What was it like before airline de-regulation?
 

Excuse me for my ignorance, but it was a little before my time. I was just reading an article wher Oberstar was threatening RE-regulation. I just can't even IMAGINE airlines run by the government.

Any thoughts, comment, explainations?

Like this:

http://mysite.verizon.net/vze6l53f/w...ikeinthe1960s/

I think for a time in the early 70s the stews wore hot pants and other form-hugging garb, especially at Southwest and Braniff. There was also that Coffee, Tea or Me book. Kinda funny to think some of the same people are STILL working today on the plum routes, holding on 'til retirement. What'd they look like all those years ago?

Of course you got more room and some 747s even had the lounge. There was a lot more bumpf to give out (now sold on eBay), and airlines spent a lot more on advertising.

Fares were, in many cases, very similar to now. Which means they were a lot more in yesterday's dollars. Planes were generally not as full.

I think one of the more underreported trend stories has to be how the migration to Internet booking accelerated the trend toward airlines becoming a commodity business (something they had fiercely resisted). Travel agents or calling the airline cost money, but those people couldn't or wouldn't find the lowest fare and tinker like people did on the websites, and that's the one thing the airlines didn't figure on.

The only thing I remember about airline regulation is the cost.

Fares were 5 to 10 times higher than what I would spend now (talking Canada) and the only way to get it lower was to stay a Saturday night. Thankfully my employer at the time still flew us home for the weekend, otherwise I would have spent many a weekend in hotels.

Did they have many male FAs back then?

Wow, *marvels*, if it wasn't before my time, I certainly was still in diapers...I would have never seen a real plane if it wasn't for the fact that my grandparents lived down the road from BUF.

Well, for starters, airlines weren't "run by the government."

Ok, well, see..This is why I asked. I don't really understand what part the government had to play in Airline business. Guess I'll go and google it. Probably should have done that in the first place. Thx

The government fixed routes and pricing as it once did with utility companies. Deregulation was mean't to have the market determine routes, pricing, and competition. Whether this is an industry that can operate properly in the free market has constantly been debated.

I remember traveling as a kid with my parents in the 1970s. FAs (called stewardess then and all females from what I remember) wore short skirts, boots, and white gloves. Just about everyflight had a meal and most paxs dressed up. Airports had that "Breakfast at Tiffanys" feel to it. Interestingly, there much more booze being consummed but people still acted with a lot more class. No idiot screaming into his cell phone.

Same here (of course there were no cell phones then), but regardless, traveling was done with more class then. I suppose the ridiculously high prices had a lot to do with that. I remember that routes had no regard for airline, i.e, I'd fly one way on X airline and the return could be on Y. Same with connections. My dad would bring back numerous ticket envelopes for me from his trips, and often he'd get home with 3 or 4 different ones. I guess since the fares were all regulated, it didn't matter which carrier you flew (other than service, aircraft, etc.). But I don't think there was a ton of differentiation then.

Definitely. I miss those days....back in the day....... I also remember when children under 12 were not allowed in first class.

I was just a kid, but . . .
 

. . . 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.

The other thing I remember is out of my small town you could fly direct to more destinations. Now it's only served by CO and AA, with flights only to IAH and DFW. Back then, I seem to recall AA, DL, and Ozark at a minimum, and there were a number of flights that stopped off in one other small town before hitting the hub, or that continued on instead of just shuttling back and forth.

They allowed smoking in airplanes then (well, also post-deregulation until the late 1980s or so). Blech. :td:

We're still not totally deregulated. Check out the Essential Air Service program if you want to swallow your gum...

Oh, and a good study in contrasts would have to be Mainland-Hawaii service. Then: 747s with FA's in costume, special menus, special souvenirs given out, and airlines finding ways to use the opportunity to make a real impression on already excited passengers.

Now: Packed flights, cash-cow mentality on fares, meals for purchase as if it were a domestic flight but upgrade rules as if it were international (worst of both worlds), new bag limits, and stressed FAs. What was once an experience to look forward to is today one of the more dreaded long flights.