1 minute ago, Les Parson said:

" Remember, you weren't cool unless you smoked...."

Brings back memories.  My high school had a smoking section and since some of my friends smoke, I'd go there and hang out with them in the 70's, and they did not just smoke tobacco, but got away with smoking "alternatives" to tobacco given the network of lookouts who took turns around the perimeter of the smoking section.  Because my parents smoked Benson and Hedges, I reeked of cigarette smoke and sadly that kept most girls away from me.  But that changed overnight when my parents quit smoking in '82, I had more female attention than I could deal with and did not put two and two together, as it related to my parents quitting smoking, for several years until my fiance revealed she was attracted to me because of the way I smelled, she hated smokers.

When I flew I always asked for a window seat in the smoking section, even though I did not handle cigarette smoke well.  The outside views were better because most airlines put their smoking sections in the back of the aircraft where the wing did not block the view downwards.  Once smoking was banned on airlines, I had to use web based seat selection to get the prime viewing seats, unless business forced me to fly on Southwest, then I would stay awake at midnight when the tickets became viable on the web to grab an "A" section pass.   I was so amazed that in just one minute, almost all the "A" section passes were taken, I usually got mine in just under the wire.  The reason was travel agencies or savvy flying nerds were using web automation to grab "A" section passes for their clients or themselves and their family. 

Some companies even sold a service to get an "A" section boarding pass, guaranteeing it or giving the buyer's money back, until Southwest threatened them with lawsuits and put them out of business.  They got the Moniker "SouthWurst" around that time, lol.

And, even if one was in an "A" group pass, unless someone was flying from the flight's original origin point, they would be surprised to see the window or aisle seats, whatever they preferred, all taken by families with children, those who claimed physical challenge (which was not always true, I saw some hobble onto the aircraft but waltz easily off the aircraft at the end of the flight", or thru passengers who were just on a stop from the aircraft's city of origin.

Thus my rule on Southwest or other airlines that do not assign seats is simple--I haul myself at warp speed to the rear of the aircraft, where one is most likely to find a window or aisle seat, inching past the other passengers since most Southwest fliers grab the first window or aisle seat they find, at the front of the aircraft, holding up the queue behind them.  I learned as a biz traveler to bypass such pax using body language if needed so I could then amble casually and smugly to the rear of the aircraft, where the prime seats were.

Some pax sit up front to get to their bags first, but as a biz traveler I knew that at regular walking speed, even if seated in the back of the aircraft and thus the last to deplane, I would still beat my checked bag, where I stowed not only my clothes but my network equipment, which mostly included Cat 5 cable (I always carried a 100 foot roll for my classrooms in case my office did not get the cables to my clients in time), my cable crimper, cable ends, and breakout box, an electrical device for seeing which wires were transmitting and receiving when we did our hardware interfaces to external vendors.  I had to check those bags because my equipment weight it down....

John

Fascinating stories you share that spark memories of just how necessary and important airline strategic planning is. I was the Director of ATC ops for Continental (and later UAL) and I'll share a story. I quite smoking in 1993 so this had to be in the 1990-1993 time frame. During this period I primarily managed our international ops requiring four or five annual trips to Europe. On one of those, I was on a DC-10-30 from IAH to LGW or ORY in first class with only one other couple. This first class cabin was otherwise empty with about 30 open seats. This of course is unheard of today. I lit a cigarette and about 15 minutes later the flight attendant told me the couple complained even though I was in the first class smoking section. That didn't matter; they were revenue and I was not so they prevail and that was the end of smoking for that flight. Revenue always prevails so complaining was out of the question. By the way, smoking on commercial aircraft wreaked havoc with nicotine stains everywhere. You could usually notice a huge trailing nicotine stain from the cabin outflow valve used for depressurization. It's a good thing those days are in the history books.

Yes my high school was the same, we had a smoking area for students and the rule was you had to be 14 years old to smoke. Our cafeteria used to fry everything, french fries with gravy was the best. I was never a smoker either but I did love my fries and gravy and a can of coke. Good ole days 😎

But nothing smoked better or sounded better then a 727, I love that aircraft, going green is important but not as much fun

7 hours ago, Les Parson said:

....how necessary and important airline strategic planning is....

Quite true.  I was asked to work a brief contract for American airlines during their USAirways merger some years ago, to help test and create data for the merged crew scheduling software.  I was hired the same day I interviewed and worked a three month or so contract for them, leaving when my role was considered completed there. 

I was not there for the eventual rollout of the software but I saw the design of it, it was much easier to use than the ancient text based system they had, it provided flight crew with a GUI based interface that was easier to manipulate and understand, much to the happiness and proper due diligence American and USAirways put in to their merger, so once the complete cutover was done, crew would have fewer headaches to deal with, computer wise and given the cultural change and stress mergers put on employees from the rank and file to management.  

I was brought into the project because I had broad hotel and business air travel experience, and hotels, car rentals, employee meals and so on are part of the crew's workload in addition to cabin safety and flying the aircraft, in the case of the pilots.  Working for an airline was a dream come true, as it would be for any GA pilot like I was, or simmer like I still am.

John

In my late teens I flew from KTPA-KSFO on a 727 and had the displeasure of sitting next to a chain smoking woman. By the time we arrived at SFO, I could hardly breathe. I'm happy that smoking is prohibited today,