The Golden Age of Travel
Take a look back at a time when travel was a romantic notion, onboard meals were served on real china and passengers still dressed up for the journey.
The Golden Age of Travel
In the past century, leisure travel has shifted from a luxury enjoyed by the wealthy to a necessity of the middle class. Today, travel is fast and cheap, accessible and affordable. But as airlines and hotels have started to cut back on the amenities they once provided, it's no wonder that today's travelers feel more like cargo than customers.
It wasn't always that way. There was a time when travel was luxurious and fashionable, when high-quality dining was standard and when travelers dressed up for the occasion, whether boarding an ocean liner or taking off on a high-flying jet. Here's a look back to a more golden age of travel.
Cruises: Trans-Atlantic crossings of the late 1800s brought thousands of immigrants to U.S. shores, but by the 1930s and 1940s, American tourists interested in visiting Europe were the primary passengers. Large and luxurious floating hotels known as superliners accommodated the growing demand for travel across the ocean.
Slide show text by Sonja Groset, MSN Travel; photo editing by Connie Ricca.
Cruises: In the competition for passengers, ocean liners added many luxuries such as fine dining and well-appointed staterooms. Advertisements promoted the romance of the voyage and highlighted ships' elegant food and glamorous dances. The Cunard Line's Mauritania and Lusitania started the tradition of inviting guests to dress for dinner.
Air Travel: The first jet airliner, the Boeing 707, was introduced in 1959. It cut flying time between New York and London from twelve hours to six hours. Even by the 1960s, though, air travelers were mostly wealthy people or businessmen on expense accounts; most Americans still could not afford to fly.
Air Travel: In the 1960s and 1970s, fashion ruled the skies. Celebrity designers crafted flight attendants' uniforms in colorful silks, psychedelic patterns and fitted dresses that sported hems as high as the times. It was still an event to board a plane, and passengers came outfitted for the occasion. Men dressed in suits and ties and women donned their Sunday best. Aircraft interiors also reflected this fashionable period and contributed to the allure of air travel. Before airlines began to add as many seats to a plane as possible, it was common to see onboard lounge areas where passengers could relax with a cocktail and a cigarette.
Air Travel: The modern design aesthetic of airplane interiors and flight-crew uniforms also extended to airports. The TWA Flight Center by Finnish designer Eero Saarinen was the original Terminal 5, completed in 1962, at Idlewild Airport (now known as John F. Kennedy International Airport). It was the first airline terminal to have closed-circuit television, a central public address system, baggage carousels and an electronic schedule board. It also had a futuristic air: The interior featured large glass windows that opened out to TWA jets parked just outside; passengers walked to their planes through round, red-carpeted tubes.
Air Travel: In the late 1970s, passenger service began on the supersonic airliner Concorde, which cut travel time between New York and Paris to just under 3 1/2 hours — less than half the time of other airliners. The Concorde was used by British Airways and Air France to fly between London's Heathrow Airport or Paris' Charles de Gaulle and New York's JFK or Washington, D.C.'s Dulles. The Concorde was designed for the well-off: Onboard amenities included free champagne, food served on Wedgwood china and silver cutlery. Operations ceased in November 2003, a result of the aftermath of a crash in 2000, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and other factors
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Train Travel: Grand Central Terminal opened in 1871 in midtown Manhattan. It was built by and named for the New York Central Railroad, one of the first railroads in the U.S., during the heyday of American long-distance passenger trains. It is the largest train station in the world by number of platforms: 44, with 67 tracks along them. Its large, cavernous central hall, constructed in the early 1900s, remains a bustling hub of activity.
Train Travel: By midcentury, passenger trains had become an affordable means of travel, whether crossing states or traversing a continent. The Orient Express, which began operating in the 1880s, was a name that became synonymous with luxury rail service and the intrigue of exotic lands. The original endpoints of service — Paris and Istanbul — added to its allure since Istanbul straddles Europe and Asia.
