Why The 'Golden Age' Of Air Travel Was Awful

Ah yes, the golden age of air travel of the 1950s and 1960s, where you had to dress your very best to fly on some of the world's most luxurious carriers... that was the best time to fly. Or was it?

It was in the decades of the 1950s to the 1970s that saw the rise of national carriers flying jet aircraft like the Boeing 707 and much later 747s. Now air travel was fast enough to be convenient and quiet enough that the sound of propellers was no more. Flights now took meer hours what took days, and travel across the Atlantic suddenly became incredibly popular.

This included fine dining that lasts three hours and included steaks and lobster, as many drinks as you like, enormous legroom, and bars onboard.
In fact, most airlines that bought the 747 in the 70s fitted the upper deck not with seats but with an impressive lounge.

You might be wondering if this lounge was open to all onboard - well all onboard were in one class - first. Back then there was no such thing as different classes, once you bought the ticket you were in with the crowd.

Boy, you certainly were among the finest dressed people in the golden age of aviation. In the 1950s, men were expected to wear a three piece suit for the whole flight and women heels and as many pearl necklaces as they could wear.

After all, these ladies needed to compete with the first generations of flight attendants. Called air hostesses back then, they were treated like movie stars, with some airlines selecting them for their looks and regulations on how much they could weigh. They wore uniforms that sculpted the body and white gloves not out of place of a five-star restaurant. The uniforms evolved overtime keeping up with the trends - and adding to the legend of the golden age of travel.

Was the golden age of air travel really that great? Let's have a look at it from the other side.

All those perks didn't come cheap and back then air travel was very expensive. At the start of the period to fly from Sydney to London on the kangaroo route would have been around six months to a year of average salary. Today, it can be yours return for around $1000 USD when borders are open. Air travel was exclusive because it was incredibly limited.

And that one class forbid any other seats onboard. Economy, Business, Premium Economy and First would all take a long time to exist, and it was only much later with the 747 that airlines would start to experiment.

Speaking of planes, these first generation of the jet aircraft were not very comfortable compared to the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350, with advanced pressurization, incredibly quiet engines and convenient layouts. They were not safe either. These planes didn't have a fantastic safety track record and passengers had a higher chance of falling out of the sky compared to today. Sure you didn't have to pass through any airport security, but there more crash landings, sharp edges in cabins, terrible seats and less trained pilots.

According to an Expedia report, plane crashes and in-flight accidents, “were terrifyingly common in the 50’s and 60’s, with fatal accidents occurring about once every 200,000 flights. Where fatal accidents occurred around once every 200,000 flights during the 1950s, they now occur less than once every 2,000,000 flights. In fact, the worldwide safety record is now ten times better than it was back then.”

It's a miracle that any of these golden age planes landed with all the smoke in the cabin. That's right, back then smoking was not only allowed but encouraged. With the plane filling up over many hours with a thick fog of unfiltered tobacco.

And you better enjoy smoking onboard, as there wasn't anything else to do apart from lighting up and a drink at the bar. There was no screens no pads, no Netflix and especially no music. Passengers were encouraged to speak to other passengers, or write a postcard to family and friends about how 'great' the experience was.

And those flight attendants wearing skimpy outfits? They were told to wear a corset all day in heels, couldn't get married and then were let go at the rip age of 25.

Today air travel is incredibly cheap, with long-haul low cost airlines giving many of those who in the past would have no hope of flying, the chance to see the world! They could fly tip to tail from South East Asia to Patagonia, without ever having to leave an airport.

We would even argue that airlines today are more luxurious than any aircraft of yore, with private cabins onboard middle eastern carriers, and thanks to Airline frequent-flyer programs that only came in the 1980s, you could get a literial bed onboard for cents on the dollar.

So for those hawking back to the good old golden era of air travel, you can keep your lobster dinner, and sign me up for a low fare on a moden, safe jet aircraft that gets me where I want to go faster. That sounds like the real golden age of air travel to me.

[afloo]

Today, we have First, Business and Sardines Class.... 😂😂😂

[j.s.]

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.

[empirestate]

You can still fly "golden age" style. Just buy a first-class ticket.

[dmfraser]

It was the golden age for those who literally had the gold. The rest of us just did not fly.

[solracer]

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.

[RoodeMenon]

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.

[carborundable]

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.

[carloshortuvia]

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.

[honeybadger]

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!

[chrism]

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.

[marzolian]

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.

[CabanaD]

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.

[coffeebot]

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.

[DardanellesBy]

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.

[marcotd]

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

[Sole-txcx]

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.

[maesc]

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.

[airzulu]

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 .

[reyinfante]

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.

[companymen]

Ah yes the golden age of air travel, when airplane doors stayed on