Before the days of long certificate lines , sadsnack packets , and minimal leg way , flying was seen as a sumptuousness experience . Boarding an plane in the 1950s was comparable to taking a fancy cruise . Passengers could expect everything from live music to meat carved to order , disregarding of where they were seated on the plane . For a gustatory sensation of the early days of commercial flight , check out the retro video below .
Pan American secrete thispromotional footagein the tardy 1950s to publicize the amenities offered on its flight , many of which arethings we no longer see on airplanes . There were no in - flight of stairs movies 60 geezerhood ago , but other perquisite made the slip enjoyable . node could move from their roomy seats to a lounge decorated with unused efflorescence arrangement . For food , they might sample hors d’oeuvres from the flight attendant ’s answer disk , or eat lobster tail assist on fine PRC . Diners rust off tray clad in white mesa cloths and used real alloy knife to cut into their steak .
A lot has changed since the gold age of air travel . As airlines looked for way to maximize the routine of rider they could compact onto each flight of stairs , they did aside with luxuries like lounges ( some of which were outfitted with working pianos ) . Today , the in - flight meals served in coach are closer to cafeteria food than haute cuisine . And if you pull out a cigarette , the flight attendant wo n’t answer by offering you a light .

Being among the first people to fly commercially was n’t always a dainty . Prior to the fifties , cabins were n’t pressurized , which made fly low through atmospheric condition scheme necessary and dangerous turbulence more vulgar . Here are morequirks of other commercial air locomotion .