What Your Typical Day Was Like During ‘The Golden Age’ Of Commercial Flying

Travel back in time to the 1950s through the 1970s, the heyday of aviation. Flying at the time was all about elegance and luxury. Imagine boarding an aircraft where every detail, including the seats and the outfits, is elegant and sophisticated. Every flight during this unique period in aviation history felt like a grand adventure.

A Grand Tour in the Sky: The Golden Era of Aviation

golden age of flying - Bacchanalian motifs served as a backdrop to cocktail hour on Lufthansa's first-class 'Senator' service in 1958
Travel back in time to the 1950s through the 1970s, the heyday of aviation. Flying at the time was all about elegance and luxury. Imagine boarding an aircraft where every detail, including the seats and the outfits, is elegant and sophisticated. Every flight during this unique period in aviation history felt like a grand adventure.A Grand Tour in the Sky: The Golden Era of Aviation
When it comes to booking a flight today, travelers are spoiled for choice, with numerous options available to find the best price for their journey.

Travelers today have a plethora of alternatives when it comes to booking a flight, with multiple search engines accessible to help them discover the best deal. However, options were far more constrained and much more costly during the Golden Age of Air Travel. Consider the $138 price of a round-trip ticket from Chicago to Phoenix, as stated in a 1955 TWA brochure. This could appear like a fair offer at first glance. However, this non-cross-country trip would cost you roughly $1,200 in today’s currency after accounting for inflation.

Guillaume de Syon, a specialist in aviation history, clarifies the startling cost disparities of the Golden Age. “[Depending] on the route, flying was four to five times more expensive in the Golden Age,” he writes. Only the wealthiest people could afford to travel, especially abroad, because it was so expensive.

A Visual Feast: Exquisite Cuisine and Outstanding Service

golden age of flying - Sunday roast is carved for passengers in first class on a BOAC VC10 in 1964
Pan American World Airways is perhaps the airline most closely linked with the 'Golden age'

Then, flying was much more casual. Talking about vintage flying, Keith Lovegrove is often reminded of how carefree it all was.”It resembled attending a cocktail party.” that seems absurd to say that now, but back then, having a shirt, tie, and jacket was standard,” Lovegrove says. You could bring anything on board, even shoebox-filled pet birds! There was far less stringent security, which allowed individuals to have more fun. “There was an incredible sense of freedom,” Lovegrove continues.

Pan Am: The Coolest King

golden age of flying - A Pan Am flight attendant serves champagne in the first class cabin of a Boeing 747 jet

Pan Am was one airline that truly jumped out. Working for them, according to Joan Policastro, was like flying with the stars. Policastro remembers, “My job with Pan Am was an adventure from the very day I started.” They featured cool lounges where travelers could linger out and offered fine food. It was the height of opulent travel.

Your Flight Attendant Was Required to Fulfill Several Onerous Requirements

During the Golden Age of air travel, flight attendants were not only expected to provide impeccable service but also adhere to strict appearance and behavioral standards.

In the heyday of air travel, flight attendants were held to exacting standards of etiquette and appearance in addition to providing flawless service. Air hostesses, as they were called, wore high heels, white gloves, and even corsets under their suits starting in the early 1950s.

Travelers had to adhere to strict guidelines about how they should look, which included restrictions on weight and hair length. Other requirements for female flight attendants included being single, gregarious, and adhering to “high moral standards.” As the 1960s wore mostly male customers, shorter skirts and even more exposing clothing became the norm. These onerous specifications are a reflection of the great importance that this generation has put on flight attendant appearance.

With nostalgia, I look back

golden age of flying - A first-class 'Slumberette' on a Lockheed Constellation, in the early 1950s

People still grin when they recall the bygone era of flying, despite the passage of time. Reunions of former Pan Am employees are preserved through organizations like World Wings. Suzy Smith remarks, “Pan Am was a big cut above the rest.” People considered flying to be a true adventure and a way to feel like kings and queens back then.

In summary

Travelers are served a buffet on board a Lockheed Super Constellation while flying with former American airline Trans World Airlines (TWA) in 1955

Though the heyday of aviation may be passed, the memories endure. Flying at the time was all about luxury and enjoyment. Despite the fact that times have changed, we can still look back and recall the magic of bygone eras.

My Son Lifted Saleswoman’s Skirt Screaming: ‘Mommy, Look! That’s Why She’s Angry’

When Madeline and Ryan decide to go shopping for a new vacuum cleaner, their four-year-old son reveals that he knows the saleswoman—a woman that he had seen in his father’s office, the tattoo on her leg a dead giveaway.

