm of extra legroom. Me and my wife got that last time around... with one extra free seat...
With all due respect,I think it's anchovy class now.
No, we have first, business, and spirit
You can still fly "golden age" style. Just buy a first-class ticket.
Exactly ! It'd be about the same price, if not cheaper.
True. But security kinda ruins it. Arriving 3 hours before a international flight adds 37% to an 8 hour New York to London flight. No amount of first class tickets/ lounges make up for that
What ... and then have to stay in the same space as the plebs?
Paris Hilton says everyone should fly first class, because you get there sooner than the people who fly in the back.
Good point
I forget to mention that my late mother was a United stewardess from 1950 to 1955. The part about being weighed was true but oddly it worked both ways. She was 5' 2" and all of 99 lbs and was occasionally told to put on weight if she got much below that! She did have to stop flying when she married my dad but was still a United employee, she just ended up working reservations instead. When she got pregnant with me she left the airline as was normal in those days but I don't think she was forced to leave, it was her choice.
Surprised she was kept employed - back then it was common for marriage to kill whatever your career was immediately.
@@FerretKibble I suspect that was often more the decision of the husband than the employer but my dad was fine with it. She would not go back to work again until I was in college however but she worked for the next 40 years or so until she passed at 89.
I think the real golden age of flying was in the 1990s, once planes had become fairly safe and affordable to the middle class, but before security was such a hassle and airlines did away with meals altogether and started unbundling costs.
Yes before 2001 air travel was much better
@@djscottdog1
The need for airport security is not exactly their fault.
All those services that they used to offer the full cabin are still offered, but only in 1st class. It's better for everybody because it lets them fly more people at once, keeping ticket prices low.
Yeah, like Kevin McAllister’s parents in first class. That was the golden age!
Yep basically economy class before it got stripped down to bare bones; legroom and food quality/quantity decreased (and charging similar prices).
Also the aircraft much then had so much more character than they have today. 747's still in service everywhere, MD-80 dominating the category 737/A320's fill today, L-1011, more 757/767's, more turboprops, etc.
It was the golden age for those who literally had the gold. The rest of us just did not fly.
Yes, pretty much like right now.
@@julosx Well not counting the pandemic, travel was at all time high across the world. While it's true it's still a luxury for the majority, you don't need to be a millionaire to step foot on an aircraft anymore.
@@christodang exactly. You can buy a ticket for 1 days wage now. At a minimum wage
@@christodang In a way it was better since less people traveling meant also less people dying in a crash when it occurred, which happened awfully often. Flying in the 60s for instance was a pretty dangerous business. Of course, the same was true for the other means of transportation.
Not until the late 70’s early 80’s before then there would be tickets that sold for 100$ at the least (even more cuz of inflation n stuffs)!
I am in my 70’s.
Flying was much, much more pleasant and comfortable back in the 60’s!!
You weren’t packed in like sardines in a can.
And meals! Food! The food was superb and served hot. You had good choice of meals.
People dressed up and looked clean,
People were courteous to each other.
Seats were wider and further apart.
Not that many people were smoking on plane at once.
Good to know a different opinion!
I agree . Flying was great in those days . Now its like hearding cattle .
I think it's a trade-off? Today's flights are cheaper compared to one's income but the seats are probably smaller too. So I guess we're equal then
If you adjust for inflation, the cost of those "economy" class tickets of the 1960s are equivalent than business class today. The reason why the plane was more spacious and had better service is because the whole airplane was essentially modern day business class.
Most people couldn't afford to fly back then. People say it was the "Golden age" of air travel because only the rich and white people could fly.
Well the 2020’s is your decade if you don’t like being shoulder to shoulder with other freaks. 2 metres is all the elbow room you’ll ever need. There are a couple of caveats. You’re only allowed out to work if your duties cannot be undertaken from home, to buy essential supplies and to exercise outside (i.e. walking, jogging, running, riding a bicycle, etc). Nothing else. Oh, and don’t even think about going down with a cough, a fever or a loss of taste or smell, otherwise you’ll have to stay at home for a fortnight and not even be allowed out for the aforementioned purposes.
I remember my first ride in an airplane at 8 years old. It was in 1974 an overseas flight in a 747. I remember how beautiful the stewardesses were and I got the chance to hang out with them in the back of the aircraft. Best experience an 8 year old boy could have!
In 1964, I was 10 years old and on my way back to Los Angeles from Switzerland. In those days children traveling alone were charges of the stewardesses and in those days the stewardi were also all young, charming & beautiful. Sky nannies plus. And at ten I was just beginning to understand what that meant.
As we approached California it was announced that LA was socked in and we were diverting to Las Vegas where we landed & disembarked. The stewardesses gathered me up and off we went to our hotel where they had two conjoining suites. I will only say that I was first introduced to the beauty of the female form that night & next morning.
And my jealous father never forgave me for it.
@@kurtn4819 that's really gross or should I say straight raping? You were 10 ffs
@@kurtn4819weird
Early bloomer.
747’s used to fly cross country in the US in the 70’s. I was a kid and remember it fondly. Sure you had to dress up but they had an all you can eat ice cream bar which was the stuff of dreams to a 10 year-old.
And you got to meet the pilot in the cockpit!
@@majortomwilkinson To be asked by him- Do you like movies about gladiators? 😀
And no onboard boxing matches. That NEVER happened. Today's society sucks.
@@tomking1890 I think the "onboard boxing matches" class were too poor to fly back then. That's why.
I wore blue jeans to fly in the 60s and 70s.
An aunt of mine who’s getting on for 90 worked with Air France as flight attendant, the company financed her French until she became fully fluent, had service courses in Paris and so on. She always tells us stories about her twenties crossing the pond on a Jumbo 747, it was a supreme life experience for her.
A couple of corrections. One, airlines were offering first class and "tourist" class back in the 1950's. This didn't start in the jet age. Two, today's airplanes don't travel any faster than the 707 and 747, in fact they're a wee bit slower.
But otherwise, this was a fun video. Thanks.
Another correction is that trans Atlantic airplanes took over from Ocean Liners, not cruise ships.
Today's aircraft are designed for the most efficient speed, if you go above this the drag increases rapidly. Aircraft like the Convair 880/990 traveled beyond that optimal speed, and were gas guzzlers even for the 60s when fuel was dirt cheap.
th-cam.com/video/CHw3nRjj5xc/w-d-xo.html
Not to mention posing off the safety of the 1st generation of jets as if they were flying coffins, that part had me laughing so hard...
False. Modern airliners are much faster by far! They are typically not flown that way for fuel consumption. But every time you hear a captain saying they’re going to make up the time after a delay, best bet, throttle up!
