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.
Son puts mother in nursing home, returns home and finds his suitcases on the doorstep
Joe believed he did the best thing for his ailing mother when he placed her in a nursing home. His fiancée, Emily, was the one who convinced him it was for the best for everyone if the elderly lady was out of her home. “You did the right thing,” she said with a grin on her face. “Your mom will have a better life in the nursing home…and we can turn her old crafts room into a lovely nursery for our baby.”
However, upon returning from the nursing home, Joe and Emily were shocked to see some people moving the furniture from their house. They rushed to inspect what was going on, still shocked from the sight.
“What the heck is going on over here?” Joe yelled as he exited the car and ran towards the porch. “Hey, who are you…and what are you doing in my house?”
“You must be Joe!” the man replied. “I knew you would come. By the way, this isn’t your house anymore! Your mom sold it to us. Here are the papers…and there’s your stuff.”
Joe was looking in confusion, he couldn’t believe what he was hearing and was unable to move. But Emily acted. She grabbed the paper from the man’s hand and started analyzing the agreement. Her facial expression said it was true. Joe’s mom really sold the house.
“You fool!” she yelled. “Your mother tricked you right under your nose…and you had no clue? Everything is ruined now.”
“Emily…don’t say that. I don’t understand why Mom did this. But we still have each other. We can…”
“There’s no more WE, you loser! Forget about me,” she said as she pulled the ring and threw it on the ground.
Joe ran after her, pleading, “Wait…what about our baby?”
But Emily laughed at his face as she replied, “You’re so stupid! There’s no baby. Now get out of my way.”
“Wha—what do you mean? Emily…Emily? Stop….” Joe called out, but she left the place and left his life.
Heartbroken, Joe stood on the porch and that’s when he noticed a letter under one of the boxes.
It was from his mother.
“Dear Joe,
I’m sorry this happened. I wish I never had to take such drastic steps. But you left me with no other choice. It all started the day you first brought Emily home… the letter started.
Some weeks ago…
The decision to sell the house was made weeks ago, while Joe’s mom, Nora, was resting in her armchair.
Joe entered the place, and there was a woman with him, Emily. “…Joe is so funny…and charming,” Emily chuckled as she sat next to Joe on the couch. “I couldn’t say no when he first asked me on a date to the funfair.”
“It’s been just three weeks…but it feels like we’ve known each other for ages. That’s why I insisted Emily move in with me,” Joe said with visible delight in his eyes.
Her son’s words stunned Nora. She needed time to compose herself as she placed her oxygen mask on her face.
“I’m sorry if this has come as a shock, Mom,” Joe rubbed Nora’s shoulder. “Things might seem sudden…but trust me…Emily is the one for me. We’re soulmates!”
Nora turned to Emily, took her hand, and said, “Emily, darling, if you don’t mind, can you please make me some tea, dear? The warmth soothes my throat. The kitchen is that way…”
As Emily left the room to make some tea, Joe looked at his mother and whispered, “Isn’t she the best, Mom?”
“She seems like a lovely girl. But don’t you think you’re taking things a bit fast, Joey?”
“Mom, I understand your concerns. I didn’t want to tell you everything because of your health. But you deserve to know…I’m planning to propose to Emily this weekend.”
As expected, Nora believed that was way too soon since Joe knew Emily only for a few weeks.
“Mom, relax. You’re the one who taught me to fight for love. That’s what you and Dad did when you eloped, right?”
“But, Joey, that and this are entirely different.”
“Mom, I love Emily. I can’t live without her. Please trust me… she will be a great wife and a wonderful daughter-in-law.”
This sudden rushing didn’t give Nora peace.
However, when Emily moved in the following day, things seemed to have fallen into place as she and Nora got along well. The two knitted together, watched documentaries, and chatted.
Nora started to like her soon to be daughter-in-law until one night, when she woke up at midnight to take her pills, she heard Nora talking to someone over the phone and saying, “That old crone and her oxygen machine… she is such a thorn in my way… but Joe is madly hooked on me. So I should be able to get rid of her soon.”
Nora froze. At that moment she wondered what could Emily possibly do to get rid of her, but then Emily continued, “Just a lil sweet talk, and he should agree to stick his mother in a nursing home. Then, I’ll kick him out, and this house will be mine!”
Nora’s initial plan was to tell her son what she had heard, but she knew he was too smitten with his girlfriend to trust her.
Over the course of the next couple of days, Emily acted as though she enjoyed Nora’s company.
One day, however, Joe approached Nora and told her they needed to talk.
“It’s about Emily…” Joe said.
“Oh, dear, I’m so sorry things didn’t work out between you two…”
But Joe frowned. “What? Things are great between Emily and me, Mom. I’ve never been happier.
“Actually, Mom…” Joe swallowed hard. “…Emily’s been running her own business while working through the temp agency. She needs help with buying more machinery. But she can’t afford it right now. So I’d like to help her…but there’s only one way to get the money I need.”
“What is it, Joe?” Nora asked dreadfully.
“Mom, you know…your health isn’t improving. I think you need a better place where you’re cared for well…I think it’s time you moved into a nursing home.”
“Mom, it’ll be comfortable there,” said as he squeezed his mom’s hand. “…and if you agree to sell your house, I can put that money in Emily’s business. I promise to repurchase this property as soon as we see a return on the investment.”
Feeling betrayed, Nora said with sadness in her voice, “I don’t want to leave…my home.”
“Mom, I’m just trying to look out for you. Please…” Joe pleaded.
Knowing there was not much that she could do at that moment, Nora nodded her head.
“I’ll think about it, Joey. Just give me some time,” she said.
Nora needed time in order to be able to put her plan of revealing Emily’s true face into action.
The following day, Nora’s knitting was interrupted by the front door creak. As she looked towards the window, Nora saw Emily exiting the house.
Although she hadn’t driven in a long time, Nora decided to follow Emily.
After some time, Emily parked her car and entered a coffee place where she met with a man. A few minutes later, they started kissing passionately. Nora took her phone to film them, but at that moment, they stopped kissing and could only be seen holding hands.
“Joey, I’m sorry for bothering you at work…but this is important. Can you meet me outside the café on the corner of 3rd Street?” Nora called her son.
Joe arrived after around 10 minutes and Nora told him what she had witnessed.
“Look there, Joey,” Nora pointed toward the café window. “Emily is cheating on you.”
Raged, Joe stormed inside the place.
“What the heck is going on here??” he slammed the table, startling Emily and her lover. “How long have you been seeing this chump behind my back?”
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