The Glamorous Days Of Flying

October 19, 2008

in Non-Stories

Fly Me

Fly Me

With all of the problems associated with today’s flying hell experience, it’s difficult not to reminisce about what it was like when people actually enjoyed flying. Here are some articles about the golden era of flying: A PDX Airport Flashback In Time and Mom Tells How Flying Used To Be. The writer of this New York Times op-ed piece describes the service that she provided and the pride she felt working as a flight attendant during the 1970s: Up, Up and Go Away. This other article is about what flying was like during the late 1950s, perhaps an even more halcyon period: Lobster on the Menu and History in the Air. The current nostalgia for “the good ol’ days” is described in this article: Yearning for the Glam Days of Flying. In his blog, Joe Sharkey sets the record straight about the book, Coffee, Tea or Me, which detailed the glamorous lives of fictional stewardesses during the 1960s: ‘Fly’ Girls and Some Myths About ‘Stewardesses’.  As this article attests, being a FA wasn’t always a fun experience due to restrictions and requirements they had to meet: A toast to the hosts with the most. What led to the end of the so-called glamorous era of flying? Deregulation is most often blamed.

Check out the links below to see vintage stewardess photos taken during more carefree times:

Flight attendants from the past (Izismile)
The Glamour of Flight, Part 1 (Dark Roasted Blend)
Glamour in the Skies, Part 2 (Dark Roasted Blend)
Vintage Stewardess Photos, Part 3 (Dark Roasted Blend)
Air Hostesses of Yesteryear (Wired)
Stewardess: Come Fly With Me! (Budget Travel)
Vintage Stewardess Photos (Linkinn)
When Flying Was Fun (LIFE)
KP International Airlines Band

[Note: This post has received updates since the original publication date. Last updated April 24, 2013]

Kim Lerche January 6, 2013 at 4:02 am

Hi!
I am an airline freak, glider pilot and a musician, and play in a band called KP International Airlines.
We have produced a song called “Thin Air”, accompanied by a video that celebrates the Golden Age of air-travel. Check it out at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FX69haPQEM

We hope you will enjoy this little 3 minute flight into the past!

Respectfully,

Kim Lerche of
KP International Airline
Espoo, Finland

StoriesFromTheAir January 22, 2013 at 12:16 pm

Used to be glamorous and fun flying. No longer. Now it's a doggie job.

Kim April 24, 2013 at 2:26 am

Hi!

Here's another place to see great images, posts, music, trivia… about airlines, flight attendants and everything "airwaysish" 😉
http://www.facebook.com/kpairlines

Gregg April 24, 2013 at 9:21 pm

Love the vintage photos Kim! I posted a link to the FaceBook page in this post. I also enjoyed the Thin Air video: http://tinyurl.com/awopp6l

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