(Those Were The Days!) PHOTO: Late 1960s: Economy Class Seating on a Pan-Am 747

Retronaut ^ | Circa 1960's | Retronaut

[DogByte6RER]

Late 1960s: Economy Class Seating on a Pan-Am 747

The 1960's were barely done when Pan Am again set a standard the rest of the world was forced to follow. Pan American's Boeing B-747 Jumbo Jets brought down the cost of long distance air travel once again.

Source: Pan Am Historical Foundation

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Prior to 707 jets, military and their dependents traveled by ship. The ships were part of MSTS, Military Sea Transportation Service.
Troops were on the front and rear of the ship with five layers of tiny staterooms mid ship.
Seattle to Yokohama was two weeks at sea.

[norwaypinesavage]

In the early '70s, my company had a policy that they would pay first class tickets for any flight over 4 hours. We often went to Phoenix, which was a first class morning flight of 4 hours and 10 minutes on a 747.

We would start in the first class cabin in the center seats which would rotate around. After we reached cruising altitude, the stewardess would rotate our four seats to face each other in a circle. She would then plop down a white linen covered table in the middle, and place an open bottle of champagne on it. There was no breakfast menu, she would simply ask: "What would you like for breakfast?"

After breakfast, we could either sit in our seats, or go upstairs to the first class open bar. The stewardess to passenger in the cabin was often 1:1. One time I was sitting by the window, and "my" stewardess sat down beside me with a grocery bag full of full wine bottles. She asked: "Would you like to play gin rummy for bottles of wine?" I said: "I don't know how to play, and I have no wine." She said: "That's OK, I'll teach you how to play, and I'll loose the first few hands." I left with the grocery bag full of wine.

One co-op student flying with us had never been on any kind of airplane before in his life. His comment after the flight was: "I never realized flying was this nice."

[Resolute Conservative]

You could also bring long guns on the plane and the flight attendants would put them in the coat closet for you.

[wardaddy]

You must have been hot dear...

There were no ugly stews back then

And they were so kind....took special maternal interest in a fly alone 6-12 year old like me

I was a boy....flew alone a good bit to see kin....Love Field.......San Diego....Santa Fe.(ABQ).....JFK....Wash Natl

Delta....Southern....Eastern...Republic.....PBA.....Frontier....Texas International

And the macdaddy of babe airlines....Braniff

God bless you...girls like y'all back then...inspired a little dude like me

[Black Agnes]

I still think the stews probably weren’t paid highly enough to babysit me LOL. Pan Am stews got to babysit me intercontinentally. 2 or 3 times a year. I flew with my mom but she had to be tranquilized heavily just to get on the plane. They’d lay her over 3 seats, cover her up and I was left to my own devices. I was between 3 and 8 on those trips.

The early pan am 747’s had an entire one of those pullout storage drawers full of kid stuff. Coloring books, colors, Little Golden Books (complete with pan am insignia!)etc. I have a stash of that stuff still. And a few of the neat Pan Am pins. I got to visit the lounge upstairs on my way to see the cockpit (try that these days kids!).

The stews usually stashed me in a jump seat near them with colors and coloring book while they prepared the snack cart or meal. And I got no end of snacks either. The Lagos/JFK trip wasn’t a short one in a 707 either It took my mom 2 or 3 days to recover at each end of that jaunt.

[eyedigress]

I fly a bit and I find the Airbus 321 to be the best. Seat 23F. Exit row with no seat in front of you. Lavatory in the middle of the aircraft.

Of course I bump up to 1st Class when available for 110 Bucks.

Best flight was TWA L-1011 Phoenix to St Louis in 1986. Upgrade to first class with no charge. (overbooked and I was military)

[SamAdams76]

Back in the 1960s, it was considered an "upper-class" thing to fly. Most working people took a Greyhound bus or a train. That's the main reason everybody wore a suit. For those in the middle-classes who did fly, they dressed up because they wanted to be associated with the wealthy class. Much like today, people will dress up to go to a fancy restaurant or swanky nightclub.

Also, casual dress back in the 1960s was still associated with hippies and the counterculture. Unless you were on tour with The Rolling Stones, you basically threw on at least a shirt and tie in public.

What a reversal we have seen. People who normally wear suits to work are often seen getting changed into casual clothes at airport restrooms so they can "travel comfortable." You can't blame them too much if they are sitting in coach because you will definitely rumple your suit wedged into that cramped seating area.

I travel mostly for business so I usually have a shirt and tie on and I'm about the only one except the crew that's dressed that way. Sometimes, the other passengers think I'm the pilot and as I walk down the gate, they all move over to the side and let me through.