News and notes from around the interweb:
- Why air travel seemed so much more glamorous in the ‘golden age’
“There are many ways in which flying is better now than it’s ever been,” he said. “Flying is safer than it used to be. Long-haul business class usually means flat beds, and often even with privacy doors. Lounges in airports are far more elevated.”
He also pointed out that technological advances allow passengers to be entertained while in the air with personal TVs in their seats. …“Most people misunderstand the regulated era of airlines…It wasn’t about consumer protection. It was about ensuring airline profitability! There was a mistaken belief that airlines would compromise safety if they didn’t earn consistent profits …We saw continued strong safety records throughout the bankruptcies most major airlines have been through.”
He added, “Since fares were so high and airlines weren’t allowed to compete by lowering them, they still tried to attract passengers (since each additional passenger was so profitable) — and the way they did it was by investing in services and amenities.”
- Rove, whose points transfer to Flying Blue, Avios and others, is offering 4x at GiftCards.com through August 5 (including Visa and Mastercard cards).
- 500 free JetBlue points for accepting Dunkin’ Donuts emails
- Such a deal, Capital One!
- Delta’s AI pricing technology doesn’t do what Delta says it does
- This is genuinely wrong.
When ICE books you a one-way Jet2 holiday to deportation. ✈️
Nothing beats it! pic.twitter.com/hlLapr9QsE
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 29, 2025
- Speaking of memes…
Let’s see.. no WiFi, limited IFE, and less lie-flat, and all the cancer from second-hand smoke.. maybe we do have it better today. Microplastics definitely gonna get us, though. Yeesh.
Most of my flying in the regulated era was 1973-77 when I had gotten out of the army and started working. But I had few if any biz flights so mainly flew for vacations. MIA-RNO over Xmas and NYE was a habit on Eastern.
But afterwards flying wasn’t necessarily better or worse, but was different. Paper tickets and travel agents were the rule for quite a few years. Planes weren’t as full, and legroom was more plentiful. Entertainment was paperbacks bought at the airport and left on the plane when finished.
I do not understand why anyone is upset that airfare for 2 costs less than twice the airfare for one. That’s the Southwest Buddy Pass! And virtually EVERY OTHER BUSINSS WITH A BOGO PROMOTION!
We should ESPECIALLY expect this in a business where the unsold product expires…. airlines are going to bid harder to book two travelers than one traveler, as it’s more revenue for the flight.
People are going to be REALLY mad when they find out that large groups have been getting airfare discounts for decades…. Did you know that people who fly more often pay a different price for checked bags?
Price differentiation has always been part of the free market. Maybe AI will make price differentiation more efficient… or maybe those of us who are frequent travelers will learn how to fake out the AI by always searching Airline A before trying to book Airline B.
@1990 — Another reason to stay away from those AA sliders…
@Kirk — Very cool!
@Christopher Raehl — Hey maybe AI will discount VFTW viewers since we’re more likely to complain complain pubically
Your own meme creation? Clever, Gary! And nice Photoshop skills
PUBLICLY** Gah!
The perception of the good ole days being better has to do with human behavior – both of airline staff and customers.
Air travel was perceived to be an activity of the well-to-do while now it is simply mass intercity transportation.
Americans were more kind to each other (at least in terms of service); now we are told that there is no reason you should be anything other than who you really are – which, for most of us, is not our best side.
yes, travel was better back them but it wasn’t because of the airplanes or amenities on them
@L737 — Phooey! What a typo! That reminds me of how 45/47 alleged signed his name ‘there’ on a drawing to his late friend… (release the files! follow the money!)
Flying is definitely safer than it used to be, thanks to evolutions in technology, crew management, and (importantly) lessons learned from past accidents. But it once was more comfortable….for most who could fly. Now, Gary started with the typical elitist travel blogger comment about lie flat seats, etc. No, they didn’t really have those back in the 60s-70s. But, then again, very very few people have the resources to fly a long haul flat bed anyhow. But….your typical coach (economy) seat from back then was indeed far more comfortable than the cattle car offered now. Good food, cordial service, and a roomy seat. True, all you may have had for entertainment was a shared movie beamed onto screens. But, back then, that seemed pretty special. You don’t miss a seatback screen if such a thing won’t be invented for 25 more years.
Fact is, flying was a more civilized experience back in the day. It was also out of reach of most people. Now, it’s more accessible (which is a wonderful thing) but it’s also much more uncomfortable. Trade offs. Given everything, I’ll take today’s flight – if for no other reason, because it’s safer. And, living in 2025, I’m used to more safety and more options on flights. But someone transported via time machine from 1975 would hate flying today, for sure.
Just think of how it’ll be in 50 more years… there’s a scene in the Prime series ‘Uploaded’ where the character flies ‘Economy Minus’ on ‘Spirit Frontier United Airlines’ (more mergers, I guess). It’s a tight fit, to say the least.
Yes there wasn’t wifi or IFE but it’s not like people sat their bored to tears. There were these things called books that could be used to pass the time. Not to mention maybe great views of down below if you had a window seat.
But of course there were drawbacks. Smoking-enough said. Needing to place a phone call or go to a ticket office to book a flight. Standing in line to get a seat assignment and boarding pass. No self service on delay information.
But the experience overall was much more pleasant sans the lack of low rent behavior by passengers and sometimes airline employees.
@George Romey — Speaking of phone calls; it’s wild that they had pay phones on the seat-backs for a while, then prohibited calls on flights. Literally, some of the victims on 9/11 were able to call family thanks to those onboard phones.
The ‘Airfone,’ prevalent in the 90s and early 2000s, yet they were nearly all gone by the mid-2000s. Can we restart the whole ‘is Airplane mode really necessary’ debate? But, but… it’s not safe to use electronics yet… (‘Turn it back on! Turn it back on!’ — Simpsons)
Would someone explain the meme?
