You’re right, at one time flying was pleasant, even fun. Not now.
I have heard that airline travel was much more of an “event” back then. People even dressed for it. My dad used to fly a lot, and I remember hearing from him of what travel was like in the late 60s and into the 70s.
Plus I have seen pictures, and yeah you are right — certainly no fun now, and not particularly pleasant either. Not like how it seemed back then! For me it really went off the cliff with the whole having to take your shoes off, unbuckle your belt, empty your pockets, take out your laptop, put it in a separate bin, scramble to collect everything after the security check — ugh.