It was an ordinary Saturday morning—the kind that held a promise of simple pleasures and family time.

“Madeline,” my husband said as he poured himself some coffee, “we’ll leave after breakfast, okay?”

Coffee being poured into a cup | Source: Pexels

Coffee being poured into a cup | Source: Pexels

I nodded as I cracked eggs into a bowl, ready to make breakfast for Ryan, my husband, and Sam, our four-year-old son.

It wasn’t anything special—we were just going to go out and get fruit for the week, and replace our broken vacuum cleaner. But what I didn’t know was that beneath the surface of this ordinary outing, a story was brewing, one that would shatter my reality of life as I knew it.

A couple with a young boy | Source: Pexels

A couple with a young boy | Source: Pexels

“What’s for breakfast, Mom?” Sam asked, bouncing into the kitchen.

Later, when we were finally out of the house, I realized how grateful I was for the little life that we were living together as a family of three. I had always wanted a small family and a soft life—little outings, getting fresh fruit and vegetables from a farmer’s market, and so on.

An omelet on a plate | Source: Unsplash

An omelet on a plate | Source: Unsplash

I always thought that by marrying Ryan, I had gotten just that.

As we entered the store, Ryan veered off to examine some electronics, leaving Sam and me in the vacuum aisle. Ben held tightly onto my dress. He was always nervous when we ventured out.

A little boy with his parents and a balloon | Source: Pexels

A little boy with his parents and a balloon | Source: Pexels

I approached a saleswoman to inquire about a high-end vacuum I had spotted online.

“Don’t worry about the prices,” Ryan had said the night before when I sat at the dining room table with my laptop, looking through the latest brands and models of vacuums.

A person touching a vacuum cleaner | Source: Pexels

A person touching a vacuum cleaner | Source: Pexels

“Really?” I asked him. My husband wasn’t one to hold onto his pockets tightly, but recently he had become more liberal with spending in general.

“Yes,” he said, kissing my forehead before heading to read Sam a bedtime story. “Choose whatever you want.”

A woman using a laptop | Source: Pexels

A woman using a laptop | Source: Pexels

At the store, however, the saleswoman looked me up and down.

“This vacuum?” she asked, pointing to the one I was inquiring about.

“Yes,” I replied. “And does it come in any other colors?”

A woman wearing a pink shirt | Source: Pexels

A woman wearing a pink shirt | Source: Pexels

“It’s extremely expensive, you don’t look like you can afford it,” she sneered, looking me up and down with disdain again. She eyed my son, too. It was like she had seen him before, but couldn’t quite place him.

Her words stung, but before I could even muster a reply, Sam let go of my dress and darted to the woman.

A close-up of a little boy | Source: Pexels

A close-up of a little boy | Source: Pexels

Then he did something very out of character. Sam reached out to touch the saleswoman’s skirt, and slowly lifted it to a point just above her knee. There on her thigh was a large, distinctive tattoo.

“Look, Mom, look!” Sam exclaimed, pointing excitedly.

A woman revealing her tattoos | Source: Unsplash

A woman revealing her tattoos | Source: Unsplash

The saleswoman’s face turned a fierce shade of red as she scrambled to cover herself.

“How dare you!” she yelled, her voice filled with indignation.

Panicking, I grabbed my son, pulling him back.

A shocked woman with her hands up | Source: Pexels

A shocked woman with her hands up | Source: Pexels

“I’m so sorry,” I stammered, my cheeks burning with embarrassment. “I’m sure he was just joking!”

But Sam was insistent, his little face screwed up in confusion.

“No, Mommy!” he said. “I’m not joking, Mommy! Look at that tattoo! I know it!”

My son looked like he was on the verge of tears.

A sad little boy | Source: Unsplash

A sad little boy | Source: Unsplash

“What do you mean, sweetheart?” I asked him.

My voice trembled, dreading the answer that I somehow already knew.

For a few weeks now, I had had a sinking feeling in my stomach. I just felt that something was off with Ryan. We barely spent time together. Usually, when we put Sam to bed, it was our time. Just for us to sit together and catch up.

A couple sitting together on a couch | Source: Pexels

A couple sitting together on a couch | Source: Pexels

But recently, we haven’t done any of that. Instead, Ryan would jump at the opportunity to put Sam to bed—something that involved at least an hour of playtime and a few bedtime stories later.

