when travel was glamorous?

[ted]

Harlequin novel, version 2011

He grasped me firmly, but gently, just above my elbow and guided me into a room, his room. Then he quietly shut the door and we were alone. He approached me soundlessly, from behind, and spoke in a low, reassuring voice
close to my ear.

"Just relax."

Without warning, he reached down and I felt his strong, calloused hands start at my ankles, gently probing, and moving upward along my calves, slowly but steadily. My breath caught in my throat.

I knew I should be afraid, but somehow I didn't care. His touch was so experienced, so sure. When his hands moved up onto my thighs, I gave a slight shudder, and partly closed my eyes My pulse was pounding.

I felt his knowing fingers caress my abdomen, my ribcage. And then, as he cupped my firm, full breasts in his hands, I inhaled sharply.

Probing, searching, knowing what he wanted, he brought his hands to my shoulders, slid them down my tingling spine and into my panties.

Although I knew nothing about this man, I felt oddly trusting andexpectant. This is a man, I thought. A man used to taking charge. A man not used to taking 'No' for an answer. A man who would tell me what he wanted. A man who would look into my soul and say . . . ..

"Okay ma'am, you can board your flight now."

[Joeaksa]

Originally Posted by mossguy

All the men wore suits and ties, the women wore suits with pencil skirts and high heels, or dresses with high heels, and often hats. No security stuff. Go to the observation deck and watch the airplanes take-off and land. When seeing someone off or waiting for their arrival, having dinner at one of the fine restaurants on purpose. People watching. Flying, getting a good meal in coach. Free drinks. A lot of attention from the (all female) attendants. Manners. No pushing, no shoving. There is more, but that is what comes to mind at the moment.

My first commercial flight was on a Ozark Airlines DC-3. Just like above with the suit and so on.

Fast forward to today. My current flight attendent did 37 years flying with Eastern Air Lines and was trained during the "white glove era" and really knows how to take care of pax. She does it "old school" the way it should be done, then comes forward and lets us munch on the leftovers as she always orders too much food.

The "Wal-Mart world" that we live in today is not progress. I just flew from Zurich to LAX with a major carrier and it really made me glad that I do not have to do this very often.

[Joeaksa]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

IMHO TSA is a massive waste of time and money. They tell us not to change our lifestyle of "they" win. Then strip us of our rights and dignity to get on a plane.

But that is another thread...

Totally correct. As long as we let the TSA strip us of everything, the terrorists have won. The TSA is not "here to protect you" they are doing nothing but a power grab. You need to know that they are right now trying to "control the security" of everything that moves, cars, trucks and so on. They want to be in charge of the world and so far our govt is letting them do it.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by widgeon13

I know what I miss, good looking stewardesses. The flight attendants today are either old enough to be my mother or flamers. It would also be nice if they had some form of personality other the "beotch".

You need to take some domestic flights in China. The flight crews there have rules like we used to have here - in shape, female, not above a certain height and, since it's such a desirable job, they only pick a tiny percentage of the applicants (which means the hot ones). God, I love domestic flights in China.

[ted]

PSA reunion.

[AFC-911]

I hear smoking was allowed back then. That would have SUCKED!

I would not tolerate that.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

You need to take some domestic flights in China. The flight crews there have rules like we used to have here - in shape, female, not above a certain height and, since it's such a desirable job, they only pick a tiny percentage of the applicants (which means the hot ones). God, I love domestic flights in China.

Does your wife know who you really are?

Mines beginning to suspect...

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by AFC-911

I hear smoking was allowed back then. That would have SUCKED!

I would not tolerate that.

Smoking was allowed everywhere. You didn't notice it like you do today.

I remember going to the clubs in college, etc, and never remember smelling the smoke afterwards. In the late 90's, after getting divorced, I'd come home from the clubs/bars and peel everything off and throw it into the washing machine. Different world.

At work, people smoked in their cubicals, up until about 1991.

[carreradpt]

Remember the smoking sections on planes? From this row back began the smoking. Not like it was partioned off with separate circulation. The back of the jet would just stink. Hell people used to smoke in grocery stores and drop their butts on the floor. In the grocery stores!

[Don Plumley]

Originally Posted by ted

PSA reunion.

Brings back good memories - '76 cockpit visit during the San Diego county annual Flight of the Eagles. Never really did get much of a chance to fly PSA as an adult before they were folded into US Air.

[Don Plumley]

I did a little poking around the interwebs and found that in 1970 or the end of the regulated era total US revenue passenger miles (RPM) was about 130 billion. Over the past few years, this number is about 800 billion. That's a lot more butts in seats (and yes, some of those butts are a little wider). While we can lament the many changes in the mode of transportation, I suspect this same conversation was going on in the late 1930's as more cars started to appear on the highways.

As for my experience flying over the years, I did my peak international flying in 2001; yup, right up through 9/11 when I was in London on a business trip.

I did lots of domestic travel in the early 90's - we had security screening, but it was simple and I don't remember a delay. Your friends could come to the gate area to say goodbye or meet passengers right away. That was nice. Being able to drive up to the airport 30 minutes before departure meant we could stretch the business day to the extreme - I remember doing a day trip to DFW from SNA: first flight out, afternoon of meetings, then fly back and have dinner on the plane. Got upgraded a lot back then and the food in the front wasn't too bad.

Second half of the 90's I did a lot of international flying. Again, upgraded a bunch so those trips were pleasant. Began to notice the FA's on the domestic carriers started to, um, age a bit while the other nation flag carriers had more, uh, well, a different perspective. Cost controls were definitely impacting food and wine quality. In the early 90's in International First class, caviar was a common starter; I remember seeing many well known nice wines. By the end of the decade there was a reduction in quality and amount. But the best thing was how quick you could get from the curb to the gate - that made business travel more efficient.

My single biggest complaint about today's air travel: Not being able to take my kids to the gate to put them on a plane or meet them at the gate when they come back. Well, they are hardly kids now so it matters less. But a few years ago that was a real pain. My only other regret was never being able to fly on the Concorde. I'm still waiting for my trip on a private jet though...

Today, I take about ~6 international trips and ~4 domestic business trips a year; plus a few for leisure. So I don't feel like I fly hardly at all anymore. Fortunately I have lifetime status on AA, so I get the benefits of a shorter line (security and check in) which is handy. The biggest single difference is time - allowing enough time for unpredictable TSA delays in security. For an overseas flight, it's not too bad, as I like to run early anyway. But short domestic trips make me consider the driving tradeoff frequently.

I miss flying as much as I did. There's nothing like driving to the airport, then waking up in Paris. or Tokyo. Looking out the window and seeing glaciers in the North Atlantic. Flying in from Asia and getting back before you left. Meeting cool people in Rio. Seeing your daughter cradle a Wallaby in Tasmania...Backpacking through Europe with your son...Going through Burgundy with your wife. The best way to see the world is to get on an airplane. While those hours might be more cramped and more inconvenient now, the hassle is rounding error in comparison to the rewards on the other side of the arrival gate. That's my view from the aisle seat.