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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
13 Celebrities That Seem to Have Discovered the Secret of Youth
There must be something rejuvenating in that Hollywood water! That’s a thought we all have in our heads from time to time when looking at pictures of forever fresh stars that seem to not have understood the concept of time. While we count how many new grey hairs grew this month, these celebrities keep on shocking us with the inconsistency of their age and their appearance.
Here at Bright Side, we love following celebrities, especially if it seems like they know the secrets of staying young and fresh forever. There’s definitely something we need to learn from them.
1. Eve, 1992 vs 2019
Eve started her career at a young age and has over 20 years of being under the spotlight. Now she’s 42, and it looks like years haven’t left any marks on her.
2. Gabrielle Union, 2009 vs 2021
The Bring It On and Being Mary Jane star shared that at 48 she has a few rules that boost her glow. She drinks enough water, makes sure she gets at least 8 hours of sleep, and exercises.
3. Queen Latifah, 1987 vs 2020
The Oscar-nominated, Grammy- and Emmy-winning singer and actress turned 51 on March 18. Queen shares that she does eat a lot of vegetables and lean meats, hydrates religiously and thinks that as long as you’re young at heart, your actual age doesn’t really matter.
4. Alicia Silverstone, 1992 vs 2020
The Clueless star, who is 44 years old, says that her diet is the secret to her youth — Alicia is vegan and leads an eco-friendly lifestyle. She shares that once she gave up meat and dairy, she started looking better after just 2 weeks.
5. Jeremy Piven, 2005 vs 2021
The famous American actor and comedian shared that he lifts weights, jumps rope, and does jiujitsu. He also said in an interview that he has been doing yoga for decades and goes for a run when he wakes up.
6. Alfre Woodard, 1995 vs 2020
Alfre Woodard is now 68 years old, but looking at her pictures from the past, it feels like she just changes outfits and hairstyles, but doesn’t age at all.
7. Jamie Foxx, 2004 vs 2021
There is always a question when it comes to Jamie Foxx — how does he still look as young as he did in the 2000s? Back then, when he was 33, he had his own series, The Jamie Foxx Show. Today, he’s 53 and still a popular actor that seems to have found the fountain of youth.
8. Sharon Stone, 2002 vs 2021
The 63-year-old actress shares that her secret of youth is something she took from her mom — she shares that she gave her a jar of moisturizer and told her to clean her skin and moisturize morning and night, and that’s what she does.
9. Bianca Lawson, 1991 vs 2019
Bianca Lawson has played teenagers on-screen since 1993 and it’s really no surprise why. The Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Pretty Little Liars star is 42, but you can’t tell since her glowing skin looks like it’s ageless. Bianca shares that she prefers natural sweeteners to sugar and tea to coffee and believes that youth is a mentality, so to stay young you have to reduce stress and enjoy life.
10. Alicia Keys, 1997 vs 2021
The 40-year-old singer not only looks young and fresh, but she also manages to look younger than her years without wearing heavy makeup — she advocates for embracing natural beauty and actually has incredible skin. Her routine includes jade rolling, oils, and cucumber pulp.
11. Elizabeth Hurley, 2001 vs 2021
Today the British model is 54 years old, but in her latest Instagram posts, she legitimately looks like a girl in her 20s. And though it looks effortless, she does put a lot of effort into it. Her methods are hydration, a balanced diet, and workouts. For example, Elizabeth does squats while brushing her teeth and considers gardening her main form of exercise.
12. Helena Christensen, 1998 vs 2020
It’s hard to believe, but the famous supermodel turns 52 this year, showing her flawless body on her Instagram account. Helena shared that in Denmark, where she’s from, people are taught to not hide anything when it comes to what nature gave them.
13. Janet Jackson, 1998 vs 2020
The music legend turned 55 in May and it seems like 20 years have left no marks on her face. Jackson doesn’t really share her secrets to staying young, though she mentioned that she has a mostly plant-based diet, doesn’t eat meat, and that she has a long-term relationship with fitness.
What’s your secret to staying youthful? We’d be happy to see your comments in the section below.
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Preview photo credit John Mathew Smith / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0, janetjackson / instagram
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