@@airdailyx ....but they aren't indeed. Just check the cruise speed of these beasts. The Boeing 707 (one of the very 1st jet airliners by the way) cruises at 965km/h, that's from Boeing's own data on their website: www.boeing.com/history/products/707.page . Heck an Airbus A320 does 829km/h. The very 1st commercial jet airliner, the DeHavilland Comet did 740km/h on it's 1st model, on the very early 50s, but by time of the Comet 3 it already did 840km/h. That was 1954 by the way.
I remember my first flight a good 50 years ago. What made it so pleasant was the emptiness. Everything was half empty. Parking, terminal building, check in, security, even the plane was half full.
Making me jealous now
@@AverageAlien It was the calm before the storm....
Yes, because wall the plebs and lower middle class folks were prevented from going.
that wasn't going to last after deregulation. Airlines needed to make money.
The golden age was great, and everything today is crap. My mother was a flight attendant in the late 50s and early 60s, and she said things turned to crap.
I made my first intercontinental flight in 1993 in economy. Tickets were very expensive. But even in economy seats were comfortable and large (better than now) and meals were excellent (they were similar to actual business class ones) and in a 8 hours flight you got two real meals with a mid flight snack. Airlines were the ambassadors of their countries so everything on board was perfect. Now planes are more silent, technological and safer. But service and food have worsened
You are absolutely correct, I remember 1989 to Florida from the UK and 1991 to Toronto, wonderful service, meals, flight deck visits, games and like you say 2 full meals and more cabin crew per passenger’s …. To name a few……
Comparing my first transatlantic flight in Economy class back in 1981 to today‘s in Premium Economy: Better Seats, same meal quality but lower fares now (plus state of the art IFE and amenity kit).
By 1993 Reagan had deregulated the airlines. It made it a pain to fly, as there were very few non-stop flights anymore. Just like now, you could shop around. Not all tickets were expensive!
@@Old-USRefugee Carter did it, not Reagan.
Airlines have discovered that most customers care about price and nothing else. All the luxury is gone because customers consistently chose the cheaper option, no matter how unpleasant.
It wasn’t awful I remember the days and it was beautiful. On safety you are right of course but hey, nobody wore safety belts and/or had airbags in cars either.
Exactly, the notion of safety, and desired level of safety back then was very different. People didn't have the internet to watch, learn and compare safety measures, so you just didn't expect anything else. And again, 50 years from today, what we now consider safe might be considered totally unsafe!
It's easy to say the past was so bad for xyz reason either because you didn't live it or more generally because your current standards are totally different, but that's precisely the reason which make such broad sweeping statements baseless.
airplane should have seatbelts honestly every vehicle should have seatbelts but they don't need to be required in certain spots but for the safety yes but you realize traveling was more special and luxurious back then than nowadays is
Were there any minorities flying?
@@100KakdelaWow. Way to bring race into things. Is that all you think about?
@@rob585I mean, race was always a part of it. Ignoring that doesn’t do us any good.
I still remember my first flight on a 747 around about 1971 . The excitement as kid seeing this incredible aircraft waiting to fly you away. Remembering that the 747 hadn't been out that long . Non of the digital stuff just a pair of ear phones and a music system in one of seat rests . Then the movie which was projected from the cabin ceiling on to a massive retractable board near one of the galleys set up by the cabin crew . This was on SAA South African Airways which was very good . And to think my particular 747 is now a museum piece. How aviation has changed .
People nicely dressed and children well mannered.
That's before they start drinkin
Cigarettes have a calming effect for everyone involved.
@FN-1701AgentGodzillaRangerPrime-El
Counter speech with logic and reasons = No.
Said “ok boomer” = wow, I feel I m superior than any people.
Because no camcorder in that they.
@@oatseawong6664 ok boomer
Some inaccuracies here. There was more than one class of service, the planes were more comfortable than what the average person gets today (only the super rich can afford those seats that lay out 180 degrees), and it wasn’t mind numbingly boring on flights like you’re making it sound. People back in the day enjoyed reading or talking to each other.
--
Yes there were bad things but there’s lots of bad today. Customer service today is lousy, these medium and huge airports are maddening, and seats for the regular passengers are shrinking as well as the space between seats. I really wish the US train service was better, I’d rather take that for shorter hauls. Flying today is often a pain in the rear experience from start to finish.
Having a casual conversation with a complete stranger seems like an alien concept nowadays lol.
I've flown on Delta One (with the lay down seats) on a few transatlantic flights, and I am NOT "super rich." Super rich is what you had to be to fly in the 1950s-60s when a flight might cost up to six months salary and DIDN'T have lay flat seats.
Train service is bad because freight is prioritized in practice. They take so much track they block passenger rail despite technically being prioritized over freight. On the upside, freight costs are lower than other countries.
And safer than 737-MAX
as someone who takes the train to work every day, it sucks. would rather take the bus at this point
Having flown starting in the 1950s, I can say that flying before deregulation in the USA was usually a pleasure. While the equipment was not what is today, I appreciated these advantages :
-stewardesses and stewards gave excellent service
-1st class food was wonderful (economy food not so good)
-seat space was good
-could visit cockpit during flight
-when I got old enough the stewardesses flirted with me.
I looked forward to flying, it was an adventure and most airlines treated you well. In California we had PSA where you could get a ticket when you arrived and be someplace else in California quickly. If your schedule changed you could fly the hour before or after or even another day without fees. If I bought a real ticket and there was a problem with my interstate flight I just walked over to the competition gate and asked if I could have a seat. Since I walked, or ran fast, they would smile and give me an available seat and take my ticket on 1st airline as full payment, even if the cost on the 2nd airline was more. This was because if they didn't give me the seat, there airplane would leave with an empty seat as opposed to getting the money from the other airline. Airline tickets were fungible securities.
Another wonderful thing is before 1960, few people flew, it was extremely expensive for the average person.
I never had any problem with boredom as I would sleep if there was nothing better to do.
I thought the food in economy was good up to the 70s; often a steak and cheese cake was basic.
Reagan deregulated the airlines
My argument is always that if you could afford to fly back then, you can afford to fly business or first class now and get the same if not better experience.
I think the main downside to modern air travel is the airport experience. I've travelled low cost and business class and other than a fast track through security and priority baggage (first off the belt) the bulk of the airport experience has been identical and tends to vary more between airports than anything related to carrier or ticket price (my best airport experience was with low cost Flybe on a domestic flight, through the doors to sitting at a bar near the gate in about 10mins).
I agree, having said that, upgraded on an easyjet flight for something like £15 sat front row, priority boarding, first off the aircraft, first bag at reclaim and first out the airport at the destination. Well worth the extra! And the crew were very attentive.
I've flown Delta One several times and it costs about the same as a regular transatlantic fare in the "Golden Age." But it is MUCH better than that would have been. The seat lies fully flat, so you can sleep in total comfort across the ocean. The food is quite good, and plentiful - served with real china, glassware, and silverware. You get a cocktail before dinner, and a four course meal. A large IFE screen provides hours of entertainment as though you were sitting in your own living room. The airport experience is better too, because the First Class ticket gets you Sky Priority for checking your luggage and going through security. You also get access to some pretty nice lounges before your flight so you board relaxed and ready to enjoy the trip. No kidding, the flight is so nice, it is actually an enjoyable part of the vacation rather than something you suffer through to get to your destination.
