Hey! My husband and I still dress nicely on flights. Times are not so now that we buy a whole new suit/outfit for the trip, but no "couch potato" stuff. I think the reason why it's gotten so lax is the fares are so much cheaper now. Anyone can afford a flight, and the people that used to take Greyhound are now in economy. I am all for raising ticket prices. Why not? That way airlines can afford to put one seat in the place where they now have crammed two, or three.

But yes, air travel has really changed. It used to be a luxury thing, and I recall my mother buying us kids whole new outfits just for the trip. We'd get punished if we spilled anything on them too! We had to be on our best behavior. Things were much different. You called the FA a stewardess, and they were all very glamorous. Passengers were treated very well- but people respected manners back then too. Real forks and knives, glasses that "clink", and souvenirs of the airline that you could take home and were worth keeping!
There was no complaint about the seat in front of you reclining so much- as it didn't really impact your space. When people are crammed into tiny spots they get antsy, like rats in a cage.

I think I can sum it up like this: flights were more expensive, and less flights were taken, therefore when someone did fly it was "special".