Originally Posted by
hotturnip
. . . I remember these days. This is why I didn't get to fly at all until I was 16. It was TOO DAMNED EXPENSIVE! This is why I roll my eyes when people talk about these years as if they were a golden age. Sure--if you were wealthy.
How is that different from today?? Flying is still very much a preserve of the wealthy. Sure, more people can afford it now than in the past...But that doesn't mean there aren't billions of people worldwide who can only dream of being able to afford a plane ticket. It's all a question of perspective.
My experience of deregulation commenced when I was about 13...and I was seriously relieved at being able to choose an airline other than OA to fly to my grandparents in Athens!
It was fun to fly the F50 of Branson's SEEA on handwritten tickets (in 1992!) and get a croissant and some coke for the short domestic hop (OA only serving a choice of water or vile grapefruit juice).