Only if you fly overseas. First class domestic is nothing like the golden age. You’re lucky to get more than granola with yogurt for breakfast.
I flew as a kid on multiple airlines over the Pacific and throughout the US West Coast. I distinctly remember the "Golden Age". Planes are definitely more safer and quieter now, but the food was better and they used to let kids visit the pilots in flight. I even remember getting a toy plane. Also the landings (for the most part) were smoother than the landings now.
Landings factor shouldn’t even be in this comment
@@maxsaviation9512why not?
There's a famous incident in Germany where the captains kids were allowed in the cockpit during the flight. The plane crashed and everyone died. That's probably why it's not allowed now
Remember when your plane had a chance of getting hijacked then today because airports used to be treated like bus stops
It happened so frequently that you had hijack insurance... really!
It used to be a running joke back in the 60's and 70's that you buy a transcon or transatlantic ticket and a "surprise" stop in Cuba was included along the way, so please plan your schedule accordingly when you fly.
Yeah I will exchange standing in airport security line waiting to take my shoes and belt off to step into a machine that digitally strips me naked, because of a .0000001% of being hijacked......
I remember reading somewhere about Soviet's solution: pilots carried a gun into cockpit
@@sammy080798 Except your chances of getting hijacked was not .00000001%, it was near certainty back in the 70's. Hundreds of flights got hijacked every year back then before security finally clamped it down to single digits annually prior to 9/11.
Flying was more expensive, but it was made to be an event. If you flew to Hawaii, they served Hawaiian fruit out of wooden bowls and gave everyone leis. It was part of the experience. I don't know anyone flying in coach these days who says "You know, that was almost the best part of the vacation." Most people buy a ticket, clench their jaw, and try their best to get through the flight without being too uncomfortable now.
Depends on the airline
People who always talk about the “Golden age of flying” talk as if they would’ve been able to afford back then.. say what you want about modern air travel, but at least it’s a lot less expensive and safer. You can still fly like this, just buy a first class ticket 🤷♂️
Don't fool yourself, First Class today and the Golden Age of flying are not the same - not at all. Way back then many of us choose the economy food as it was often times better than our First Class - everyone was neat and tidy and smelled wonderful. Getting into First Class today is much like what economy was during the Golden Age of the fifties and sixties.
@@camlacasse3760First Class, where you get your own private room with a bed, shower, flat screen TV, pyjamas, high-end room service, etc, is the same as economy class in the 1960's?😂
I think people are conflating domestic and international first classes. They’re way different. Especially on some of those middle eastern airlines
The only thing that is better now is the last of smoke on board. With prices regulated, the airlines had to compete on service. In 1967, my family flew to Europe on a plan in which you paid for your most expensive tickets and then could fly between other cities. We went New York-London-Oslo-Trondheim-Copenhagen-Hannover (drove around Germany and Austrai for 2 weeks)-Cologne-Paris-Amsterdam-New York. When we were at Heathrow waiting for our BEA flight to Oslo, a gate agent announced that our flight would be delayed for two hours, BUT--and this is the part that's hard to believe--that we should all follow her to this room (a lounge, maybe?) where they had a buffet of sandwiches and tea. Both seating and compensation for delays have gotten worse and worse since then. Seeing the present-day airline with seats 11 across was appalling.
My earliest memories of flying was from the 90s, but when I still fly for business/pleasure, I still feel like I should dress appropriately. At least slacks/jeans, and a polo shirt. It just seems weird to travel with sweats for me. Maybe it's my late grandpa's influence since he always dressed up when flying to/from the old country...
I always dress up these days and honestly I’m shocked when someone wears a singlet
Can you imagine if an airline enforced a specific dress code
@@FoundAndExplained probably could if Trump shuttle was a thing again
To be honest, I find people wearing a singlet shocking in most situations.
@@rswear in some cases people will think your really stinking rich as you find traveling as casual as going to mcdonalds
Ah yes the golden age of air travel, when airplane doors stayed on
I don't know, man.
de Havilland DH.106 Comet had serious issues
If you watch the video they highlight how it’s 10x safer today
But airplane windows didn't! 😅
But cargo doors would fall off back then.. American 96 and turkish 981 ring a bell
You might want to look at the issues they had back then.
I am a survivor of air travel in the 1950’s and 60’s. In the 50’s, slow noisy and unreliable propellor driven airplanes. Great meals, but.....no inflight entertainment, you read, talked to the person next to you, or slept. Low flight altitudes which meant you flew in the weather, not above it. Some flights became “ vomit comets” because of this. Flights that now take 4 hours took 12. Shift to the 1960’s. The flight times shrank, the aircraft were more reliable, the quality of the meals started to deteriorate towards the end of the decade, but how you passed the time remained the same. On a positive note, airline accountants had not started to turn the interiors into sardine cans, ( that started in the 70’s) so not all was bad. 😉. P.S. I’ve done one of those 19 hour long haul flights. Frankly, I’ll happily travel on a cruise ship anytime. They sure beat modern airline flying.😁
I remember cigarette smoke and barf bags in use. Such aromas on board in the "golden age".
@@jimandmandy It was worse if people smoked Cigars in the cabin during a flight. 🤮
You think cruise ships are good? What about how much easier it is to catch viruses on cruise ships, as opposed to aircraft with excellent airflow and filter systems?
@@rafaelwilks 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Sure, aircraft have excellent filter systems...even better when the filter elements are changed when they should be. I've seen filters come out of those systems that were plainly saturated with growths that would keep a scientific lab interested for months. 😉
But you fail to consider that viruses can be caught from any person who may be knowingly or unknowingly carrying a virus and is stting in the aircraft cabin. That filter llimits them, but does not stop them from settling on tray tables, armrests, toilet facilities , clothing on both your and your fellow passengers and the cabin crew. Despite the filers you mention, a lot if that anti virus stuff airlines talk about is P.R. spin. Airliners are not hospital operating theatres and unlike hospital practice where a member of a surgical team dors not work on an operating theatre if they have a cold or flu, people with sniffles and colds still get on commercial flights, trains and buses, taxi"s and ubers, just as they did on Cruise ships.
Until Covid-19 appeared, I flew in airliners at least twice a year every year since 1953 and I've caught plenty of virus's from travelling in airliners. I have caught 1 cold from 6 different cruise ship holidays, but could also have caught that from a fellow passenger on the flight that took me to the embarkation port. 😉 Who is to know.
So no multi passenger carrying transport is guaranteed to be safe, if catching a virus is your concern.
Besides, this video has nothing to do with virus safe methods of transport. It's comparing modern day airline travel with what the world experienced in the 1950's, 60's and 70's.
