It depends on how far back you want to go. First Class on the trans Atlantic DC-7's got you a fold down bed with curtains in the rear of the plane. Not all First Class cabins today are equal. If you fly on one of the better first class products today (with full sleeper seat), the service is much better than the FC of the early 80's when the current FF programs were rolled out.

Flying coach in the 70's was a better product than today's coach. Seat pitch and the number of seats per row alone made flying more enjoyable. Seat maps of the Y cabin of 747's show 1 less seat in the middle row! Some airlines even had piano bars in the coach cabin.

Most people did not fly in the 70's---it was still an exclusive club no matter what class you flew in. It was not until the likes of People's express and Southwest that drove the masses into flying with their cheap fares.

The one thing I do not miss are the headsets with the hollow plastic tubes and suction like ear pieces--.