But that would be unfair, passengers were treated very much as individuals and properly considered with all that this implies. Some might say of the passengers that unless you were a chain-smoking, alcohol-swigging bookworm, then flying in a sealed aircraft breathing second-hand smoke was not the most pleasant way to travel. There was more time, more attention, more space and more glamour than today. Ian wrote: ‘It was not a mass transport industry. Indeed, in other places the captain would stay in yet another (superior) hotel, although the more sociable captains would trek across town to join their crews.’įormer airline captain Ian Frow wrote: 'Modern safety levels far exceed those of the 1950s and 1960s, when crash landings, structural failures, injuries from turbulence and mid-air collisions were prevalent.' Above is a Swiss Air DC-7C flying along the Southern California coastline ‘One other oddity in BOAC was the policy at some destinations of having the flight deck and cabin crews staying in different hotels. Initially, only on the North Atlantic routes were crews given cash allowances – in the 50s this was US$10 per day. Because of this, the crew’s cohesion was actually improved by eating together. In most places, meals were free but taken at the accommodation. But later, in Singapore we stayed in the Raffles, then rather run down, but still splendid. Some accommodation was fairly basic, such as the BOAC rest house in Karachi, which was a converted barracks for the 19th-century British Army of India. ![]() Ian wrote: 'Under the rules of the 19th-century Railways Act airlines had to provide both free accommodation and sustenance to crew when away from base. Modern cabins have improved seating standards, seatbelts, overhead lockers, lighting and so on, making the cabin a much safer place in an accident.’Ī United Airlines DC-7, an aircraft that entered service in the 1950s In the 50s and 60s luxury and style were the priority - there were hard, sharp edges, flammable seats and furnishings, even glass dividing screens. ‘Learning from the bitter lessons of past accidents, cabins have been redesigned with safety in mind. At current safety levels, you would need to be continuously airborne for two and a half average lifetimes of 75 years, to be statistically liable to be involved in an accident. Modern safety levels far exceed those of the 1950s and 1960s, when crash landings, structural failures, injuries from turbulence and mid-air collisions were prevalent. Ian wrote: ‘Today passengers can rest assured that air travel in an established airline is the safest form of public transport. After an eight-hour flight, during which there was little else for passengers to do but snooze, read, chat, drink and smoke, the atmosphere became fairly rich.’ ‘Smoking was allowed on the flight deck as well as the cabin – cigarettes, pipes and even cigars were allowed in-flight. The fortunate found themselves sitting next to someone with interesting conversation. ![]() Magazines and newspapers were provided to passengers, and a good long book was useful. Time could pass slowly but snoozing and the inflight meal service provided welcome breaks. Once the view from the window had been admired there was not all that much to do. Journeys took a long time, often with many stops en-route. ![]() Ian wrote: ‘Another feature of 1950s-60s flying was boredom. An air ticket was just too expensive for most people.’ ‘It was an era before package holidays and the rise in low-cost airlines. Once the view from the window had been admired there was not all that much to do A feature of 1950s-60s flying was boredom.
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