Compare traveling stuffed inside an aircraft in coach class for a Perth to London NON stop flight (19 hours) getting cramps , unable to sleep and risking getting DVT, eating cardboard food off plastic plates and using plastic cutlery, to traveling in a Cruise ship where you can sleep in a long sized bed, walk around or sit outside in fresh air and eat freshly cooked food off China plates using stainless steel cutlery......if you think the former is the best, then you are quite welcome to it.
your very impresive.....some flight in 2020 from lax to dubia are 42 hours!
It's not true that plane arrived with cabins filled with "unfiltered" cigarette smoke. The air was filtered and although people could smoke they were generally MUCH more considerate than today. Although most people did smoke, most also didn't chain smoke and a more occasional cigarette was the norm.
I don't know when or where you're referring to, but I remember being a kid in the "nonsmoking" section sucking on my inhaler, fighting off an asthma attack from the smoke on every flight in the 80s in the US. I remember my only being able to fly if she brought an oxygen tank on board with her. I mean I had a babysitter who smoked in her house & I was fine with it, so it wasn't just any exposure to cigarette smoke, it was the environment in the planes, the airplanes were just awful.
Yeah. Back in the day before they banned smoking on board... Flying was awful! Even if the air in the plane was filtered and you grabbed the air from outside the plane.
The air was filtered through the insulation in the walls. Those yellow insulation blankets were saturated with nicotine , smelled horrendous and looked like a 10 foot diaper saturated in diarrhea.
On the plus side every hole in the fuselage had a brown streak.
That is not true at all 😂
On the 707, they used to distribute cotton baton for your ears prior to takeoff because the sound insulation was terrible.
Actually, I would say the “Golden Age of Air Travel” reached its apex in the early 70s with the 747, DC-10 and L-1011- the early variants of these were truly luxurious.
The most luxurious was the Hindenburg.......fully furnished with a grand piano!
@@mohabatkhanmalak1161 The early 747's have piano bar lounges on their upper decks. Some DC-10's and L-1011's even have a bar area at the back of the plane.
The poor old DC-10 Got a real bashing after the Turkish crash . It couldn't fly any where with out getting bad press . Yet it was a great aircraft and I flew on them many times .
@@mohabatkhanmalak1161 Yes with the grand piano, but sadly lacking in fire hydrants.
@@nightflyer3242 Thank you for your comment. So many do not even know what these early widebodies were like. I do, and they were amazing.
You should do more of these videos if “how good things used to be” there are many people who could use a reality check.
Let me see here. :
1. tickets were reasonable price for services
2. Passengers were comfortable
3. the food existed , and was half way decent
4. you could catch a plane at more places
5. Airlines actually competed for your business
Oh man ! that sounds just awfull !! Why would anybody possibly want that back ?
Today the competition is to see how miserable they can make it for the individual , and how much money they can extort , while pleading poverty the entire time . Yep , sounds like modern progress to me .
I guess you missed the part about the number of crashes.
@@evacody1249 That was the old tech of the aircraft ......nothing to do with the service of the industry . Machineguns used to shoot off their own planes propeller in early WW1 ...........they fixed that problem also . Had nothing to do with the quality of the pilot .
@@tolik5929 Nope. A lot of accidents and crashes like the Tenerife collision, the worst crash ever, were due to pilot/control tower error. Hell, planes used to just fly straight into mountains or bad weather and crash or run out of fuel and straight up crash because the pilots and control tower screwed up and didn’t know what to do. Not to even talk about the hijackings that also crashed planes.
Now that never happens. It’s been almost twenty years since a major and total loss in US and Europe. Pilots are much better trained and more intelligent and intuitive like Captain Sully.
Having experienced early jet “luxury” service (as a kid), you are so right. One other modern plus we enjoy is reliability in the event of marginal weather - part of the safety thing but also a big convenience. Now, if you want the old-time luxury, you have the option to pay for it. That’s what I do.
Not quite sure what you mean by reliability in the event of marginal weather. In all my years of flying, it seems there was less discomfort due to bad weather and turbulence, as there is today. I blame it on climate change, myself.
In the 50's most routes had first and second class. In the late 50's some airlines added economy class (no fancy meal). The prop planes were noisy, but take-offs were exciting. Until the jets, meals even in tourist class were served on china.
Nice clips. I disagree about classes onboard. There was generally a 2 class set-up on most first gen. jets. First and tourist. Tourist was better than economy of today. Economy was the bran child of Juan Trippe the boss of Pan Am.
By the time of the 747 first and economy classes were long established The upper deck of the early 747 was a lounge or even a silver service dining room (on Pan Am) and only available to first class.
As to safety, the 707 and DC 8 were a massive step forward in safety, performance and reliability compared to the Constellation or Stratocruiser of the 1950s.
However the first passenger jet, the flawed 1948 Comet crashed several times due to unrecognised metal fatigue.
Thanks for the vid.
Almost from the beginning the 707 and DC8 had first class(2-2) and second class(3-3) seating sections.
3-3 was not called 2nd class, comon man, it was just called coach or tourist, people did not de grade others back then!
My first airplane trip was in 1959 at the age of eleven, as an unaccompanied child. That Connie had first and economy class. Although I got to sit in first, as it was a short flight, and the plane was only half full.
@@dc10fomin65 ,
"People did not degrade others back then!"
Oh yes they did degrade others back in the era of the early B707s and DC8s.
There were still vicious national disagreements about the 1954 SCOTUS Brown versus Board of Education decision. The voting rights legislation proposals were severely disliked. The concept of nationally enforced Equal Housing Laws was considered ridiculous .
@@davidhoffman1278 We're talking about AIRPLANES, not schools nor anything else!
In the 80's we still have sirloin, wine and bourbon in regular tickets....
You can still get the bourbon or wine today.
@@andyjay729 maybe in intl flights, paying somente extra bucks or executive class. Not in ordinary flights.
Putting aside the cost and safety factor for the moment, I’d like to fly like people did back then at least once. The idea of well dressed and good mannered people sounds good to me. The experience of flying today is hellish. Tiny seats, bratty kids, people dressed like slobs, etc. Most people understandably dislike the smell of cigarette and cigar smoke. But the idea of flying in a huge seat, being dressed to the nines, eating a filet, smoking a cigar, end enjoying a cognac after dinner sounds like a nice experience. If only once.
Flew a lot of transcontinental flights with the parents in the 70's in. 747s. 10 minutes after take off they would go up the bar. Can hardly blame them since drinks were included. Got to do a crash landing in a 707 as the front wheels didn't come down but the pilot was an ex Air Force B-52 pilot and just eased it down, barley even felt it.
The golden age of flying is today. Tickets are affordable and you can travel a lot more frequently to a lot more destinations. I will happily trade Caviar, lobster and Champagne for a cheap getaway to say London, Rome, Belgrade - and even overseas travel is possible for more and more people. Also, first class is available for those yarning for "the golden age"
Absolutely correct! The average person could never have afforded to travel as we do now. If you want luxury, you just have to pay more for it. More choices today... and more opportunity to travel, benefits MORE people.
