Could You Afford To Fly In The "Golden Age?"

FlyChicaga

FlyChicaga

Vintage Restoration
With another thread discussing the "dress code" for passengers today as compared to the 60's and 70's, I'm just curious how many of us would have been able to afford to fly during those days of regulation. Especially with the oil crisis of the 70's, when ticket prices went up to compensate (rather than checked bag fees, etc.).

I searched for some exact prices of tickets back then, but I could find nothing.
 
Certainly didn't fly that much then. But my first flight was on a Convair 580 circa 1970-the old Frontier maybe? Scared me to death and I bawled the whole trip. I've gotten better.
 
FlyChicaga said:
I searched for some exact prices of tickets back then, but I could find nothing.
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As I recollect, it was on the order of 1000-1200 bucks for me to fly across the country to visit my folks when I was in the service. Big bucks now, but even bigger bucks 20 years ago.

As third generation military, I didn't know anything about the airlines and didn't really care. All I wanted was a cheap ticket to visit my folks whom I hadn't seen in a couple years. In the military, we had an on base travel agency offering discounted tickets. It was called SATO. As it happened, the cheapest ticket was on Eastern. This was late 1989 just after I returned from overseas deployment. I didn't know it at the time, and, frankly, didn't care, but this was the middle of the Eastern strike. A few years later when I became part of the Peace Dividend and left the military in search of a job I received and education on how the airlines worked.

It's been an interesting journey and I have worked hard to learn and understand it. The biggest factor of change in the airline industry was and still is the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978. Thirty-one years later we are still experiencing its repercussions....and it ain't over yet.
 
What? You mean the "Golden Age" of aviation might not have been as golden as its made out to be be? Gasp!

I'm convinced I'm living in the golden age of aviation every time I fly. It's definitely different, but it's every bit as golden as 30 years ago.
 
How much money are the airlines today losing in order to offer these $50 transcon legs? How much money were the airlines of the past losing?
 
At least back then you got what you paid for!

SFO-JFK first class on United is a $12,000 ticket, and on the redeye there is no meal service, just a snack box!
 
When I was a kid, I'd fly from Visalia, CA to Fresno, CA and it was about $300. Maybe the late 1970s?
 
Doug Taylor said:
When I was a kid, I'd fly from Visalia, CA to Fresno, CA and it was about $300. Maybe the late 1970s?
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Those kind of routes are usually the most expensive because theres no competition. Somebody got stuck in SFO had to buy a walk-up ticket SFO-SBA, $875 one way.
 
ChasenSFO said:
Those kind of routes are usually the most expensive because theres no competition. Somebody got stuck in SFO had to buy a walk-up ticket SFO-SBA, $875 one way.
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'Tis true. My company's ACK-HPN route charges $600 round-trip, and we run full flights.
 
I probably could fly once every 3-5 years. BUT, I'm ok with that. If that meant going back to when this job/industry/experience was the way it was, I'm all for it. I know there wouuld be a lot less jobs. At least those that did the jobs would be happy. 10,000 happy pilots? or 30,000 miserable ones?

For the record, I love my job.
 
You could fly once every 3-5 years and you're OK with that if it meant going back to the golden age? Please tell me you're joking. The industry is the best right now but by no means is everybody miserable. Just the 2%(probably less) of pilots that post rants on internet boards are miserable.
 
My parents flew pretty regularly during the 70's and 80's. My family isn't/wasn't rich or wealthy by any stretch of the imagination.:dunno:
 
http://deltamuseum.org/M_Education_DeltaHistory_Aircraft_DC3.htm

In December 1940, Delta's route stretched from Ft. Worth, Texas, to Charleston, South Carolina. Smaller 10-passenger Lockheed Electras flew the Charleston-Atlanta section. An Atlanta to Ft. Worth DC-3 flight took 6 hours, made 4 stops and cost $38.50 ($69.30 roundtrip).
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Adjusting that for inflation, $69.30 roundtrip in 1940 works out to $1,066 in today's dollars.

A quick look on Orbitz tells me that trip can be made today for about $400 in steerage, $900 in business. So I would argue that the cost of the airfare is almost comparable (old-timey flying was about a comfortable as business class). The big difference seems to be the time required to make the trip.
 
Minuteman said:
Adjusting that for inflation, $69.30 roundtrip in 1940 works out to $1,066 in today's dollars.

A quick look on Orbitz tells me that trip can be made today for about $400 in steerage, $900 in business. So I would argue that the cost of the airfare is almost comparable (old-timey flying was about a comfortable as business class). The big difference seems to be the time required to make the trip.
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That's because the plane back then took 10 people. ALOT less people to spread the cost of the flight over. That's why RJs and private jets are so expensive. Now when you load up 140+ people on a 737 and cost per person will be ALOT less.
 
Trip7 said:
That's because the plane back then took 10 people. ALOT less people to spread the cost of the flight over. That's why RJs and private jets are so expensive. Now when you load up 140+ people on a 737 and cost per person will be ALOT less.
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That should be simple algebra. A DC-3 could carry 28 passengers. A 737 can carry 150. Using 28/150, the cost of that $1,066 ticket should be $200.

Of course, I understand it isn't that simple. The energy being expended to transport a butt from A to B is much greater in a 737 than a DC-3 and much more effort has been made to produce a safer product.
 
It seems to me that if you read up on the history of the Airline industry... Airlines have been on the verge of bankruptcy since there were airlines.
 
My point is, if we truly did go back to the days when you had to "dress up" to fly, and only those who could afford the luxury did so, then wouldn't most of us be required to drive everywhere? Would there even be an NJC event in Vegas? How many of you could afford to get the time off to drive out to Las Vegas for a weekend to network, meet others in the industry, and make some great friends along the way? I doubt many of us could.

I agree there are some major flaws in the industry as it stands today. But I will also argue that things have improved for the better in some ways. Many people who normally would not be able to benefit from rapid air travel now do so... Children with parents divorced and living on separate coasts can see each parent more than they normally would. Friends can fly down to attend a friend's wedding on a weekend without having to take a few days off work. There are benefits to the way things are now.

I'd argue that most of the problems we see in our profession is because we have allowed things to erode.
 
From what I have been told, airline prices have stayed remarkably in the same price tag range ever since pax service has been around.
It cost you the same number of dollars to fly from here to chicago then in the ford tri-motor as it does now in a 757.
I really don't know of, or can think of any industry that has kept the same price tag on a product which has forced companies to rely on technology to eek out the profit margins.

Maybe the 1 cent tootsie roll is in that category too, but that is it.
 
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