Air Travel: The Douglas DC-3 revolutionized air transportation in the 1930s and 1940s, when U.S. airlines like United, American and TWA ordered more than 400 of these planes. This fixed-wing, propeller-driven aircraft needed only three refueling stops on a cross-country flight, cutting the flight time between Los Angeles and New York City to approximately 15 hours. Amenities of the early DC-3 models included sleeping berths and an onboard kitchen. These planes quickly began replacing trains as the preferred means of long-distance travel across the U.S.; they are generally regarded as one of the most significant aircraft ever made.
Air Travel: In the 1930s, passenger service was enhanced with the first flight attendants, registered nurses who were hired by United Airlines/Boeing Air Transport. Other airlines soon followed, hiring nurses to serve as "stewardesses" on most of their flights. The requirement to be a registered nurse was relaxed at the start of World War II, as many nurses enlisted into the armed forces.
Air Travel: Airlines saw the value in hiring young women to serve food and look after passengers' welfare. Ever since, the cabin attendant has become a fixture on commercial airlines and in popular culture. Some were known as stewardesses, a female version of "steward," a term adopted from maritime transport. This label has since given way to the more common term of flight attendant.
Air Travel: Even though their role was primarily about safety and service, the flight attendant's image was one of style and sophistication. The image of a young, slim, single female was due in part to the airlines' marketing, but also to their hiring practices. Flight attendants for United Airlines wore pins modeled after the airplane's wings. When these young women got married, they had to give up flying, and described their wings as having been "clipped." Today, alumnae of United have formed a national organization called "Clipped Wings" to maintain their airline friendships.
/>/>/>Air Travel: When airlines began competing for passengers, fancy menus helped differentiate between companies. The first kitchens for serving meals in flight were established by United Airlines in 1936. Many travelers would argue that the quality of the food served has declined steadily since then. Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck once said, "To me, an airplane is a great place to diet."
Air Travel: The first jet airliner, the Boeing 707, was introduced in 1959. It cut flying time between New York and London from twelve hours to six hours. Even by the 1960s, though, air travelers were mostly wealthy people or businessmen on expense accounts; most Americans still could not afford to fly.
Air Travel: In the 1960s and 1970s, fashion ruled the skies. Celebrity designers crafted flight attendants' uniforms in colorful silks, psychedelic patterns and fitted dresses that sported hems as high as the times. It was still an event to board a plane, and passengers came outfitted for the occasion. Men dressed in suits and ties and women donned their Sunday best. Aircraft interiors also reflected this fashionable period and contributed to the allure of air travel. Before airlines began to add as many seats to a plane as possible, it was common to see onboard lounge areas where passengers could relax with a cocktail and a cigarette.
Air Travel: The modern design aesthetic of airplane interiors and flight-crew uniforms also extended to airports. The TWA Flight Center by Finnish designer Eero Saarinen was the original Terminal 5, completed in 1962, at Idlewild Airport (now known as John F. Kennedy International Airport). It was the first airline terminal to have closed-circuit television, a central public address system, baggage carousels and an electronic schedule board. It also had a futuristic air: The interior featured large glass windows that opened out to TWA jets parked just outside; passengers walked to their planes through round, red-carpeted tubes.
Air Travel: In the late 1970s, passenger service began on the supersonic airliner Concorde, which cut travel time between New York and Paris to just under 3 1/2 hours — less than half the time of other airliners. The Concorde was used by British Airways and Air France to fly between London's Heathrow Airport or Paris' Charles de Gaulle and New York's JFK or Washington, D.C.'s Dulles. The Concorde was designed for the well-off: Onboard amenities included free champagne, food served on Wedgwood china and silver cutlery. Operations ceased in November 2003, a result of the aftermath of a crash in 2000, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and other factors
Retrived from: http://travel.msn.com//Guides/MSNTravelSlideShow.aspx?cp-documentid=932096&imageindex=1