Have you heard of RyanAir. That may change your view.
@@michaelcap9550 I have flown Ryanair (never again!) but that doesn't change the fact that flying and travelling is cheaper than ever before
Zipair is the new golden age
'Golden' for those very few, who were selected to become a pilot or flight attendant. Payments and benefits were huge, compared to today. I know flight attendants of Lufthansa German Airlines who worked in the late 1960's to early 1970's and were able to buy a house just with their salaries close to Frankfurt airport.
Today they are retirees in their 70's and real-estate millionaires!
But that's definitely over: today flight attendants have a much higher workload, much more passengers and earn as little as supermarket clerks.
The air was completely cycled every 2 minutes. They stopped doing that in the 90s. You're basically smelling every fart, armpit and foot of every single person who's been on that plane for the past few months. I flew from the late 70s through 2015. I never smelled smoke on any flight. The air was much cleaner in the plane due to the cycling than it is now. So were the planes. So were the passengers.
You also used to be guaranteed your ticket would be honored and the flight rarely was delayed. Airline staff went out of the way to be extremely professional and courteous. Cancelling a flight was unheard of. You would neverm ever imagine your bags would be lost or misplaced. Now it's normal
Canceling a flight for weather absolutely happened all the time back then. You're just making a bunch of stuff up.
Been flying now for going on 40+ years People have been complaining about lost bags for decades. Not that long ago entire airports would be shut down for fog. The service you got from airlines depends heavily depended of the company. All you points are pure fantasy.
i too love spreading misinformation for fun
Don't be silly.
It was not awful. It was comfortable. I preferred it. Flew first time in 1954. I did not mind the propellers. Flew often on the Connie, DC-7, Vickers Viscount.
This is a bunch of bullocks. Price air travel for the few is better than modern days. The Golden Age of Air Travel is much better than today. Except maybe the treatment of cabin staff and the increased probability of crashes. I have to admit I'm glad those are in the past. "Oh it's cheaper and more people can afford it" does not excuse how passengers are treated today.
This documentary was poorly put together by someone who has no real concept of the history of the civilian aircraft transportation industry.
Passengers are treated quite decently today though.
Unless you are in US, that is.
I've never been on any flight where passengers were treated badly. What airline do you fly, Aeroflot?
@@lisalu910 Compare today to the 70s and it's clear the video maker has no idea what he's talking about
Nah. The real golden age was just after the war when massive, luxurious flying boats carried around two dozen passengers in absolute comfort. The plane would land in the evening, disembark the passengers into a luxury hotel for the night, and recommence the journey the next morning. Okay, so it took days to get from London to Oz, but it was a great experience.
I agree with you. The 50s-70s were more like the silver age.
That’s what the railway era was called in the stainless steel twilight, the Silver Age: 1940-1970, (with two exceptions).
What would you pay to revive that experience? It would be expensive ...
@@xetalq What a great question! I'm pretty certain that I wouldn't have been able to afford it if I'd been alive back then, and I doubt very much that I could afford it now. There are some things that if you have to worry about the price, you can't afford it ;-)
It’s crazy how people used to see that planes crashed a lot, and now these days it’s a surprise when a plane goes down.
-Technology was less advanced.
- Pilot training was less intense. Jobs were basically handed to you once you’ve proven you can do the bare minimum.
- Safety (for many transportation) wasn’t valued.
- Finally, pre-9/11 routines of boarding planes. (No airport security).
@@amylee8969 Was a stewardess in mid-1960's. our captains were WW2 pilots and they knew they could everything, and we totally believed they could. They were very well trained. Yes, there were accidents and we had to take away papers which carried a crash story, especially on front page. Everyone had a clean seat back linen, clean bathrooms, clean seats, tray tables, etc. Cleaners had time to do an excellent job. We had ovens and burns. We all pretty much started to smoke as there were lots of free cigarettes. Everyone was friendly and passengers had class and were wonderful. Even kids behaved well. We have gained in technology and have lost in grace and dignity.
@@camlacasse3760 lol, like ass, people were still pricks even back then
And also, cigarettes make the life of others terrible
@@camlacasse3760 Yeah, I agree. I think that loss of grace and dignity is less of an airplane thing and more of a western society problem. I think that if you took the same modern planes and security and injected them into 1960 the experience would be better than today because of the people.
As a child in the 60’s we were a well traveled family and we did get dressed up when flying but mother had a phobia of flying which I didn’t understand at the time and I found her hysterics embarrassing. She had no option but to fly but once she calmed and was strapped and slapped I enjoyed flying.
Can just imagine how awful it smelled when you could smoke in a plane 🤢
Since people smoked most places, you hardly noticed. I am speaking for the 1980s.
Also smoking in restaurants and movies was normal. Not fun or enjoyable
@@julianhermanubis6800As a child, I noticed
And the same will be said about flying today in 2070. Yawn.
@@chemicalfrankie1030 The commoners are still permitted to fly, today.
2070: oh yes, I remember when airplanes used to have seats
@@memc0282 Pfft I remember aircraft. Nothing like transporter to get around.
In 2070, Ryanair and easyJet will follow no seats model. All pax will be hanging holding a grab rail.
With the great reset in the works...only the elite and super rich will be able to fly..... Us plebian peasants will be too busy working in the fields and uranium mines to worry about materialistic things like travel and luxury....
I feel sorry for anyone who didn't experience international flight when it was a new and exciting method of travel. Today, most people on a flight behave like they're on a Greyhound bus.
Well that's because they treat people like it's a Greyhound bus and not like it's a luxury airliner
They need to make that money
I got a bit of this as a kid, my first flight was in 1980 ad as a kid it was so different to the way it is now. My last flight that was a smoking flight was in a JAL flight to Tokyo in early 2000. I’m happy that smoking is not allowed anymore. It was bad at the back of the plane even though I was a smoker. The smell of smoke really lingered.
As a flyer born long after all of this, I'm glad there's no smoking on planes allowed anymore. Being in an enclosed tube miles in the sky that must recycle pressurized air to make sure the passengers can breathe while people also put carcinogen-filled smoke into that same air just doesn't sit right with me.
I grew up with pan am in the 50s and 60s, both parents worked for Pan Am, that's when flying was the finest!! today you're in a city bus with wings!!
if I can't drive, I don't go!
Yes indeed, a bus with wings.
No B-747 was operated as an all-first-class "one class" aircraft as stated at 2:15. The upper deck lounge on the 747 was limited to the small number of passengers in first class; it was not available to the much larger number of passengers flying in tourist class.
Well every 747 Jumbo i flew on in the 90s allowed us to go to the upper deck lounge with a normal ticket in the 90s, and i must have flown on it 20+ times. So youre wrong.
