“There was a time when seasoned travelers dressed better than the other passengers,”
There was a better time when, flying was for the upper middle and upper classes. It was expensive and priced the plebs and rabble out. Men wore suits and ties, women were in formal dresses you could smoke in the flight with real food and real metal silverware including steak knives. Then the airlines went to targeting the masses and we have the flying cattle cars of the sky full of ugly Americans and their F trophies. It’s shameful what flying has become.
As Yoda would say there is another way and it is worth every penny.
Semiprivate flights, you go to their private security entrance it takes 5 min and no one makes you take your shoes off nor wants to feel you up. It’s a metal detector or a wand. They have a private lounges area with a bar away from the plebs it’s bliss. On landing you are taken to a private FBO where they personally hand you your luggage no trying to beat back the rabble at the baggage carousel and if you are like myself and fly with expensive golf clubs and firearms in the regular hand to hand baggage is a required feature they even have black car services waiting at your destination to take you the last mile no taxis or uber needed. Like I said worth every penny and it’s how flying should be. Now bring back smoking and real martini glasses and we are in the money.
For a higher price point as in get a few friends who want to go to Europe or Vegas together and go for the charter with netjets or Uberjets
I love the photos of air travel in the 1950s and 1960s. Even the first time I flew in the late 1970s, people still dressed up. Probably into the early 90s when everything started falling apart as far as people dressing nicely to travel. I miss America being a civilized country.
Air travel is still like that - on corporate jets and charter flights, just not on the flying busses full of the Great Unwashed.