Photos show just how dramatically less glamorous flying economy is today compared to the golden age of aviation

Benjamin Zhang

Mar 24, 2019, 18:37 IST

Photos show just how dramatically less glamorous flying economy is today compared to the golden age of aviation

Andre Carrara/Condé Nast via Getty Images

Models pose in front of a TWA Boeing 747 jumbo jet.

The advent of commercial air travel has changed the way humanity interacts.
The latest passengers figures released by IATA show that a whopping 4.1 billion people around the world took to the skies in 2017, up 7.3% over the previous year.
The arrival of jet-powered passenger flight in the mid-1950s really kicked things into the high gear.
As the number of passenger skyrocket, so has the public's complaints about the shortcomings of modern air travel.
Here's a look a how flying in economy compares with the past.

Over the past century, the advent of air travel has changed the way humanity interacts. It's broken down borders and has effectively made the world a smaller place.

The growth of airline travel in recent years has been particularly impressive.

"In 2000, the average citizen flew just once every 43 months," Alexandre de Juniac, the International Air Transport Association's director general and CEO, said in a statement. "In 2017, the figure was once every 22 months."

"Flying has never been more accessible. And this is liberating people to explore more of our planet for work, leisure and education. Aviation is the business of freedom," the former CEO of Air France went on to say.

The latest passengers figures released by IATA show that a whopping 4.1 billion people around the world took to the skies in 2017, up 7.3% over the previous year.

The arrival of jet-powered passenger flight in the mid-1950s really kicked things into the high gear.

As passenger figures skyrocket, so has the number of gripes about the shortcomings of modern air travel. In fact, many reminiscences about the "good old days" of the early era of jet air travel.

So, we here at Business Insider decided to take a closer look at how flying in the economy cabin compares to the past:

In 1952, British Overseas Airline Corporation, a predecessor of British Airways, launched the era of jet-powered passenger flight with the De Havilland Comet.

However, it was the Boeing 707 and...

... Douglas DC-8 became the early workhorses in the jet era.

The Boeing 707's fuselage is 148 inches wide and its economy cabin is configured with six seats per row. The DC-8 has a 147-inch wide fuselage.

The 707 shares its cabin layout with the 727 and...

... the 737.

Incredibly, Boeing has not changed the fuselage width of its narrow-body airliners. The modern Boeing 737 Max has the same 148-inch width six seats per row configuration.

The arrival of the Boeing 747 in the early 1970s, ushered in the era of the wide-bodies along with...

... the Lockheed L-1011 Tristar, and...

... the McDonnell Douglas DC-10.

The Boeing 747 dramatically lowered unit costs for airlines, making flying more affordable than ever. In effect democratizing air travel for the masses.

The widebodies delivered an economy-class experience, unlike anything that had come before.

These days, wide-body economy cabins remain big and roomy like on this Etihad Airbus A380.

However, one major difference is that legroom is no longer as plentiful as before.

And then there are the seats. The big comfy chairs of the past have been replaced by slimline seats.

These seats are lightweight and stylish.

But, they are also short on padding and much less comfortable.

On the bright side, air travel is now exponentially cheaper than before, especially with the growing popularity of low-cost and ultra-low-cost airlines.

Unfortunately, airlines have also gone to an a la carte pricing strategy that now charges extra thing like seat selection and checked bags. As a result, the overhead bins are now packed.

In-flight entertainment has come a long way since this experimental Pan Am system from 1965.

These days more airlines either offer free-streaming entertainment options or personal in-flight entertainment systems.

Flights attendants are also armed with new tech like smartphones that can provide valuable connection information for travelers.

Back in the day, flying was a more formal affair. These days, we take it a lot more casually.

Let's talk about food. During the golden age of air travel, in-flight meals were the norm.

Today, in-flight meals are usually reserved for international long haul flights.

For the most part, in-flight dining in economy class means a soda and a snack.

Finally, there's the airport experience. With far fewer people flying, airport crowding was less of an issue.

That's a far cry from the recreational queuing we partake in every time was fly.

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