I agree, I like that more people can travel because of cheap flights, I don't base my vacation on the flight I think about where I'm going on vacation
Eastern, National, Mohawk Airlines were the ones I used to fly growing up. The smoke used to linger forever in the cabin. Non-stop flights were non-existent. At the end of the day I smelled like a old bar saloon by the time I reached home. Aside from that, the airports were not crowded, and the ease of getting thru the airport was awesome. To this day I have a romantic vision of flying right up till I reach the airport then all it's gone. I do still enjoy flying, just have to get my game-face on to be ready for anything. Cheers!
always made me laugh that airlines had non-smoking and smoking sections....like you said so well; the lingering in the cabin.
Apart from the smoking, it looked like a real bit of luxury. However I daresay it would be no guarantee against turbulence. Funnily enough planes nowadays don't really travel that much faster, they just cram more people in.
I flew as a kid in the early 90's and I felt even then was better than it is today. I remember getting complimentary toy airplanes, coloring books, etc and pretty much every flight I went on. A lot of times they would let me go poke my head into the cockpit and say hi to the pilots. Overall it really was a much better "experience"
As a kid the only reason we flew was when the government paid for it, as my father was in the military. Airline ticket prices were out of the reach of the ordinary person back then. And passengers smoking on the planes sucked. But as a kid they would give you little toys and pilot wing pins to wear. And at least you weren't charged stupid baggage fees.
This is like how people born in the 90’s and later don’t understand how people back then could smoke or bring fire arms on a plane. To use the idea of being stuck in a tube for a few hours with total strangers is normal, while people back then were used to “higher standards”
Bringing firearms on a plane? For self defence?
Btw. Seats 💺 in old jets and props were much more comfortable than nowadays. The speed of jet airliners that time was higher and provided meals were also better
I think they slowed em down to save fuel
@@mikegehre570 Not before the early 70s oil crisis. Before that gas was very cheap, no need to try to be efficient. These days most airliners fly slower than they did 40 years ago, to be more efficient.
😶
If you like that then you would love the Concord if Oilcrisis isn't a thing.
Yes, but since safety is a biggie when getting in any aircraft, that’s always been my number one priority.
Sure airport security and the “3 hours before your flight” rule is annoying, and sure more room and wider isles would be nice, but I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. Plus for meals, you can just eat before or after boarding a plane and pack your own packaged snacks.
Dulles International Airport had a morgue built into the original construction. Many international airports did in the 60s. It was assumed there was the possibility for gruesome accidents and it would be easier to have the coroner come to the airport.
Also, there wasn't a unilateral, federal ban on smoking in an airplane until 2000!
That seems so strange because presumably, gruesome accidents wouldn't happen right at the airport, more likely they would be somewhere far away, and then it's unlikely they would transport all the bodies to one particular place, wouldn't it?
@@tstieber Most air accidents do happen near an airport--the riskiest stages of flight are takeoff and landing, and that's generally been the case.
But I also wonder if the morgues weren't there in part because these were simply busy places where there were a lot of people, and they weren't in city centers already--newer airports like Dulles would often be way out in the boondocks by 1960s standards (I moved near there in the early 70s and I remember people thought of it as out at the edge of the world in rural territory). People would sometimes die there for all sorts of reasons, and it would make sense to construct it as a world unto itself.
I'm 66 and remember as a kid getting dressed up to go on a rare and expensive airline flight in the 1960's. Later on, by the 70/80s started to travel by coach bus which was cheaper, and you got to see and feel the great expanse of the country. Downside to those Greyhound bus rides, besides being 10 times longer, were the drunks, ex-cons and mental patients that sometimes rode with you and caused havoc till the police arrived. These days with the lower priced airline rates, you can fly across the country for the same price as a bus ride and get the same in-flight entertainment from those drunks, ex-cons and mental patients who can also afford the fares and without police interruption.
In my country during the 1980s 3 in 4 people smoked, compared to reverse nowadays, 1 in 4. If you didn't have lung cancer when you boarded you sure as hell had it when you reached your destination. As a child it was not a pleasant experience!
I fly regularly to visit my mom these days. People are rude all too often. Back in the 70's, folks were much more friendly and polite. It makes all the difference to me. I'll take flying 45 years ago to flying today in a heartbeat.
I also fly regularly to see my Mom and other family members. My first flight was in 1974. Not sure what your problem is, the people I encounter (economy) are at least as polite as in years past. Granted, seats are smaller and security is a hassle. On the flip side flying is much cheaper now and the "polite" person in the next seat isn't spewing clouds of noxious fumes into the cabin. BTW, I used to do that "back in the day". I have become a better person.
I remember flying in the 80s where the airlines would serve hot food and you had metal cutlery.
And a choice of meals.
It was Golden. You could change any ticket at no charge, there was no security, you got more space, food, free booze, you could smoke, they gave you goodies like playing cards and toys for the kids.
The charge is already too expensive so I don't think they would charge more :/
In the 1960s many airlines like BOAC would give you a free flight bag. Kids woukd bring them into school as a status symbol.
Safety is a premium to me. I'd rather endure a rough flight and live.
The main difference between the 70s and early 80s and today is that the cabins were less cramped, and 'security'. There weren't a lot of endless lines, taking off belts and shoes and all that nonsense. You just got on the plane. The planes were more nosier but it wasn't that big a deal. Most people smoked back then, the air circulation in the planes wasn't bad so that wasn't a big deal, for most folks, either. Planes today are quieter, the pilots are actually a bit better and there's no smoke. But for most people the difference wasn't all that great.
But the cabins in coach and economy these days are terribly cramped. It tends to make most people continuously uncomfortable for the entire flight, with whatever results that causes, often resentment and surliness constrained by manners and natural decency...but not always. That makes a flight distinctly unpleasant, if tolerable for most folks. The fact most people deal with it well and with good nature doesn't mean it's fun.
But the main difference is the security regime and the 'crowd management efficiency' features of modern air travel.
The entire experience was less regimented and bovine. It was much more 'people flying' than today's 'cattle being herded' ambience. Other than the very cramped cabins in economy and coach the biggest difference is the whole endless, intrusive and inconvenient security process. It's hard to decide whether airline passengers today are treated more like enlisted personnel in military formations or like prisoners in a detention facility, but the experience seems a bit of both these days. It may be unavoidable and it may be efficient, but it's certainly unpleasant.
No 'screens'? Really? You seems to forget that back in those days, not so very long ago, people actually used to do this thing called 'reading', and actually talked to one another. I know that seems impossible to today's post-literate, 'on-line', 'remote work' generations, but it's true.
Security doesn't bother me, I don't see what the big deal is. It is the tiny seats and no leg room that I hate. And the trashy people.
I flew on DC3s DC4s DC6B DC7c Caravels and DC8s as a kid (My dad was an airline pilot and we had free tickets) - and on the DC6 and up SAS had 2 classes Turist and first.
