20 years ago, it was fun. One year there was triple miles. The aircraft were varied and interesting. Fokker F100 on one airline, Lockheed L-1011 on another. The Concorde was flying. So was the BAe 146 and 737 and A320. Back then, I was elite on multiple airlines and not just silver. Some new airports were being built, like Denver, Austin, O'Hare Terminal 1, LAX Tom Bradley International Terminal and Terminal 1, Munich, London City, etc. If there was a long layover at JFK, you could visit other terminals, even airside, like the United Terminal (9), Eastern Terminal (1), TWA Int'l (5), etc.

Now it is RJ's, no food, delays, high change fees, luggage fees, and no standby for some airlines. For a time, US Airways even tried to charge for water. A few new infrastructure projects are recent, like JFK's Airtrain and St. Louis' light rail.

I now look forward to the destination more than the journey! I still look to fly some rare variants, like the A380 or A340-200 or 737-600, but there are few of them. I belong to many of the ff programs but have loyalty to few. My favorite domestic airlines, TWA and Northwest, are gone. Even the liveries are not as good. Continental and Alaska are the remaining good ones, maybe Hawaiian and Jet Blue.

Since OMNI and it's cousin OMNI/PR are designed to be a break from miles, points and travel topics/discussions in general, we'll move this over to TravelBuzz!

Please follow at its new home.

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Cholula
OMNI Co-Moderator

I don't think traveling nowadays is less fun; it's just different. (That and you're being nostalgic.)

I don't miss the looooong check-in lines (no OLCI or kiosks available), the paper tickets, boarding by bus (still available in some places), the high prices. Oh, and remember smoking sections?

Some relics are still around (e.g. movies shown on projectors on raggedy DL 767s) although I can't wait for them to disappear forever.

Definately less fun. Increased and inept security, lower fares leading to more low-brow throngs of morons and amature flyers, harder-to-get membership benefits, no meals, first class meals tasting like Denny's, and more crowded flights.

Although I do like online check in, seat selection and reservations compared to the old days when you had to stand in line. Now I can pick my seat when I reserve (unless waiting on an upgrade), print my boarding pass and bypass the tards down in the check in line at ticketing.

And considerably more stressful after the 9/11 attacks. I remember when my grandparents used to take us to the gate or we'd pick up family members at the gate. It makes me sad that our children will never experience that. At least I think it's "never." Can't imagine things going back to the way they used to be.

For me the fun stopped in the US after 9/11. TSA and airline voodoo economics finished the US fun side.

Some places remain fun for me. Much of Asia is still fun flying.

I enjoy CX, QF, EK and a handful of others when they are nowhere near the US or the UK. SU is fun, albeit with a slightly masochistic ground experience in either Moscow airport.

I enjoy domestic flying much less but in a few places even that is tolerable enough. The big fun-lost quotient for me is not the equipment but the security and ground services, coupled with disgruntled crew.

Traveling is still great fun. It's just the airplane rides that are no longer fun and getting to the plane stinks. More and more people jammed into smaller and smaller spaces. No food. More luggage in the overhead (and we Americans have to take everything we own on every trip). More and more rude people in general in the US, but now we are jammed with them millimeters from our faces. TSOs that yell and scream.

Of course I remember when flying was very, very expensive. Women dressed up to get on the plane (they dressed up to go downtown, when there used to be downtowns). FAs (they were stewardesses then) were young and happy and willing to go out of their way to help you (even if you were another woman).

While a lot of the stress in flying comes from the super silly security stuff, a lot of what has happened we have done to ourselves. We have asked for cheaper and cheaper flights. As a country the USA has become more rude and much more me-centered. We have our rights: you can't recline your seat into my space but I will recline into yours as far as my seat will go. It would do a lot if the pendulum on our behavior would swing back to civility. How much does a smile cost? How much does a "I'm sorry" cost? How much does a "I'm about to recline my seat" cost? How much would it cost to wonder if the rude person in front of you is having a bad day? How much would it cost to be nice to that beleaguered mother? Imagine if each FTer would decide to be not simply civil but super nice today on your flight.

