welcome to mojo travels and today we are discussing what flying was like in the 1960s
for this list we're flying back in time to see just how much public air travel
has changed over the past 60 years are you a fan of our videos
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the glamour nowadays flying is nobody's favorite part of the trip in the 1960s though flying was
promoted as a glamorous addition to the travel experience it was less like a tedious stepping
stone and more like going to an airborne elongate planes were designed to create
a relaxing environment through visually pleasing colour palettes complementary service and spacious
legroom following the boeing 707 and douglas dc8 the roominess was cranked up a notch with
the introduction of the boeing 747 or jumbo jet which first flew in 1969 while the airline ads
made you want to explore exotic sights the flight aimed to set a majestic tone looking beyond the
glamour however the golden age of flying as some describe it had issues beneath the surface
the high cost while modern plane tickets aren't cheap you can save a fair deal of money by flying
coach booking far in advance and racking up frequent flyer points flying was far less
economic in the old days however after years of only having one class gwa would introduce
a two-class system in 1955. even then their idea of a bargain mainly catered to the wealthy a twa
flight from boston to los angeles cost 106 dollars in 1955. in 1965 that would be closer to 124
in 2021 it'd be almost 1080 after inflation and that's not even taking the round trip
into consideration if you think that's excessive an international flight from new york to paris
would have cost over three thousand dollars one way in 2021 flying was glamorous for a reason
eating and drinking as costly as flying was you can't say that passengers didn't get their money's
worth contemporary flyers consider themselves lucky if they receive a free bag of peanuts and a
cup of water to wash it down that's a far cry from the multi-course meals they served in
the 60s complete with fancy silverware and tablecloths since ipads and laptops didn't
exist back then people would stay occupied with bottomless glasses of wine champagne
and other alcoholic beverages on the house even economy passengers ate and drank like royalty
despite technically being complimentary the food and drinks were largely why airfare was so high
as excessive as 60s air travel was the 70s took things to new heights with the introduction
of piano bars passing the time drinking wasn't the only way to pass the time on long flights
smoking was also a common time killer as shocking as it sounds non-smoking sections weren't
introduced until the 70s before more airplanes started banning smoking altogether of course
not every form of in-flight entertainment was potentially hazardous to want health and safety
naturally people would read books magazines and newspapers this was of course before kindle kids
the mid-60s also brought the innovation of in-flight movies with pneumatic headsets
the first picture ever screened was 1961's by love possessed on a twa first class flight the
viewing experience and headphones have come a long way it was still a major stepping
stone although passengers would have to wait until the mid 80s for personal audio players
accidents many would argue that commercial air travel today is safer than driving plane accidents
were far more common in the so-called golden age however according to forbes u.s air carriers saw
7.9 accidents pair every 100 million miles in 1960 alone that year's most infamous incident involved
two planes colliding mid-air in new york the federal aviation act of 1958 had only been passed
two years earlier following a similar accident some reports claim that turbulence was so bad that
your neck could suffer injury the planes went up to modern safety standards from the glass dividers
to the sharper edges inferior designs aside pilots weren't as well trained as they are now either
more relaxed security laid-back safety measures also contributed to plane incidents in the 1960s
now we're used to arriving over an hour before our flight knowing that security is going to
be a nightmare what if we told you that people used to arrive shortly before their flight took
off without any identification friends and family could even accompany you to the plane at no extra
charge while that sounds appealing given the obstacle course we have to endure today airline
security has upped their game for a reason while aircraft hijackings weren't unheard of during
the previous decades they became increasingly rampant in the 60s according to the associated
press in 1969 the u.s saw one plane hijacking every six days during the height of the crisis
flight attendants by the mid-30s women primarily filled flight attendant positions remaining
a norm well into the 60s unfortunately flight attendants were also constant targets of sexism
and unwanted advances and stewardesses as they were then known were overtly often hired based on
appearance their duties consisted of cleaning and serving with safety being an afterthought until
the 1970s attendants could even get fired if they got married or had children nevertheless the 1967
novel coffee tea or me inaccurately painted being a flight attendant as a glamorous gig although
the book was originally said to be a memoir by attendance trudy baker and rachel jones a man
named donald bain was later revealed as the true writer which kinda says everything getting dressed
up today airplane passengers typically only get dressed up if they're coming from or going to a
business meeting otherwise why wear your fanciest clothes if you're just going to be sweaty and
uncomfortable since flying was marketed as a luxurious experience into the 60s though patrons
were encouraged to dress as if they were going to an upscale restaurant in a way passengers were
going to restaurants it just so happened to be one that saved classy food and drinks up in the air if
you could afford the airfare chances are you had at least one designer suit or dress in your closet
according to pan am vice president thought johnson there were dress codes but people would have
dressed well even without rules pan am speaking of pan am few names in the industry epitomised
high class throughout the 60s quite like this airline peaking during the decade pan-american
world airways became revered for its efficient personnel and numerous innovations in 1958 it
emerged as the first us airline to embrace the jet age flying new yorkers to paris in eight hours pan
am would thus solidify its position as the top airway for international and overseas flights
the idea that pan am wouldn't be a prominent player for decades to come seemed unthinkable
between the airline's high cost and struggling economy though pan am was about 1 million dollars
in debt by the mid 70s from there it was a gradual decline until pan am ceased operations in 1991
inequality in the air sadly flying wasn't shared equally by all communities going into the 60s as
people of color were both overtly and structurally excluded while people of color could travel via
air segregation and discrimination remained widespread although this demonstrates why the
golden age of flying was truly anything but a few barriers would be broken during this decade ruth
carol taylor set the stage for change in 1958 as america's first african-american flight attendant
in 1964 david e harris became the first african-american pilot for a commercial
airline following marlon green's landmark court case that same year jerry mock became the first
woman to fly around the world solo airlines still had a long way to go but the 60s did
mark a necessary turning point do you agree with our picks check out this other recent clip from
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