On first class on transatlantic flights in 1957, they made up full length beds, on the DC6B, (they even had special windows for the top bed, you had a ladder, just like on the old sleeper trains) Service was good - the stewardess to passenger ratio was much higher than later. Even Singapore airlines long haul business class full length seats are not as comfortable as I remember the SAS 1957 models - but then again, when you are just 7 og 8 you do sleep better that when you are 70 !
You were indeed a very lucky person . Aviation at its finest .
Marvelous, thank you for sharing!
True story.
All the cigarrette tar made slow pressurisation leaks easy to find. They left a smear on the outside of the fuselage.
In one case where an airliner burst apart in mid air, it was found that there was a tar-stain on the damaged panel - years after smoking had been banned.
My mother has been a flight attendant with United since 1968, she's of the opinion that things have absolutely gone downhill. The uniforms now are frumpier, the passengers are angrier, and everybody dresses like slobs. Even compared to the 1980s, air travel now doesn't have any pretensions of class, it's all flip flops and fistfights.
I'm solidly Gen-X (i.e. starting to get older, but not quite "boomer") But I don't see why anyone would want to or expect dressing up for a flight. I mean I'm not advocating wearing your pajama pants on the plane, but comfortable jeans and a t-shirt are just fine. This is mass transit, not a wedding party.
@@timfischer It's weird but people tend to behave better in uncomfortable clothes.
@@timfischer Okay boomer.
@@111highgh I do not think it means what you think it means.
I remember in the early 1970s, when 2 minutes after takeoff the "no smoking" sign would shut down, and immediately 90% of passengers, I'd say all adults would immediately light up cigarettes and smoke for the entire trip. Also on overnight flights there was a lot of caughing at night, I do wonder why... later in the 1980s, a brilliant solution to the smoking problem was found, by having the last 20 rows reserved for "smokers" as if there was an area in pools where people were allowed to urinate.
Travel was so much better. jet fuel was cheaper so aircraft traveled near their top speed. Occupancy was often at half capacity. Plane seats were roomier. Hotels and meals were offered if a connecting flight was cancelled. Meals were served. People were better mannered. I usually fly 1st class now and folks from coach try to use my overhead rack and 1st class lavatory. People are so rude today. My first flight was in 1944 on a DC-2.
Anyway, it was much better untill the 1980s, empty airports, still excitement about flying, easy security, nobody was annoyed about smoking, kids could enter the cockpit, better food and travelling was much more civilized than today. I often ask myself, how people nowadays, esp. families, can even afford to fly longdistance if they have no idea about baggage limitations, security control measures and block the passport controls for 10minutes
When you described the 747 and it's upper deck lounge, you mentioned that everyone on the plane had access. I have flown the 747 in the 70's and it had coach and first class. The lounge was only available to FC passengers. Although, in the early 70"s, AA briefly had a piano lounge at the rear of the coach cabin.
Found And Explained biggest fan reporting for duty.
Welcome back solider!
The "Chef" who invented in-flight dining, killed himself after giving food poisoning to everyone during his first service.
Before the regulation, the cost of a plane ticket was incredibly expensive
It is wrong to criticize "the golden age of flying" for being expensive. It's like criticizing a Rolls-Royce for costing a lot of money. It was meant to cost. That's why it was elegant and exclusive => hence its high-society allure. Today's cheaper flying, no longer elegant and in certain aspects compromising to human dignity, is accessible to masses, but this does not undermine the "old golden days" - it's just losing something for gaining broader access. I'd even say some risk even made things more enviable and almost heroic, while today flying is very prosaic - being so safe also makes it lose some charm.
Its not wrong to criticize it for being so expensive most people could never experience it. Being abled to opt out of the steak and lounge for a price affordable to the middle class is a very good change.
Military family, grew up in the Far East in the 1960's and we flew back to the US every summer, so I've done the transpacific countless times. Beginning with the 707 thru Hawaii, and was on one of the early 747 flights on PAA. The smoking was awful, and God help you if you ended up in the smoking section at the back of the cabin. First class on Pan Am was amazing, my parents would frequently put us kids up there on the Tokyo-SF-LAX flight just to get rid of us for a day, like glorified baby sitting LOL (We got airline employee discounts and treatment because Dad was a pilot.) I remember the roast beef carved in front of my seat, the circular staircase up where you could make dinner reservations to eat in the lounge "dining room." I remember the first time Pan Am tried to sneak the 10 across seats in coach....they did 1 of the 3 coach sections that way, the other 2 were the original 9 across. It was a test to see if passengers would notice and they claimed people liked it better, HAHA!
I started flying in the mid 70's. Been to 59 countries. I can assure you that I would be more than happy to go back to the old planes and old ways. Today you get on a cattle car with people in their pajamas, drunk, stoned and stupid. I hate flying now.
I'm lucky that I only fly Muslim airlines like Royal Jordanian and EgyptAir and even Emirates, where that stuff doesn't happen because most passengers are religiously forbidden from all that stuff.
That was the golden age of flying. Now, with many jet engines maintained, repaired, and overhauled by the manufacturers as they should be (and with better means available), safety levels ten times better now, and first class products, the golden age of flying is over with. Now, we have a superior age: I call it the platinum age of flying.
Try first class. That's the point of this video
I don't agree. Past decades were by far better than this safety & health driven nightmare. Speaking about Australia, its borders have been closed for YEARS.
It was actually ocean liners that crossed the Atlantic. Cruise ships are a different kind of ship. Literally built different from cruise ships as well. Titanic, Olympic, Mauretania, Ile De France, Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary. Those are all ocean liners.
Sadly not everyone are/is a sea enthusia who know every kind of boat and ships and Ocean Liners,...
Have been on 3 world cruises (5 1/2 to 6 months each) and learned that the only difference in cruise liners and cruise ships is in their names! Maybe Carnival so-called cruise buckets don't count, they are the bottom of the barrel of cruising.
Air travel now is awful. Seats are cramped, food is mediocre or none, flight attendants are old and ugly and people are dressed like their going to Walmart. The Golden Age of travel was the best if you can afford it - that is why it is called Golden.
I love these type of videos. They're so necessary to push back against the "the past was better" nonsense that is so common today..
Couldn't tell from a quick run through the comments section here. I'm aging out and would love to contribute to a video on how the 60s and 70s was a delusional shit show. Ha.
Right. The airlines are the same. However the degradation of society has made air travel undesirable.
@@samensign5369 I remember travelling in the 90s, whilst it was still legal to smoke on planes. I'm not saying current air travel is a pleasant experience, but I'm not entirely sure it's worse than it was.
Get real. Flying was MUCH better before, although it is much safer now. But the discomfort of flying today is real, not imagined.
Flying in the seventies was a big event the family would come to see you off all excited, it was an adventure. Now it’s like an old bus where you’re going to get searched a couple of times like a criminal.
