Originally Posted by pharmalady

It's funny that the people who remember "the gold old days" don't remember that all of the problems of air travel existed back in those days:

Speaking as one who logged almost 2000 flights during the "Good Old Days", I'm sure we do remember the bad with the good though in general, when referring to something that was widely considered good, we naturally tend to accentuate the good more so than the bad.

Writing only with regard to U.S. domestic travel, a few comments in blue below...

a) flight delays--not as many flights, but delays were still a pain in the neck

I honestly don't remember there being any more flight delays back then than there are nowadays. There were less flights back then and so we rarely if ever had delays due to ATC holds.

b) airline food--admittedly went down straight down hill, but other amenities made up for it (180 reclining seats, AVOD, etc.)

Perhaps it would be instructive to acknowledge just how far down hill that food service went. The First Class luncheon menu listed below came from a 3.5 hour flight between Denver and New York in 1972. Food was presented from the trolley, the roast carved seat side by flight attendants who - in terms of service - were generally much more professional than the ones these days who claim their primary duty is our safety. On today's First Class luncheon flights between Denver and New York, you'd be lucky to get a sandwich with some veggies, a side salad and a pre-packaged dessert cookie.


TWA Flight 156
January 1st, 1972
Denver to New York-JFK
707-331B

TO START

ENCHILADA CON QUESO Y CHILES ROJO
A thin crepe filled with a lightly seasoned mixture of cottage and American cheeses… Topped with a colorful and zesty sauce flavored with beefstock, red peppers and tomatoes.

TOSSED GARDEN SALAD BOWL

An array of fresh, crisp garden greens consisting of romaine and Boston lettuce, endive, red cabbage and carrot slices. They are tossed with an assortment of special garnitures and served in an individual “Taiwan” bowl.

Served with your choice of herb flavored vinegar and oil or Roquefort Dressing


ENTRÉE SELECTIONS

CHATEAUBRIAND
The aristocrat of roasts… A double tenderloin of beef, selected from choice Midwestern steers. Cooked to your liking in TWA’s aircraft ovens and carved at tableside from the rolling cart. Served with Sauce Perigueux.

DOUBLE CUT LAMB CHOPS
From spring lamb, juicy double rib chops are cut and trimmed in the French manner and grilled to your liking… Rare… Medium… or Well Done.

CHICKEN BREAST PILGRIM STYLE
A partially boned Rock Cornish breast with a savory cranberry, celery and herb stuffing… Complimented by our New England Supreme sauce.

CHARBROILED SIRLOIN STEAK
Selected cuts from choice corn fed steers, cooked as you desire…
Topped with your choice of Lemon Parsley butter or Roquefort butter.

SWEET AND SOUR PRAWNS
Delicately sauteed jumbo shrimp artfully blended in a piquant sweet and sour pineapple sauce… Presented on a bed of fluffy rice.

Potatoes and Vegetables in season

Freshly baked Dinner Rolls and Breads

Creamery Butter


THE DESSERT CART

ICE CREAM SUNDAE
A special treat! Fancy French Vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate syrup or your favorite cordial… Kahlua, Galliano or Crème de Menthe… Sprinkled with chopped walnuts

HOT APPLE PIE
An American Favorite… Tangy apples baked in a flaky crust and served fresh from the oven with your choice of rich vanilla ice cream or a sharp cheddar cheese wedge.

Coffee, freshly brewed in flight

Tea

Dinner Mints


In style, substance and presentation, this "Mid-Con" menu is vastly superior to any of the current products masquerading as enhanced level catering on transcon "First" class these days.

Even on shorter flights, the offerings were impressive. I remember full hot and filling meals on meal flights between Albuquerque and Denver or Portland to San Francisco.

As for the loss of meals having been made up for by 180 reclining seats, AVOD, etc, I couldn't disagree more - at least on U.S. domestic flights where only a tiny fraction of total travelers - those in First Class on select trans-con or Hawaii routes - enjoy 180° lie flats.

Everyone else is now forced into lightweight slimline seats that have nowhere near the padding or seat pitch of the seats of yesteryear. As for AVOD, yes we didn't have that but we got by just fine with books, magazines, card games, movies and/or socializing in the lounge.

c) did anyone REALLY like flying in a 707-like first class cabin for 4,000 miles?

Yes, they did. Not that they had a choice until 1970. Part of it was that in the days of the 707 jet travel was still enough of a novelty that many people were genuinely excited just to get on a plane regardless of class. They even dressed up for the occasion! Many of the early 707 operators also had lounges with hors d'oeuvres for their First Class clientele. Yes, there was no AVOD but people got by just fine nonetheless. Many of them socialized with fellow passengers - unthinkable by today's standards where we immediately slam down our window shades, throw on our noise cancelling headphones and take leave of the world around us. While there's no denying that a lie flat seat would be preferable to a 1960s era 707 First Class seat, my statement above re. seating comfort and pitch made those 707 flights even more comfortable for those sat in economy as opposed to the slimline seats found in today's 757s or 777s.

d) price - adjusted price, per my economist friend, would be 3-4x higher than market competition has provided

True in economy though not necessarily so for those paying full fare First Class where on U.S. airlines a higher percentage of premium class passengers are paying with miles and/or upgrades. The inferior premium class service reflects this.

In exchange for those comparatively lower economy fares, we have a seriously diminished product with less comfortable and tighter seating and - on international flights - meals that are a fraction of what they used to be in both quality and quantity.

e) no status, no structured frequent flyer plans and horrible movies on bad projectors

Can't disagree on your first two points. As to the quality of the movies, yours is a subjective rather than an objective opinion. I remember a wide variety of movies far more varied than the bland, family friendly fare forced on us today. Some examples were Witness, The Sting, The French Connection, Westworld... The screens were huge - large enough that even a few rows back you still got a good picture - certainly more enjoyable than peering into the 8" screen on your seatback.

YMMV, but I've been flying actively over 40 years and I have to admit it has improved as far as price:value ratio.

Flying is definitely more affordable than it used to be. And - thanks to status accrued through frequent flyer programs, I've been able to fly in International First Class aboard airlines I could never have afforded to fly upon otherwise.

That said, outside of top flight improvements to Premium Class seats and vastly improved entertainment options for all classes, for economy class travelers the overall flying experience is inferior - crammed into small, uncomfortable seats aboard almost uniformly crowded flights with middling food options served by flight attendants - many of whom couldn't hold a candle to the stewardesses of yesteryear.