The golden age of air travel is often remembered fondly as a time of helpful stewardesses and sumptuous airline meals. However, it was also a time when people didn’t need an ID to board a plane, and smoking onboard was perfectly normal. And until the Civil Rights movement began to bring about change, air travel remained mostly for white passengers, which is far from golden, indeed. Modern air travel guidelines and practices may be a hassle, but they’re designed to keep passengers safe. And as COVID-19 continues to reshape the world, it’s likely that airlines will need to develop new ways of keeping travelers healthy and (relatively) happy. Still, we can hope that at least a few of these comforts might come back. A Different Class of Legroom One genuinely positive aspect of commercial flight during the 1950s and 1960s was the ample legroom when compared to today. In the early days of air travel, there wasn’t a lot of demand for tickets, and airplanes were far smaller than they are today. A standard plan might hold an average of about 18 passengers Consequently, there was an awful lot of room to stretch out and relax. Many seats could recline into twin-sized sleepers without bothering the passengers in other rows! Some airplanes even had train-style seating that allowed large groups of passengers to sit together. While it’s possible that COVID-19 concerns might lead to more space between seats in the future, it might be best to believe it when you see it. Snooze in Style In addition to seats that could fully recline, many airlines had sleeping cabins that hung above 

the traditional seating. That’s right: Instead of storing-away extra baggage in the overhead bins, people stored themselves! These small overhead cabins came with a privacy curtain though other amenities for sleepers were sparse. The mattresses were incredibly thin and uncomfortable, as were the complimentary pillows and blankets. Still, it was probably an immense relief for families traveling with children, as parents could send cranky tots up to their bunks. Breaking Out the Fine China It’s no secret that airline food can be awful. The pre-packaged, overly salted meals that most airlines serve are a far cry from the fare in traditional kitchens. However, the airline dining experience wasn’t always as low-quality as passengers today have come to expect. Decades ago, people ate from delicate dishes and drank from actual glass cups. Also, most airplanes had small electric ovens to heat premade gourmet meals for passengers. Today, extremely small in-flight kitchens and food storage areas mean most passengers’ high altitude dining experiences simply aren’t what they used to be, and they’re not likely to return. What’s on the Menu? So what did people eat with their fine cutlery on plans back in the day? Standard menu options included grilled filet mignon, cheese platters, vintage wines, roasted turkey, and caviar. Regionally-themed meals were also popular. Flights to Japan might include a wide range of Japanese culinary delights, including chicken teriyaki, while trips to France might be accompanied by rich, French wines. Essentially, passengers got to experience a taste of their destination before arriving! Minorities Weren’t Welcome, Which is Terrible The first commercial flights were expensive, which limited the types of people who could afford to travel by air. Only the wealthiest people could initially afford the fare. But on top of that, open racism was much more commonplace since the Civil Rights Act of 1964 didn’t exist yet. Consequently, nearly all of the first airline passengers were white. The only people who weren’t in airports were baggage porters and (later) the occasional stewardess. Some airlines even tried to teach their agents to identify black voices and isolate black passengers on their own flights. Absolutely horrendous. You Might Need a Chiropractor Afterward Back in the black-and-white days of the 1950s, commercial airplanes didn’t fly very high. That’s because they didn’t use jet engines. Instead, these early passenger planes were powered by pistons, the same mechanism that powers gasoline engines. However, because these engines weren’t as powerful as modern ones, they had more difficulty moving through the air smoothly. Turbulence was a real problem, and passengers regularly came off planes with extreme back pain from bracing against all the shaking. Things Got Messy The problem of combining fine dining with extreme turbulence is the latter quickly makes the former into a real danger. Take this carving cart, for example. Sure, it looks fantastic, and the food quality is obviously exceptional. But the turbulence in planes back when this sort of service was provided meant that it was also potentially dangerous. Ironically, the advent of jet engines and the subsequent decrease in turbulence made meals like these much safer to serve. Now,

In retrospect, it’s easy to imagine that a good deal of motion sickness while in flight was the direct result of smoke inhalation. After all, planes were far slower in those days, and chain smokers could quickly kill a few packs of smokes while airborne. Time to Spare Today, it takes just under a full day to fly from Sydney, Australia to London, England, but in the 1950s, the same journey took about four days, and sometimes longer if there was rain. It wasn’t just international flights, either — domestic flights were just as lengthy. A Boeing 747, one of the most widely-used commercial planes currently flying, is just over 250 feet long. In contrast, the Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, one of the predecessors to the 747, topped-out at about 110 feet long. That means that the biggest and baddest commercial planes of the 1950s were less than half the size of modern jetliners. Pricey Services Sure, flight ticket prices spike periodically with holidays and natural disasters. However, most fares remain consistently affordable, ensuring that passengers from most socioeconomic backgrounds have the opportunity to travel. However, that was not the case during the golden age of air travel.