Flying in the good ole days

[ryoder]

Check out this set of videos from the 1970s for Continental.

Now that's how you fly. Being stuffed into a tiny chair with your knees banging into the back of a seat is nothing like this experience. There really has been a downward slide in progress.

[Danb]

Oh how times have changed...most people's could not afford to fly in the good ol days..

[Guest]

Wow! Was that real food they were serving?

I remember my first airline ride, Wardair from Toronto to Amsterdam, a hot meal serviced on china plates with metal cutlery.

Clarence

[N33GG]

Sadly, GA has taken a similar downward slide. We used to be welcome and admired at all airspace and airports, regardless of what aircraft we were flying.

Glad I got to enjoy those years...

Probably better for the new crowd not to know what they are missing...

[carusoam]

Try not to confuse first class (then) to coach (today)...

First/business class on Continental is still much better than coach.

Kids today still prefer being up front than being in the back.

The 'special abreviated movies' not the full length ones?

They left the smoking section out of the ads as well...

They are all good...

Best regards,

-a-

[cliffy]

I was there when each of the pictured airplanes was delivered to CAL. I worked on each one of them.

Food? You ask about food? We dined on full prime rib roasts and bacon wrapped filet mignon. As A&Ps we knew how to block the galley service doors so we could grab the unused food before it was dumped by kitchen service. One guy at the start of each shift was "assigned" to fill shopping bags with soft drinks for the shift crew of mechs.

You could actually go "non-rev" and get seats for all your family on the same airplane! Can't do that now.

[ryoder]

Sad to say Americas best days are behind her.

[Guest]

That's a toxic view.

Clarence

[Piloto]

I remember when in coach you were ask fish, chicken or steak. Now you are lucky if you get a bag of three peanuts.

José

[ryoder]

I think all the 65C brothers should have a flyin. Random thought.

[ryoder]

That's a toxic view.

Clarence

Fareed tends to agree with me. We should be fearful of losing our exceptionalism and what makes America great and prosperous.

This fear will help make us survive and maybe even thrive.

http://fareedzakaria.com/2011/03/03/are-americas-best-days-behind-us/

[aviatoreb]

My dad used to tell me about how he would fly in the big jumbo jets in the late 60s, and they would have a piano bar upstairs where they could hang during the flight.

[Txbyker]

Back in the mid-90's I was returning from London with a co-worker in first class on a British Air 747. There was only we 2 in first class. We had 5 flight attendants tending to us shoving food and drinks at us. When they found out we were private pilots they asked "would you like to visit the captain in the cockpit?" Wow, 40,000 feet hovering over the pilot checking out the scenery and cockpit. I have no idea if they broke the rules having us in there but it was a very trusting time back then.

Russ

[201er]

I remember when in coach you were ask fish, chicken or steak. Now you are lucky if you get a bag of three peanuts.José

Now you're asked when you buy your ticket instead. Do you really want to pay $100 more to fly on an airline with nicer service or go to a fine restauarant at your destination with money to spare on a cheaper airline. The masses have spoken.

[Marauder]

Sad to say Americas best days are behind her.

Did you just finish watching the season finale of "The Walking Dead"?

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[cliffy]

When CAL got their 747s we had one flight from Honolulu to LAX with 1 passenger on board

and he was a non-rev! We mechs ate good that night :-)

[Raptor05121]

Probably better for the new crowd not to know what they are missing...

 

[ryoder]

Did you just finish watching the season finale of "The Walking Dead"?

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I DVR it so I am a day behind. I hope I don't get a spoiler at work.