Much less fun. Starting from the ticketing and pricing process, continuing to the (pejorative deleted) TSA to the sardine cans. It takes longer, it's far less pleasant, and far more intrusive than ever.

I regularly debate giving up on air travel, but it's impractical to travel other ways.

In my more charitable moods, I'd say it's harder to enjoy travel now, but it's still possible. It's a different enjoyment, but it's still possible to enjoy it.

As others have mentioned, yes, the kiosks are a great thing, as is online check in. Heck the ability to book online, from hotels to airlines, is a nice thing. And flyertalk! Comparing notes with others around the world is a fanstastic thing.

It's also nice that we have highly capable electronic devices to distract ourselves while onboard or while waiting for a flight. And I'd be neglectful if I didn't mention the great clown show put on 24/7 at every terminal in the country. They've given me endless amusement. I just wish it didn't cost so much.

In my less charitable moods, though, I look at things a mite bit differently and get a wee bit frustrated.

But today's Friday. I'll be home soon enough. It's time for optimism.

Send in the clowns!

I've always loved flying and treated the air travel as part of the journey (unlike most folks nowadays, I suspect). Thanks to the stupid security nonsense and the poorer service, I'm now much more reluctant to fly, especially if I wouldn't be able to fly enough to get elite status. If I need to go somewhere within USA, I look to either taking the train or driving before considering air travel--and this from someone who love being up in the air, cruising over fascinating landscape, the takeoff and landing parts, admiring other airliners, enjoying the lounges, F/J classes, etc.

Traveling overall is still fun, but not the air part, and I will probably fly as little as possible until everyone come to their senses, if ever!

Only if we can combine the best of both worlds (flying more civilly and being able to take advantage of latest technologies).....

Not for me.

I miss flying Mohawk Airlines. Guess that was more than 20 years ago. lol

Don't forget 20 years ago, it was expensive too.

Many of us 20 years ago, if we are not travelling for work, we wouldn't have money to buy the ticket to fly on majors.

Also 20 years ago, they don't even have those ultra low fares to do a same day MR, many of those ultra low fares always required saturday night stay. It was much harder to get airline status compare to now.

There were also a lot less nonstop transpacific flights 20 years ago, many carriers still using 747-200, DC10 and MD11, it always need to make a stop in NRT. NRT back then was a mess, crowded, planes can rarely get a jetbridge, always have to bus in and bus out of the terminal. Smoking section is the worst thing it can be on long haul flights. I totally hate it even as a smoker myself. No such thing as PTV either, not even in F or C. Only a few airlines have those 20 years ago.

I actually find that it is more fun to fly long haul than 20 years ago.

Yes, much more fun because, as ORDnHKG says, it's much more affordable than the good ol' days.

When I was a kid (I'm 43), pretty much the only option for a holiday was to pile into the Family Truckster and drive two days to Disneyland, or maybe to a cabin on the ocean.

Today, with cheap airfares, my sister's family (mom, dad, 2 kids under 8) think nothing of flying from to an all inclusive in Mexico, or mom and pop take a weekend in Vegas.

The thing I miss most about the good old days, is the ability for children to go into the cokpit (and depending on the crew, the ability to sit in the captain's seat and 'fly' the plane!) I feel sad that our children will never get to do that. I also miss the quite random upgrades, not for being a frequent flyer etc, but 'just because'! I was upgraded along with my parents many years ago on a trans-atlantic flight 'because we have some unexpected room up front, and we think you guys would enjoy it'! Oh, and I miss extremely polite flight attendents too, but I can't complain too much about recent flights, they seem to have bucked up their ideas again - amazing what a recession can do for job security! I miss not being allowed liquids (weird and wonderful alcohol, or even, in my case, elderflower cordial and soft cheeses (yes, I was told a round of brie constituted a liquid!) ).

I don't miss 'smoking sections' (like having a peeing section in a swimming pool!), the lines out of the door for check in on large / busy flights (online check in is fab!) or getting soaking wet while boarding up outdoor stairs (although Frankfurt and Rome have both had me doing that recently).