What do you miss most about old school traveling?

[Evinrude21]

no TSA.

 

[gmi3804]

We haven't flow in over 10 years so I can't say what's missing with air travel. I can say what I miss about road trips. Going to the gas station and not only did they pump your gas, they cleaned the windshield and checked the oil and tire pressure. Bonus for way back you got S&H green stamps.

"Fill 'er up with ethyl!"

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

What airline no longer serves meals on international flights? I need to update my no fly airline list. So far there are no US based airlines left that I want to travel on and I’m hearing mutterings about British Airways.

BA, and we just flew them in July, is doing more of consideration towards waste (with a side of economic savings I'm sure) so they have said that not on every flight will they always count on all passengers to eat food and thus won't stock every flight with food for every passenger. I think that one is going to be trial and error on routes.

I don't think it's the best move to make but can understand their position. On our flight from Heathrow to Chicago in July though from what I could tell majority of people were getting meals around me but we were in the back of the plane on the second level of a 500 passenger plane so who knows. I wonder however if they may need to look at more dietary restrictions/desires than before. People may prefer in greater numbers vegetarian meal options.

 

[mjkacmom]

Well I'm not sure what Aer Lingus gives you is really a meal TBH...

Its far worse than it used to be - which was already pretty bad - when all other airlines were giving free drink they were not.
There were a couple of years they tried it - but did not last long at all.
Anyway they have reduced the quality and cut some things out - I was shocked just how bad it was last time.
No bread with the meal now either - it was the only decent thing - there was a slice of prepackaged Irish Brown Bread.
Also the cheap wooden utensils they use - leave a really bad taste in your mouth making it all the worse.

They used to give you an Irish Breakfast - its was minimal but better than the scone they give you now.
On my last flight we did not even get that as the flight got in over an hour early and only the first few rows got the breakfast.

My wife asked for it on the way out - they don't eve give you Kerry Gold butter many more - they switched to a cheaper brand.

My wife said TAP was not bad at all - I slept through it so cant say. the good thing about them is the flight leaves at 11:30PM so you can work all day and then go to the airport and don't get in too early and you can usually get a free stopover in Lisbon (or Porto) for a few days before you fly onto somewhere else.


No doubt - I was going with the most basic advertised fairs.

My parents did that splurge for there 50th anniversary and enjoyed it - Norwegian I think - when you have limited mobility I guess it makes sense - but I'd prefer to just travel somewhere nice and enjoy a city for 1/5 that price.

I've done several Disney cruises back in the beginning of the cruise line (the first two ships) and was never impressed with any of the food except Palo. Sitting on the veranda was nice for a short time - but 7 days is too much for me - we mostly did it for my parents sake.

When we get older and cant do it all on our own anymore we may do a river cruise since you can hit a bunch of cities in Europe and its easy enough.
Maybe a Mediterranean cruise as well.

We’ve cruised out of NYC a few times, 2 balcony cabins ran us about $8000 for 7 of us. Definitely cheaper out of Florida.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Count me in with folks who said showing up at the airport a half hour before the flight and boarding with no problem. Oh, and most flights were on time!

Also the mood was much lighter. Both the travelers and airport/airline employees were much more at ease. I understand the reason for the change, but if we're talking about what we miss?

My stepmom was a travel agent and we used to fly standby in the late '90s/early 2000s and filled out the ticket out of a ticket booklet she had at the airport before we'd fly out. Of course standby was standby and only if they had room on the plane could we go and I was subject to higher security scrutiny even before 9/11 due to a one-way ticket and standby but it's not like it is now. It was sorta a giddy feeling having this booklet from Northwest or Delta (those were the two airlines she had an agreement with) and filling out the passenger information there. I actually still have an old Northwest ticket somewhere.

 

[mjkacmom]

We haven't flow in over 10 years so I can't say what's missing with air travel. I can say what I miss about road trips. Going to the gas station and not only did they pump your gas, they cleaned the windshield and checked the oil and tire pressure. Bonus for way back you got S&H green stamps.

