From 1977 through 1980, Eastern Airlines offered one of the best air fare bargains of all time – the Unlimited Mileage fare. For a set price, you could fly anywhere in the Eastern Airlines system, from Barbados to Acapulco to Seattle to San Antonio, as much as you wanted. You only had to make a minimum of three stops of 24 hours or more. The fare was only offered in Coach and the price was $500.00. In May of 1980, I flew 104,000 miles in three weeks.

The following menu is from an Atlanta to Los Angeles flight upon which I was upgraded. Seats were assigned at the gate from a big chart of peel off seat numbers which were affixed to your boarding pass. The crowd looked larger than the available Coach seats so I cautiously hung back until the last coach seat was doled out. The aircraft was an A300B and the seats were wide and deep, upholstered in a color pattern that would be unthinkable by today’s comparatively staid standards.

E A S T E R N . A I R L I N E S
The Wings of Man

Atlanta to Los Angeles

DINNER

Appetizer
Crepe Admiral, a light crepe filled with a combination of scallops and mushrooms in a cream, covered with a delicate white wine sauce

Salad de Maison
A selection of fresh greens with a variety of garnishes and your choice of Bleu Cheese or Creamy Italian Dressing

ENTREES
Your choice of:

Filet Mignon
Charbroiled with Maitre d’Hotel butter

Chicken Breast aux Champignons
A tender young chicken breast is oven roasted and covered with a light, creamy mushroom sauce


To accompany your selection
Stuffed Baked Potato
White and Wild Rice
Asparagus Spears in Lemon Butter

A selection of hot rolls

** **** **

Dessert
French Vanilla Ice Cream with your choice of Chocolate Sauce or Strawberry topping, garnished with walnuts and whipped cream

Assorted Cheeses and Fruits