A magical look at aviation in 1964...

 

Wonderful video. Sadly, this looks more like another planet instead of another era compared to what we`ve made of this world.

17 minutes ago, tamsini said:

Wonderful video. Sadly, this looks more like another planet instead of another era compared to what we`ve made of this world.

I agree Mario

Superb resolution. High quality cameras must have been used in that documentary. Great seeing all the old aircraft and cars.

Notice that the font for signage hasn't changed. 

There are times when I wish I could go back to a world like that....

Is that Captain on the right of the group at six minutes in the video Stanley Key?

Wow.  1964.  I was in High School, and I remember those good ol' days.  Seemed more civilized back then, didn't it?

 

Stan

Car park for 1100 cars! We have that many parked in our street.

It would have cost as much as £3.40 to completely fill up the fuel tanks of some of those airliners in that movie 

I am so fortunate and thankful to have been able to experience air travel in the 60s and 70s on those vc10s and 707s and also now the 747s through the major airports of Europe, the Middle East, and the US.  Certainly don't remember any passengers being dragged off planes then or wondering if there was going to be space in the overhead for my bag. When travelling across the pond on the 747 I often found a middle row at the back of the plane with 5 empty seats where I could lay down and go to sleep! 

When travelling though Europe my friends and I would sometimes check in at the last minute for connecting flights because if the flight was overbooked, we would be compensated with free room and board downtown at a very nice hotel and a flight out the next day. Today you better check in early, otherwise if they are overbooked you may get a voucher, you may be sleeping in the airport lobby, and good luck getting on a flight the next day!

Ted

.... and yet air travel is still a privilege, not a right.. 

16 minutes ago, HighBypass said:

.... and yet air travel is still a privilege, not a right.. 

You'd wonder about that, given the seat pitch and width presently proposed in the mad gallop to drive down passenger-mile costs...

Was there ever a more elegantly rendered airliner than a Super VC10?

Simply gorgeous.

My last long haul was to Hong Kong, I think it was about 11 hours (?) it was on an A330...the most uncomfortable seat I have ever had the misfortune of sitting in! Oh, and the food tasted like s***! Tell ya what bugs me, is when people talk about how we are always so much better off these days, because we have never had it so good! Hmm, not sure I always agree. For all those who would care to reminisce, try typing in 'look at life' in the YouTube search, and transport yourself back in time. I'm sure you'd enjoy that one Ron
 

 

All I can think of while listening and watching is Monty Python...

A

When was the last time you saw pillows and blankets on airliners?

I have a relative who is a flight attendant. I'll have to ask her when was the last time American Airlines rented her a sailboat on a turn around!

After all my reminiscing above I decided to put some things in perspective. I remember flying coach from Dhahran (now closed) to Los Angeles in the mid 70s and the ticket was $1500. That equated to a price today of $8500 per an online inflation calculator I found.

I then looked up the current price of a ticket to from Los Angeles to Dammam (replaced Dhahran) and it was $530 on KLM for coach! Business Class was $4500 with only one seat left. If I don't grab that the price is going up to $7500.

From what I've seen, business class is the same service level as what coach used to be and counting for inflation it looks a little less in cost. Book it Danno, but make sure they have pillows and blankets!

Ted