I live in NJ and don’t pump my gas.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

It was nice when people who weren’t flying anywhere were allowed to breeze through the security checkpoints and go to the gates, so (at least for domestic flights) you could meet an arriving loved one at the gate, as soon as they got off the plane. And I remember going on business trips in the 90s when my wife (who wasn’t traveling) came through security with me and hung out with me in the lounge for a while. And of course none of the “shoes off” and limitations on liquids stuff. On the other hand, smoking sections on planes. Yuck.

They are airports that are starting to bring back allowing you to meet people without a ticket. Liquids should also become looser and looser as our security detections and knowledge adjusts. Europe has already started doing this. We also have machines now that mean you don't have to remove things from your bag (although that kinda makes TSA Pre-check not as advantageous). Depending on the airport while you may still have to take off your shoes a light jacket may be able to still be worn even without Pre-Check.

I def. get what you're comparing but some of these things are adjusting and changing.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I live in NJ and don’t pump my gas.

Well that's because your state doesn't allow it lol. Outside of NJ and Oregon (for certain parts) everyone else does their own other than specific gas stations. I think the person is meaning that it was much more common decades and decades ago to have that culture.

Honestly I just want to be in and out and I'm perfectly fine with pumping my own gas and doing my own thing so it's not part of the experience that I would find I'd miss. I have been to a gas station that pumped my gas for me but found it wasn't really a thing I'd like to do on the regular.

 

[mjkacmom]

Well that's because your state doesn't allow it lol. Outside of NJ and Oregon (for certain parts) everyone else does their own other than specific gas stations. I think the person is meaning that it was much more common decades and decades ago to have that culture.

Honestly I just want to be in and out and I'm perfectly fine with pumping my own gas and doing my own thing so it's not part of the experience that I would find I'd miss. I have been to a gas station that pumped my gas for me but found it wasn't really a thing I'd like to do on the regular.

I’ve pumped gas out of state, having someone else do it is preferable to me. For whatever reason, I don’t like having to get gas even when I don’t leave my car.

 

[tvguy]

I remember Western Airlines always promoting free champagne on board. It was a perk I enjoyed once I turned 21.

 

[Sweettears]

Free is the only way I would drink champagne.

 

[dvcgirl67]

Well, as we all know, the spacing and size of seats in economy are literally just ridiculous now. Pitch used to be 35 inches in basic economy and seat width being 20 inches. Now...for the big carriers it's 31 for pitch (28 for discount carriers!) and seats are 17.3 inches wide. Forget about the fact that we're getting bigger in general, but even taking into account the average man....shoulder width is 18 inches. It's just insane.

To feel like a sub-human, even on a short flight you need to buy a premium economy to get yourself a whopping 3 inches of extra legroom (but same sized seat). That might even give you an opportunity to get a small suitcase into an overhead bin.

To feel moderately human....you need to be in premium plus, but on most flights it's twice the price. I will say that I do appreciate that lie-flat seats are an option on commercial flights as they weren't until the early 2000s. It's not cheap, but at least it's there as an option and really is a fairly stress-free way to fly. Of course, you need to have TSA pre-check and/or Global Entry if you flying internationally to mitigate the security stress.....and, probably best you don't check a bag if you'd like it to come with you....otherwise, pretty stress free .

 

[dvcgirl67]

It actually is quite easy and comfortable as long as you think it thru in advance. The A-line dress another poster showed is similar to something I would wear. I fondly remember a work outfit I had that traveled well: a ribbed turtleneck, car coat length cardigan, and knit pants with a slight flare. Was tobacco brown and navy blue wool knit and with a pair of patterned mules I was ready for most anything. Good for being upgraded too. I shed a tear when that designer closed down.

I remember when "dressing up" could occasionally snag someone an upgrade, but it seems those days are over. I remember a recent article in Travel and Leisure that was something like..."Flight Attendants say to wear this to increase your chances at an upgrade." And all of the travel blog/vloggers who focus on airline travel/points/rewards all fired back, essentially saying......"that's not a thing!!" The T&L article was basically an ad to sell clothing and provided links to buy that "smart pair of trousers" and elegant trench coat for that mythical upgrade.

