AlastairGordon

And they would leave the cockpit door wide open for large parts of the flight. And the Captain would make sure to take some time strolling back and forth through First Class, chatting to the passengers there. (Actually the "visit from the Captain" was one thing that distinguished BA F from J back then, the seats not being all that different).

Innocent times.....

invisible

My first flight to US was in 1998 from Russia on IL-86. Smoking was allowed until plane entered US airspace. Almost half of the cabin was chain-smoking and they almost rioted when it was announced that smoking is not allowed any more.

chrisl137

I saw them restrict access to the gates to passengers only a few times around the holidays in the late 80s/early 90s at DTW. It would get so crowded with people at the gates and the security lines got really long with 4 family members per passenger that it was causing trouble with people missing flights. We always went through security at the airport hotel where there were never more than a few people in line.

turnleftbrighteyes

I recently found a bunch of mine-- TWA, Eastern, Piedmont-- from the early/mid-80s. I also have a massive pin that announced me as an unaccompanied minor on Eastern because I was going to Space Camp (!)

I have the haziest of memories being on, I think, a 747 to Hawaii in 1977 (or maybe 1978). In my memory, the plane was empty. I remember the stewardesses giving me playing cards and other games. It was awesome.

Flying as a kid in the 70s and 80s was just fun.

Proudelitist

The whole airport experience was different then too. Remember banks of payphones everywhere? And of course, the crazy long lines to get a phone sometimes.

Airport retail was nowhere near the levels it is today. Back then the shops and restaurants in airports were run by the airport..there were cafeterias and so-so bars and the odd store. Now groups like Paradies and HMS control most of the airport retail in the US and much of Europe and the shop in MCO is exactly the same as the shop in PHX or anywhere else. Major restaurant chains have also jockeyed for dominance in Airports..now you can go to a Chili's, Macaroni Grill etc etc in most airports. In the 80's a chain like Burger King or McDonalds being in an airport would have been a big deal. It's par for the course now, as McDonalds and Burger King compete for airport exclusivity.

pogopossum

Just watch the movie Airplane! (Released in 1980!) and it will give you the full traveling experience of those times.

PP

PTravel

I've been frequent flying since the early 80s. I remember round-trip coach between LAX and JFK being around $300.

I once did a special promotion on TWA that got me 2 free F-class tickets (!!!) if I flew 6 segments in one month. Instead of doing my usual non-stop transcon, I flew LAX to PHX to STL to JFK and the same thing back again and earned my free tickets.

I used one of the tickets on my next transcon. F was amazing then. I was given a menu with 4 or 5 choices. I ordered the rack of lamb (!). The FA asked me how I wanted it cooked. I was surprised and said, "You can do that?" She said, "Yes, we have a chef in the downstairs galley." I had a delicious multi-course meal, served on china. Afterwards, the FAs came around with a serving cart and made sundaes to order, with a choice of hot chocolate or caramel sauce.

At the time, F on TWA got you into the lounge. It was spacious and usually nearly empty. Drinks were free. Boarding would be announced.

Also during the 80s, a friend tipped me to a certain ticket agent. You would slip a $100 into the ticket folder (remember those?) and say, "Any chance I can get a better a seat?" He would come back in a few moments and that economy coach ticket was magically transmuted into a first class ticket, usually round trip!

IFE was pretty much a joke -- a projected movie that the whole plane watched. There was a continuous film loop that went through the entire plane, so each screen was a little behind the screen in the section behind it. Audio consisted of four or five channels. You plugged in a tube-like pair of headphones that looked like a stethoscope. Audio quality was, needless to say, poor. I'd note, though, that I had been pioneering personal IFE since the 70s, when I brought on board a bulky, battery-operated cassette player and a pair of regular, bulky headphones. I got strange looks, but I got to listen to music of my choice.

Katlor

As a small child I flew to Europe from the US with my family several times in the 80s. The best part was getting the kids kit with the wings, coloring books featuring plane scenes, and other goodies. The worst part was the time we got seated in the smoking section at the back of the plane on a KLM flight-- my parents tried to get us moved but no luck.

I flew cross country a lot in the 1990s for college. In retrospect those flights were pretty good-- I don't recall them ever being very crowded. You could definitely get out of a window seat and go to the bathroom without making everyone in the row stand up. At that point I had never been in first class so I wouldn't have known what I was missing, but overall the experience of being in economy wasn't luxurious but wasn't physically stressful the way it is now. These days whenever I have to fly coach I am shocked by how many downright dangerous or uncomfortable things happen, from passengers yelling at each other to people who infringe space in your seat (due to how tiny the seats are) to equipment like lavs being out of order. Even Domestic F seats are often too small to get out of to use the lav without bothering the other person.

I recently had a flight on Aeromexico in Mexico that gave me a flashback to what flying was like in the US pre 9-11. The flight was about 1/3 full, so there were empty seats everywhere (everyone had an an empty seat next to them). Everyone on the flight was relaxed and serene. The flight attendants served beer and tequila for free in economy. There was like, no stress at all. The whole flight I felt like a time traveler, reveling in this experience of what flying used to be like.

invisible

One decade later than 80s - add couple of data points about late 90s:

- I had number of flights SFO-JFK in 2000. Plane was half empty and meal served twice.
- Sorry, no intention to offend, but FAs were in average lot younger and slimmer.
- Last booth at SFO trying to sell/give you some kind of religious literature was removed in 1999, IIRC.

I could also give some insights what air travel looked like in 80s in Soviet Union, but I think for majority of current forum readers it would sound like tales from another planet.

Cloudship

I already started a thread for you - please tell!
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...l#post27243902

oopl

Do tell.

Sant

That may have been due to the First Gulf War when security was briefly heightened.

From my vague recollections:

• Flight attendants on international flights had the opportunity to spend more time with passengers even in economy.
• Flights to/from the Indian subcontinent required a refueling stop (e.g., Doha for London and Frankfurt for JFK).

sjclynn

Several things happened. Since the prices were no longer set by the CAB, they floated. On routes where there was competition the prices fell, sometimes dramatically. Complicated fare structures were introduced being careful to make sure that people traveling on business still paid premium prices. Carriers like People Express formed to grab the traffic on lucrative routes. Many cites that had enjoyed good service at reasonable prices became horribly expensive. Of course, this drove down the loads and, in some cases, ended service all together. Hub and spoke replaced the older route structures and airlines came and went almost overnight; Braniff more than once.

ysolde

Sometime in the mid-70s or thereabouts, before it began commercial flights, the Concorde did a sort of tour of the world. I remember when it came to my hometown, it was an EVENT. People went to the airport to watch it land, and to catch a glimpse of the future of avionics, if only from afar.

coachrowsey

Haven't read the thread, but just going to jump in an share my thoughts as a retired 35 year airline employee. It was AWESOME. No problem finding seats so lots and lots of fun day trips. A 45 min. flight CLT-PIT full hot breakfast. Myself & others would fly "just to eat" lol.