Flying Pan Am in its peak in the early 1970s was certainly a luxury. We had wide seats, and entire tables to ourselves. The stewardess uniforms were smart, and the food was good. Passengers actually dressed like adults. In some respects it was like an airborne cocktail party, and moving about and mixing with other passengers was encouraged. Much has been lost since then. I have learned that the 1970s "Pan Am Experience" can be had at Air Hollywood. I may pay a visit. Not quite the same thing, I'm sure.
17 December 2014
1970s Luxury Air Travel
Flying Pan Am in its peak in the early 1970s was certainly a luxury. We had wide seats, and entire tables to ourselves. The stewardess uniforms were smart, and the food was good. Passengers actually dressed like adults. In some respects it was like an airborne cocktail party, and moving about and mixing with other passengers was encouraged. Much has been lost since then. I have learned that the 1970s "Pan Am Experience" can be had at Air Hollywood. I may pay a visit. Not quite the same thing, I'm sure.
If you are going to get aboard an old plane that doesn't fly I strongly suggest taking a tour of the insides of an old B-17 or B-24 at an air museum.
ReplyDeletehttp://evergreenmuseum.org/the-museum/popular-exhibits/
I often took Pan Am flight #1 from San Francisco to JFK. A first class ticket also included a helicopter flight to the pad at the 59th Street bridge. They rolled out a caviar course followed by a roast which was carved at the seat. Most importantly I could smoke and drink as much as I liked. The lounge upstairs was ultimately abandoned as a bar but was still not filled with seats and so after the meal we could retire there and stretch out on the couch.
ReplyDeleteI was the only person wearing a tie on my last flight. The only person on the plane. We had our fill of peanuts in first class.