That's all monetized to the penny and automated to the teeth by the airlines now. On a flight that I'm taking next year from Johannesburg to Newark, I can see on my united app that the upgrade list for Polaris is 20+ people long for today's flight. All of the business seats are sold, and 46 of 48 are checked in. So those two people at the tippy top are hoping for two no-shows, but they'll be the only ones getting upgraded, and it's because of their status....not their trousers . There's an upgrade list for premium plus on that flight too....that list is out of luck entirely, all 21 seats sold, all 21 checked in.

 

[Lord Manhammer]

I really miss being able to go to the gate with someone and wait with them. There was that cool moment when you hugged that person and they went down the gangway toward the plane. I come from a traveling family and have been traveling internationally since I was 2 so it was so exciting time when I got to go the airport to either go somewhere or drop off/pick up someone. I usually got to get a Cinnabon and loved watching all of the interesting people. And I can honestly say that even to this day, I LOVE flying. Yes TSA and all of that are part of the world we live in, but exploring airports all over the world is FUN! I'm the dude who is walking through the terminal with a smile on my face and just looking around. My wife has a similar background and is the same way. I just don't understand why people look so miserable in airports!

 

[DCLMP]

I don’t know how how united and delta process upgrades, but AA starts processing them 5 days before departure based on status. Any seats left over are going to non-revs. No one is getting upgraded by how they dress. International upgrades are pretty costly not uncommon to see empty seats.

 

[disykat]

I miss going to the airport for the heck of it. I live over an hour from the airport, but there were multiple times I met people I hadn't seen in a long time for a quick meal and a visit while they were passing through. Now they'd have to have a really long layover and come out past security to even consider doing that.

 

[DCLMP]

I miss going to the airport for the heck of it. I live over an hour from the airport, but there were multiple times I met people I hadn't seen in a long time for a quick meal and a visit while they were passing through. Now they'd have to have a really long layover and come out past security to even consider doing that.

You could always accumulate some SW points. Book a flight, cancel 10 minutes before departure and you get your points back.

There are some airports that allow people at the gate. Maybe it will spread.

https://www.travelandleisure.com/us-airports-program-non-travelers-visit-beyond-security-8382685

MCO, PhL, SNA and a few others.

 

[snowwite]

While I also feel the current manner of dressing on airplanes is too "casual" for me, I really don't want to "dress up" for it. I mean nylons, heels and a two piece suit (with fancy jewelry, maybe even a hat)? No thanks.

View attachment 809305

It's quite possible to dress nicely, though.

Hey if we had the spacious seats and all maybe I would but now we are herded in like livestock which hardly calls for dressing up. My first flight (that I remember) was on North West Orient. The plane had a couch and stuff in the back and my parents were back there. I also remember getting wine in what looked like a salad bottle at dinner and my mum had me sabe it for her. But the thing I most remember is how it was so smoky. It made me feel sick.

 

[snowwite]

What airline no longer serves meals on international flights? I need to update my no fly airline list. So far there are no US based airlines left that I want to travel on and I’m hearing mutterings about British Airways.

The only international flight I’ve been on with no meal was Air Lingus

 

[snowwite]

I really miss being able to go to the gate with someone and wait with them. There was that cool moment when you hugged that person and they went down the gangway toward the plane. I come from a traveling family and have been traveling internationally since I was 2 so it was so exciting time when I got to go the airport to either go somewhere or drop off/pick up someone. I usually got to get a Cinnabon and loved watching all of the interesting people. And I can honestly say that even to this day, I LOVE flying. Yes TSA and all of that are part of the world we live in, but exploring airports all over the world is FUN! I'm the dude who is walking through the terminal with a smile on my face and just looking around. My wife has a similar background and is the same way. I just don't understand why people look so miserable in airports!

I don’t mind airports but the flight scares me. Well it’s the fear of it not flying that scares me. Some airports are pretty cool. I got stuck in Amsterdam for several hours and they had a muserum a casino and interesting shops. The also have these small luggage trolleys that I wish other airports would add.