Boeing is single handedly trying to bring our safety records back to the Golden age figure.
I was blessed to be born into a life as an airline brat of two travel loving parents. I got to enjoy the perks of the tail end of the golden age of travel...first class upgrades, almost empty airplanes...but after watching your video I agree with the aspects of safety and the way the flight attendants are treated now make this time the golden age of air travel. I’m really looking forward to taking my teenage son on a 787 and just being present...not comparing it to the DC 8s or 727s I flew on when I was his age...just enjoying it for what it is... a state of the art beautiful flying machine ✈️ great video. Thanks!
My parents flew quite a bit in the late-'50s and early-'60s. I went with them to the Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, in '64. I was eight years-old and my contemporaneous memories of that flight over and back are of the luxury and tedium too; yeah, because I was a kid and it wasn't yet in my make-up to be able to fully appreciate it. Had prime rib on the inbound leg with tiny, multi-colored potatoes and a special side of colorful cole slaw.
As we were preparing to depart Innsbruck there was discussion of some weather overhanging everything. My father said something to me to the effect that 'The pilot is going to get us upstairs in a hurry.' Sounded interesting. Up we went through the clouds with my weight pushed back into the soft seat cushions and then the sun was streaming through the windows so brightly. I remember the shadows moving around the cabin as the pilot adjusted our course and leveled us off so that the clouds looked like they were brushing the jet engines. Ever since then, any time I've flown, I get a kick out of the pilot getting us above the weather quickly.
Rich
What you described in the second paragraph literally happens every single day in 2022. 😐
The smoking thing. The air in the cabin isn't recycled. It's entirely renewed every two minutes. It takes some effort to smoke up a plane. Same reasons today why your plane doesn't smell of barf and sweat. I actually miss smoking in flights. Also, there was non smoking sections at the front.
Yeah..really useful having a non smoking section..with no airtight divider. Smokers have little actual idea of how unpleasant their habit is for everyone else....
I am a former smoker, and I think many non-smokers are overdoing it.
@@trooperdgb9722Yeah, smokers are out of touch with reality
@@michaelbenardo5695 I too am a former smoker..and I think many smokers simply don't, (and sadly really CANNOT) understand how unpleasant it can be for non smokers.
First class tickets are as expensive as tickets back then. So air travel haven't become cheaper, that's a cope. You still get what you pay for and they will squeeze as much money off the passengers as they can. The only reason they created economy class was to tap into that huge market. Look around you - everything is more expensive and unaffordable than 50-70 years ago. How is that possible given the immense technological progress and automation? We've been swindled hard.
I lived through the Golden Age as kid/teen, and am now a retired airline pilot. Those times were FAR better. Our family was not rich, yet we flew. Just had to save up for vacation. Food was awesome! Jets flew just as fast, and more conveniently to more destinations. Passengers were dressed nicely & well-behaved. Now, sell a $19 ticket, you get a $19 passenger! I drive now
My earliest memory of flying was the early 1980's aboard Wardair in economy class, I ordered a steak medium rare and it actually came medium rare compare that to the in flight meals you get today in economy class, absolute garbage that could have been made a week earlier. There is a happy medium but airlines, at least North American ones, have become horrible.
Yes but how much do you pay now relatively to the previous price (naturally allowing for inflation)....
@@Dangermouse2256 Not a great deal more actually. Wardair were a low cost Canadian charter airline with a great reputation who provided one of the best in-flight service experiences of any airline of the ime.
At least the tickets are cheap, allowing for more spending elsewhere, or saving.
Everyone gets what the MAJORITY are prepared to pay for. So many people ONLY look at price...then bitch about the seating etc. Hardly surprising the airlines need to compete on price. I can't afford to pay for Business class (thats what FF points are for lol) so I am very happy to see Premium Economy becoming more common...
@@trooperdgb9722 In 2019 I decide to fly Premium Economy every time it was available. When I'll return flying I do it again.
Lets see, I've flown on all models of the DC 8,9 and 10. L1011, VC10,The 707 all models, 727 all models 737 100,200,747 100,200, and the baby Fokker F28 What did they have?LEG ROOM, GREAT meals ,they were faster for the most part.On board service that cannot be matched today unless you pay a massive amount for it. And , amazingly enough I survived it all though it was "so dangerous" if being jammed into a cattle class cabin, listening to whining kids, low class animals that cannot learn to at least put on a shirt to fly.,being fed garbage for a meal AND paying for it in a frame that does little more that 500 to 520 MPH thus taking longer to get to your destination is appealing? I pity you.I'll take the the old skool aircraft in that "era"over any modern cramped incantation flying today. The "era" of flying like society has changed. From higher standards of crew and passenger to a lack of it .All one needs to look at are the people seated next to you to grab ones attention to that fact.The A350 we flew on last March was cramped,and exceedingly uncomfortable. No amount of IFE can change it.
Like you I was privileged to fly on most of the aircraft you high lighted . I suppose because of where I lived we were restricted to various aircraft we had coming in . But I have to say the super VC-10 was my favourite and to me the most beautiful looking aircraft . I flew on them several times between south africa , kenya and into london . And coming home on a sabena B707 via Brazzaville. The viscount was the jumbo of the bush (Air Rhodesia). Glad I managed to fly on these aircraft before they disappeared into aviation oblivion.
Remember the Golden Age quite well. It was awesome. You guys missed out.
The seats WERE better in the past. Unless you are travelling first or business class today, you are squished in like sardines.
Also more flammable,stained and unsafe than modern ones.
@@0Rexx. They could have done al that and still make the seats more comfortable..
No idea what people are talking about when they claim it costs $10,000 and upwards for a seat that was nowhere near as good as in the 60s and 70s.
I flew business class (which is the highest class) from Chicago to Amsterdam round trip last year on KLM for about $2,700. Private lie flat seat with direct aisle access, noise cancelling headphones, toiletry/amenity kit included. Menu with multiple meat and veggie options for dinner and breakfast, plus dessert and a wine list, not to mention multiple beer and liquor options. Hundreds of movies and TV shows available on demand (even in economy class).
All this for a price that's about half the median monthly salary in the US.
Thanks for the truth. Nostalgia on here and Facebook about the "golden age" must be posted by folks way too young to know what it was really like. I started flying commercial in 1955. Air France B777 business class that I flew a year ago was the best I every experienced. Once we get past the current situation, and we will, I cant wait to try the B787 and A350.
The lie flat seats and higher pressures inside the 787 mean I get a good night's sleep and minimal jet-lag. I live in Denver so I have flown the new United Polaris Class 787 a few times. When United asked international passengers what they really wanted on long haul flights the people asked for a good nights sleep. United delivered. Best lie flat seats and very comfortable bedding. In 2019 I was fortunate to fly business class upper deck in a BA 747 before BA took 747s out of service. With their lie flats and only something like 16 seats up there it was almost like flying on a private jet. The golden age is now if you're willing to just pay for business class.