Recently, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy suggested that Americans change their mindset, attire, and level of social etiquette to bring back the “golden age of flying.”
So what exactly was the “Golden Age” he was referring to?
Many years prior to deregulation, flying was something most people looked forward to. Seats were wide and comfortable with plenty of legroom for even the tallest passenger. A complete hot meal of food was served generally within two hours of takeoff and an hour after the initial round of snacks and beverages had been passed out.
In the late 1960s, big 747s treated flyers to both upstairs and downstairs comfort. Western Airlines was the first to offer “Theater in the Air,” boasting that you no longer needed to entertain yourself with simply reading one of twenty or so publications offered.”
And yes, people dressed up and acted civilized and courteous to one another.
So what happened?
Back in the seventies, I recall speaking with various friends who worked for the airlines about President Carter’s pending effort to deregulate the airlines. In doing so, the free market would dictate pricing rather than the government. They were excited because they were confident that de-regulation would propel their airline to the top of the list. Finally, they had a free hand to strut their stuff!
Deregulation ushered in a wave of new airlines who forced competitive pricing. Southwest Airlines was a result of this along with other scrappy start-ups. Suddenly major carriers realized that if they were to stay competitive then they needed to dramatically lower their pricing strategies. No longer was flying an option for the wealthy and business passengers, it was now for the masses.
As the passenger demographics shifted from the wealthy to the masses, the airlines needing to adapt commenced “the race to the bottom.”
Bus riders of the past were now the flyers of the present, and airlines needed to compete for their business.
Fierce competition drove many airlines out of business. Iconic carriers like Pan Am, TWA and Eastern among them. Other carriers were losing money. So, what did they do?
The airlines realized they needed a new business model and pricing strategy they adopted charging for bags, cutting out meals, introducing multiple classes for the flyers. They downsized everything from seats to restrooms. Making it miserable for anyone to find comfort who was generally more than 5’6” or weighed more than 130 lbs. Then they began offering more leg room for an additional price allowed buyers to select their seats for more money. And like magic, what began as a domestic round trip for $350, easily ballooned to $565.
I recall how my round-trip ticket from Austin to Madrid increased from $970 to over $2,000 simply to have more leg room in “comfort plus.”
The option would be stuck in an even more cramped seat in the full-blown peasant section of the plane for ten-plus hours each way. Of course, any money saved would no doubt go to my chiropractor. Duffy means well when he suggest that everyone act more civilized to one another when flying coach, but any psychologist will no doubt rebut that “when people are treated poorly, there is a much higher tendency that they will behave poorly.”
But wait! There is a great motivator here!
Next time you see a young person who is obviously going to be tall, simply tell him or her this: I hope for your sake you do well in school and get a decent job. Because if you don’t then you will be miserable everywhere you fly on an airplane!”