harryhv

- Aircon at Changi
- one stop not 9 between LHR-SYD
- quieter planes

obscure2k

The first thing which comes to mind is the absolute joy discovering the beauty of flying wide-bodied jets. Double aisles, serving trolleys, stairs, piano lounges & of of course,The Concorde. IFE was another great discovery. I recall my kids asking me after each trip: "What movie did you see?"
Perhaps we have grown so cavalier that the thrill of the discovery of a new aircraft is a bit ho-hum. I know that it was no big deal to go to a 767 or 757. However, going from a 707 or D8 to a 747 or D10 was a huge deal.

tigerpaw580

The other posts make me feel really old, but my first flight was on a 727 out of Tampa for New York, when Tampa was the old open air terminal.The plane was the brand new "Whisperjet" and we boarded through the airstairs at the rear.I got a set of metal junior pilot wings!The most impressive was though a few weeks later when we returned to Tampa on a DC-8 , very loud starting,and a meal was served.I got wings, and a plastic DC-8 about 4 inches long.Impressive to a ten year old!Don't think things are better in many ways but they are sure different. I liked the lounge seating in Eastern and Delta's DC-8's.And I even like the sound of props on a night flight especially!I guess I'm getting old!But nowadays they're on Beech 1900D's and Embraers, not Constellations and Electras, which I was lucky enough to have flown on, (TWA and Northwest, Eastern).

CApreppie

The airfares are cheaper.

CApreppie

Fly from SJC Terminal C. Built in the 60s still thinks its the 60s.

Punki

I loved flying in coach the '50s and '60s. It was such a great adventure.

Now, it is even better as I always fly in first or at the very least biz.

Got to love progress. ^

ButIsItArt

You even get to walk out on the tarmac and up the stairs when boarding (or down the stairs when deboarding).

MiamiAirport Formerly NY George

Technology which allows us to book travel, pick a seat, request an upgrade, and check in without either hanging on hold or waiting to be called by the next available agent. The other advance has been airports, which in some cities look like something out of the show "Wings." Some airports have now become very pleasurable (outside of the security checkpoint process); T9 JFK, SEA, DFW, DEN, SNA, PHL, PIT, etc. Although there are still some that leave much to be desired; ATL, ORD, EWR, MCI.

MrSydney

The Good

Overhead locker bins.
IFE.
Lie Flat beds in J.
The internet has changed the face of travel.
Asian airports.
FF programs.
Cheaper Airfares.
More direct flights on Long Haul.
No smoking.
Free booze in Y on Long Haul.
AirBridges.
Checkin on line.
Wide bodied planes

The bad
Rude FAs -mainly USA airlines.
Crowded and outdated airports.
Long lines at Immigration.
Airlline food very so,so - even in J.
Crowded flights.
Obnoxious passengers
Air Rage.

Have I missed anything?

Soju

Fast check-in.
Vastly improved baggage handling, ie. computer printed tags that don't fall off and allow your luggage to be tracked and which can theoretically be seamlessly transferred to follow you on all your flight segments.

Bundy Bear

1. Frequent Flier Programs
2. A range of fares to suit your budget; Economy, Business, First.
3. Cheaper overall fares.
4. Bigger planes so more seats available per flight.
5. More airline options; eg; SQ, QF, MH, TG, CX, BA, VS
6. Better schedules; afternoon or late evening international departures.
7. Inflight Entertainment.
8. Some airlines now have lie flat beds.
9. Newer planes have smoother ride; can fly at higher altitude.
10. More quieter engines, less noise.
11. Safer, less crashes.
12. Better food, you aren't like to get sick from it and its designed with air travel in mind.
13. Faster planes, Not by much but still faster. 777 faster than a 767.
14. No smoking.
15. More comfortable seats; excludes Ryanair.
16. Better baggage handling, your luggage rarely gets lost;
17. Easier to book; don't require a visit to the travel agent.
18. More knowledge of flight times;
19. More options to travel in only 1 connection;
20. More direct flights. only one stop over to make it to Europe.
21. Quicker check in; now with machines.
22. Ticketless travel; Most flight bookings don't require a paper ticket. Not MH.
23. Airbridges, don't have to walk out in the sun, rain, to board some stairs.
24. Proper airconditioned airports.
25. Newer smaller RJs to connect unconnectable city pairs with smaller faster planes.
26. Frequent flier perferences recorded, I don't need to ask what seat I want during check machine has already given me the best seat possible. Forward Aisle.
27. Overhead locker bins, Roomier and actually properly locked.
28. Better radar and detection of windshear and turbulence.
29. Better security.
30. Study of each airline crash in detail to find out what went wrong; so it doesn't happen again.
31. Airlines more connected; more city pairs available on just one ticket.
32. More options which you can see from internet so you are not being restricted by what the travel agent is trying to sell you based on the bigger commission.
33. Widebody planes so more chance to get up and walk to stretch your legs.
34. Extra safety with requirement of seat belt to be on when seated.
35 Maybe the alcohol choices are better; Not sure.
36. less travel restrictions; now fewer destinations where a visa is required.
37. Jets and not propellers so you don't feel the vibration
38. Common Euro currency.
39. Better information through travel books.
40. Flyertalk. so we can share all the good points.

I think I made it, thanks for some ideas from previous posters.

chornedsnorkack

After Pan Am invented Tourist in 1950-s and before they invented Business in end of 1970-s, long haul seems to have been 2 classes universally - Tourist and First.

Now, many carriers have dropped First and have 2 classes the upper being Business. But some have 3 classes including First, and some have 4 classes. Some have 3 classes the upper of which is Business.
747-400 is only slightly bigger than -200 (the upper deck stretch). 777, 330 and 340 are all smaller.
VC-10, DC-8, Boeing 707 and 727 are all pretty fast. 747 is fast, and used to fly faster in 1970-s. And on shorter haul, what about Convair 880 and 990?

Of course, Concorde is 1970-s, too. When was the last time London-Singapore took 9 hours?
Advantade or disadvantage?
747 is still the widest. And in 1970-s, it used to be 9 abreast all the way to back.
Hindering stretching the legs.

PTravel

Yes. First, I'd put "cheaper airfares" under "The Bad" -- it's because of that that we have the Greyhound set flying. I'd also add to "The Bad" the hub-and-spoke system, instead of direct flights.

Under The Good, at the top of my list would be noise-cancelling headphones and iPods -- at least for me, these were revolutionary and make it possible for me to enjoy flying.

pacer142

Stairs have made a comeback in the UK and Europe with the low-costs, and TBH I prefer them, especially when two sets are provided so you can board from both ends.

HomeToPit

Probably the biggest difference is that I can actually sit in first class today and not pay full fare to do it.

I can remember looking "behind the curtain" every so often and thinking about how how nice it was and also how much it must cost.

Granted, first class today is worlds apart from first class back then but it's still a great feeling sitting in first on a Chicago to Tokyo flight next to someone who may have paid $12,000 for their ticket and I paid $1800 and used miles.

I also remember how planes were hijacked in the 70's and flown to Cuba. This is definately a different topic today, but I can remember thinking a lot about hijacking when I got on a plane back then.