The United Airlines of a different era
Apr 27, 2014, 9:23 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: VHHH
Programs: UA Premier Silver, CX SL, SPG Gold
Posts: 29
The United Airlines of a different era
Stumbled upon this movie on Youtube which follows a United flight from New York to San Francisco in 1959. How things have changed!
Its a pity that air travel in the US has devolved into the lowest common denominator for every aspect and United today is leading this race to the bottom.
Shows you how dangerous it can be to have an inept management team running the show.
Here's the vid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V886TJn-cQU
Its a pity that air travel in the US has devolved into the lowest common denominator for every aspect and United today is leading this race to the bottom.
Shows you how dangerous it can be to have an inept management team running the show.
Here's the vid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V886TJn-cQU
Apr 27, 2014, 9:52 am
#2
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: EWR, BDL
Posts: 4,471
Stumbled upon this movie on Youtube which follows a United flight from New York to San Francisco in 1959. How things have changed!
Its a pity that air travel in the US has devolved into the lowest common denominator for every aspect and United today is leading this race to the bottom.
Shows you how dangerous it can be to have an inept management team running the show.
Here's the vid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V886TJn-cQU
Its a pity that air travel in the US has devolved into the lowest common denominator for every aspect and United today is leading this race to the bottom.
Shows you how dangerous it can be to have an inept management team running the show.
Here's the vid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V886TJn-cQU
Apr 27, 2014, 10:07 am
#3
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat
Posts: 86
This article has a TWA price list for one-way flights in 1955 (couldn't find UA). Multiply by 8.8 to adjust for inflation: $668 of today's dollars for a one-way flight from San Francisco to Chicago.
Apr 27, 2014, 10:57 am
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Houston
Programs: UA Plat, Marriott Gold
Posts: 12,686
This article has a TWA price list for one-way flights in 1955 (couldn't find UA).
Apr 27, 2014, 11:31 am
#6
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: DYKWIA, But I'm a "Diamond Guest" UA 1K/2MM
Posts: 2,250
This article has a TWA price list for one-way flights in 1955 (couldn't find UA). Multiply by 8.8 to adjust for inflation: $668 of today's dollars for a one-way flight from San Francisco to Chicago.
As recently as the 90s, I remember getting an excellent dinner in Y from SEA to SFO. Now you get nothing in 1st class even.
Apr 27, 2014, 11:48 am
#7
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: MRY - CNX - TXL
Programs: UA 1K / *G / Marriott PE / Expedia Gold+ / Hertz PC
Posts: 7,058
And weren't the TATL NY to London flights (in today's $) like $3400 r/t for Economy? Granted then Y was lounge access, lounge on the plane, food etc but of course a much different seat. So in a way you can buy BF for that have the same amenities as the glory days but with a lie flat seat.
Apr 27, 2014, 12:15 pm
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2006
Location: SEA or BGR, Lower Earth Orbit
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 17,217
Consumers are simply price sensitive. The use of the internet has definitely caused this, and the low fare searches like travelocity and expedia only exasperated this. The lowest fare always shows up first, even if the timing sucks. (Which causes a whole set of issues on its own, which is for another thread.) Premium airlines just haven't been able to survive. Midwest Express, Eos, MaxJet, and Silverjet all were "premium" carriers that all failed for various reasons.
Not to split hairs, but it would be about $600. (http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc....955&year2=2014)
This article has a TWA price list for one-way flights in 1955 (couldn't find UA). Multiply by 8.8 to adjust for inflation: $668 of today's dollars for a one-way flight from San Francisco to Chicago.
Apr 27, 2014, 12:23 pm
#9
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Redwood City, CA USA (SFO/SJC)
Programs: 1K 2010, 1P in 2011, Plat for 2012,13,14,15 & 2016. Gold in 17 & 18, Plat since
Posts: 8,824
- The seats in F are surprisingly-thin
- I forgot how dirty the exhaust was from planes of that era (16:24 in)
- No headsets for the cockpit crew
- Wonder if boarding is faster using two sets of stairs rather than one jetway
- Tray tables much better-designed for laptops back then
- People were thinner (but how? Look at 19:20 food display!)
- Largest "United" logo is on top of the wing. Who's gonna see it?
- Love the high-tech simulator's ground view technology!
- Air vents below the nose of the DC8. Never noticed that before. Probably all planes have 'em but they're not so obvious?
- "It only seems that we are growing. All of us together." 22:20, humorously out of context
Apr 27, 2014, 12:53 pm
#10
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: COS
Programs: UA Gold/1.5MM (several years running now!), Marriott LTTE, Hertz Prez
Posts: 1,899
Man, I miss those guys and gals! Mimosas on early morning flights for all (all C configuration as I recall). They took a lot of my business away from UA when they existed. They certainly would again.
Apr 27, 2014, 12:58 pm
#11
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: AA Plat4Life4MM/DL MM SM4Life, UA/CO 1K
Posts: 645
Remember up till the late 80s...Y was Y...there was no upgrades.
The FC cabin was filled with full fares FC and non revs.
Wonderful foods yes, but I still remember to fly UA FC LAX NRT, I took off the armrest in between 2 seats so I could lean against to wall to sleep.
15" monitors, noise canceling head sets, AVOD, FF miles...trump all the foods.
IMHO. ^
Wonderful foods yes, but I still remember to fly UA FC LAX NRT, I took off the armrest in between 2 seats so I could lean against to wall to sleep.
15" monitors, noise canceling head sets, AVOD, FF miles...trump all the foods.
IMHO. ^
Apr 27, 2014, 1:06 pm
#12
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: COS
Programs: UA Gold/1.5MM (several years running now!), Marriott LTTE, Hertz Prez
Posts: 1,899
Probably zero debate that the int'l hard product on offer today is vastly superior to that of only a few years ago. Heck, I had a hard time getting any sleep in the old UA C sleds. And although I wish the food, the wine, and the spirits available were of much, much higher quality in return for the $10k I routinely fork over, I wouldn't part with the lie-flat for anything.
Apr 27, 2014, 1:20 pm
#13
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: HNL
Programs: United Gold
Posts: 1,581
Apr 27, 2014, 1:37 pm
#14
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: DEN/OGG
Programs: UA GS
Posts: 1,482
This article has a TWA price list for one-way flights in 1955 (couldn't find UA). Multiply by 8.8 to adjust for inflation: $668 of today's dollars for a one-way flight from San Francisco to Chicago.
Apr 27, 2014, 1:46 pm
#15
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: NYC
Programs: AADULtArer
Posts: 5,655
There was little FC about the DC8 in 1959. Turbojets were incredibly loud and were quickly replaced by turbo fans. They sure were smoky weren't they??
Those fares below were ONE-WAY fares btw.
Air travel is a lot safer now than back then, for a host of reasons.
Those fares below were ONE-WAY fares btw.
Air travel is a lot safer now than back then, for a host of reasons.