So, I would end up doing laundry and dishes, and then just go to bed.

A woman doing laundry | Source: Pexels

A woman doing laundry | Source: Pexels

And Ryan’s new thing was that he was obsessed with getting a tattoo.

“I just think that I’m old enough to settle on something,” he said when I dug into a bar of chocolate.

“What are you planning on getting?” I asked him, suddenly confused by the new interest in tattoos.

“I’m not sure,” he said. “But I have options.”

A person getting a tattoo | Source: Pexels

A person getting a tattoo | Source: Pexels

“I saw her in Dad’s office. Daddy was holding her leg, and said that he was treating it. And that the tattoo was very sore,” Sam said matter-of-factly.

A cold shiver ran down my spine. Ryan wasn’t a doctor; he was a lawyer. There was no need to ‘treat’ anyone.

A man reading a document | Source: Pexels

A man reading a document | Source: Pexels

There was no innocent explanation for what Sam had described. I glanced at the saleswoman, her earlier arrogance replaced by a mask of fear.

Just then, Ryan’s voice cut through the tense air.

“Maddie,” he said. “I finally found…” he trailed off as he rounded the corner and saw the tableau before him—his wife, his son, and his mistress in a standstill of awkwardness and shame.

A shocked man | Source: Pexels

A shocked man | Source: Pexels

Silence enveloped us. Ryan stuttered, attempting to concoct some plausible excuse, but the truth was glaringly obvious in the panic etched across his face.

I silenced him with a raised hand.

Sam gripped onto my hand, and swung it backward and forward a few times. He eyed his father nervously.

A woman with her hand raised | Source: Pexels

A woman with her hand raised | Source: Pexels

“We’ll discuss this at home,” I said quietly, my heart breaking inside.

The saleswoman slipped away, her part in this domestic drama over for the moment.

Before heading home, Ryan took us to Sam’s favorite fast food place. I knew that he was trying to get on Sam’s good side again. I ordered some tea to calm my nerves.

“Can we eat at home?” Sam asked me, his eyes wide with emotion.

A little boy sitting with his parents | Source: Pexels

A little boy sitting with his parents | Source: Pexels

That night, after putting Sam to bed and ensuring that he was sound asleep, I confronted my husband.

The façade of our happy marriage crumbled entirely as he confessed to an affair that had started over a year ago.

The details poured out, each one a dagger in my heart. The trust we had built over years was obliterated in just a few minutes.

A shadow of a couple | Source: Pexels

A shadow of a couple | Source: Pexels

“Sasha and I were just friends,” Ryan said, putting the kettle on for me. “But then we needed to get new computers for the office. So I went to that store—and we got talking. That’s how it started.”

“And you just continued it? Did you even think about Sam and I?”

Ryan shook his head at my words.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I just needed something new.”

Office computers on a table | Source: Pexels

Office computers on a table | Source: Pexels

He sat down on the couch and looked at me, as if waiting for me to lose my temper. But I was beyond it. I didn’t want to react in any other manner than calm.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that this was a fight I didn’t want to have. Ryan had been with this woman for over a year. He had chosen this woman for that long.

He had made his bed.

But the only thing that I wanted to know was why Sam had witnessed the entire interaction.

A man sitting on a couch | Source: Unsplash

A man sitting on a couch | Source: Unsplash

“Why was Sam there?” I asked him.

“It was that day that the daycare needed us to pick up the kids early and you were stuck in meetings. So, I took him to the office for a while. He was supposed to be sitting in the reception and drawing with Nick, but then he came running into my office.”

I filed for divorce soon after. The process was painful—there were tears shed, lawyers were called, and a family was broken.

A table at a daycare facility | Source: Unsplash

A table at a daycare facility | Source: Unsplash

I grappled with the betrayal, struggling to understand how the man I loved could have deceived me so thoroughly.

In the end, it was Sam’s innocent revelation that had brought the painful truth to light. While the knowledge devastated me, it also offered a strange sort of relief.

“Take his money,” my lawyer said. “We’re going to take him for everything he has.”

And I did.

A person signing a document | Source: Pexels

A person signing a document | Source: Pexels

What would you have done?

If you enjoyed this story, here’s another one for you |

Juliet, a single mom, loves raising her nine-year-old daughter, River, by herself. River pushes her to be better. But after a while, Juliet begins to notice fierce independence taking over River—wanting more responsibility and autonomy. But then Juliet discovers a secret that comes with River’s backpack, and a hidden friend comes to light.

Read the full story here.

This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.

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