[N33GG]

_{When I was 17 and living in Germany, I was coming back to the US by myself to visit family and got stuck in London when the air traffic system in Europe went on strike.  Had no money, no credit cards, and no where to go, so I sat and slept in a dark airport for about a day and a half.}

 

_{A flight crew came by and saw me and got permission, I guess, to let me get on a ferry flight to New York on a 747.  Just me and the flight crew.  At the time, I had flown only gliders in Germany, but I loved flying.  They invited me to the cockpit, and let me ride in the co-pilot seat and play with radios, controls and autopilot.  It was AWESOME!!!  I don't think that would happen today...}  

[flyboy0681]

While I tend to agree that those were the good old days, just as Dan mentioned, very few American's could afford to fly pre-deregulation. Since airlines all had to charge the same (expensive) fare, the carriers had to differentiate themselves by the service they provided. But let's get real, would you rather fly from LGA to ORD for $600 with a prime rib dinner or bag it yourself and pay $250? Would you rather watch the same (lousy) film as your closest 200 friends with those uncomfortable headphones, or watch ESPN? Would you also like to sit in the middle seat of the middle section between six smokers?

 

It's also a misconception that the width of the seats has changed over the years. The only width that has changed over the years is that of the flying public. Boeing introduced the 17 inch wide seat with the 707 and 17 inches is still the standard 60 (yes sixty) years later. Now seat pitch, that's a different story. Back in the old days the typical 707 and DC-8 had (on average) 34 inches and as we all know, today it's around 32. Who knew a lousy 3 inches could be so uncomfortable?

[BKlott]

I remember the first time that any of us had flown on an airliner was my Mom. She was going to fly from LA to Philadelphia First Class on American Airlines back in the mid 1960s. She received a call before her flight asking her what she wanted for dinner on the flight! I think she had a choice between a steak and chicken. Times have certainly changed!

[Bob_Belville]

I flew a lot on AA and United in the '60s. Lockheed Electra, DC6b, etc. ORD-BNA or BNA-LGA took about as long as transcontinental flight on pure jets. AA had a 1st class lounge area in the front for sipping a Drambuie after a nice dinner, maybe flirt a little with the flight attendants who had more time to interact with their regulars. But the nose of a Singapore Air 747 was nice in the '90s. Your meal was prepared beside your seat and served with Dom Perignon.  

[DrBill]

I flew a bit in the late 60s (NY-BOS) going to/from school. But in the late 70s I was with IBM and went nonstop NY to TOKYO... 747SP. Nice... then in late 80s I had another trip to JApan with IBM so I took my Mom.. We changed planes at SFO and were upgraded from Business to 1st on Northwest.. I've got pictures of that flight awesome.. THe little food cart fit BETWEEN the seats and we played board games on the floor in the front where the nose curves in. My Mom had a ball. Went yearly in the early 2000s but had to go coach with new company travel rules.  My last flight was in the aisle seat, last row.. 5 across. YUK. I'll try to dig up one of the pics and post it here.

BILL
 

[DrBill]

In 1970 I had just received my pilots license and was dating (my now wife) from Florida (I was in NY).  I went to JFK to pick her up one day and the plane had not even left Fla yet so I found the address of NY TRACON and went there.  A concrete non-descript bldg outside of JFK.. I asked the guard for a tour.  He asked for my pilot license and in a few mins the super came down the stairs and got me. When I walked in the radar room it was just like the movies. Dark and all these tubes in a circle.  He sat me down next to one guy and told him who I was..  We chatted a bit and I told him of my girlfriend coming on Southeast flight 123.   He picked up the phone and got the guy across the room who would handle flights from that direction and told him to let us know when it checked in..  So for an hour or more I sat and listened to the activity.

Then the phone rang and the "yellowbird" was in range.   I thanked him for a great time (too long to detail here) and left.  When I picked up my girlfriend she said the pilot made an announcement that "Linda's boyfriend was a controller and was giving them expedited arrival to JFK... THANKS LINDA". She was so embarrassed when of course the flight attendants were sure to point her out to the other passengers.

Experiences like that you never forget.

BILL

[cliffy]

Just before I solo'd in '62 my instructor took me to the RADAR room at Oakland CA. In those days they used a flat (horizontal) screen with primary targets only and they pushed what were called 'boats" along each track next to a target signifying what flight it was.