I suppose you’re next going to tell me that Vegas wasn’t better when the Mob ran things*. What is this world coming to?
(*It wasn’t, by the way…)
The way US airlines treat passengers today really underscores the value of good regulation and government intervention. By definition technology was not better in the past, but passengers were treated with dignity and service was excellent.
It’s no coincidence that the airlines that today’s passengers rate the highest are all from places where the government has a huge role in aviation: Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Emirates, etc.
@1990: FWIW, those airfones used a completely different part of the frequency spectrum as what today’s (now) digital mobile phones do. The airfone transmitting and receiving frequencies were set to make it difficult to interfere with any of the avionics equipment on board.
That said, cellphones now are banned more out of convenience than anything else. They don’t tend to connect with ground towers when above 10000 feet or so (thanks to the metal frame acting as somewhat of a faraday cage, limiting range) and when the can connect, they can tie up multiple towers at once. Not to mention the annoyance of chatter. But instances of cellphones actually causing problems with avionics or communication equipment are pretty rare and even those are questioned. More likely, your cellphone sits there looking and looking for towers during your 5 hour flight, draining it’s battery to no avail. But, there IS wifi!
The regulated area was indeed when America was Great and America had the best airlines in the world, bar none.
Look now: zero US airlines in the top 10 in the world, zero in the top 20.
That’s going backwards
By whose metrics? And based on what criteria (affordability, route network, ease of booking, etc.)?
@AngryFlier — Good points. Besides, the potential ‘roaming’ fees wouldn’t be ‘great’ either.
@Denver Refugee — @Mary’s not wrong about top 10 being foreign carriers (Qatar, Singapore, Cathay, Emirates, ANA, Turkish, Korean, Air France, JAL, Hainan, according to SkyTrax 2025 ‘World Airline Awards’); however, whether that’s because of regulation or not, is a different matter. As for the USA, JD Power rates jetBlue, Delta, and Southwest as highest overall consumer satisfaction; though, after all the changes with Southwest, I’d imagine that won’t last…
We’re going to look back at ICE’s actions with intense shame. It’s embarrassing to think we’re gloating over sending people to a place they don’t want to be, when all they want to do is make something of themselves by working hard
@Phil — I’m with you; though, it really depends *who* writes that history, because ‘whitewashing’ is very much on the rise these days.
Gogo wound up buying the Airphone spectrum, so those phones lived on as painfully slow internet!
I remember when the fares were all the same…and very expensive, until the Carter administration deregulated. I remember people dressing up for their flight. I remember one movie onboard…projected onto one screen on the wall. I remember those awful, painful earphones. I remember the first time I saw a Jetway….wow, you don’t have to go OUTSIDE?? I even remember one short-haul flight on a DC-3 propeller plane! And I loved every minute of every flight because I’m a big fan of flying, ever since I was a kid and took my first flight as a teen. Yeah, some things are better now. Some aren’t…the restrooms are STILL way too small, the flight attandants STILL bump your elbow if you’re in an aisle seat, it STILL takes forever to retrieve your checked bags. But flying on US airlines was never “bad,” especially compared to some of the horrible conditions I saw on other countries’ rickety, smoke-choked, ancient, threadbare, impossibly inefficient and corrupt airlines. I count my blessings.
Sure, the good old days of flying. Yes, as someone said, very civilized. Very respectable. All the men in every class, domestic and international, here in the States wore jackets or suits and ties and the few women who travelled nicely dressed. No shorts, tank tops or flip flops. Let’s talk first class. No, the first class seats on a Pan Am clipper flight across the Atlantic did not have individual TVs with lots of entertainment or go flat, in the 70’s and 80’s on those lovely 747’s, before Pan Am sadly went out of business due to deregulation, but those seats were leather, big and plenty comfy enough for a restful overnight flight. And those Pan Am stews, as they loved to be called, all female back then, many international and young, brilliant in how they did their job up there at 36,0000 feet, all gorgeous and thoroughly charming. They were a class of their own. One would order dinner in one’s seat and climb the circular staircase to the DR on the upper deck when dinner was served and a stew came to fetch you.. Beef roasted on board, carved table side, fine wines and caviar galore. The finest champagnes and cheeses. Pan Am ruled the skies back then. It’s so sad no American carrier comes close today in food, wines, service and flight attendants to what it and TWA provided across the Atlantic to Europe in those days, as the only America carriers allowed, even at the exorbitant prices UA, AA, and Delta charge today, and no more real first class international flights on American carriers .
The “good old days” of first class. On trans Pacific flights, the Pan Am first class stewardess or steward (no political implications then for the titles) would roll a cart down the isle with a freshly cooked prime rib roast and accoutrements and slice and serve to each passenger.
On Singapore Airlines early 747’s, long haul first class was on the lower deck and the upstairs deck was kitted out with several (I think 4 or 6) luxury fitted bunk beds, first come first served so to speak. I got one but my business partner was too late requesting a bed. As I yawned, I gave him a “see you when I wake up” ribbing as I ascended the stairs.
The late 70s and early 80s were a magical time to fly. I can remember buying a round-the world first class ticket for about $2500 on TWA and Singapore Airlines. Just keep going forward, stop and stay wherever you like, and when ready to go to the next city, just go to the airport, go to first class check-in and if a seat was available, off you went. My business partner and I liked it so much, and marveled at what a bargain, we did it twice.
From the Olden Days:
–there were legends of the “Mile High Club”, which involved anatomic contortions probably not possible in today’s seating arrangements.
–There was no 3-1-1 rule for liquids in carry-ons
–There was no TSA. Some passengers did carry firearms.
–Airline meals were curated, and served on real china
–There was no concern about peanut allergy
Need I go on?