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You are here: Home / Flights (and Other Modes of Transport) / Air Travel Then and Now (Pssttt… It’s Cheaper and Better Now)

Air Travel Then and Now (Pssttt… It’s Cheaper and Better Now)

October 29, 2013 by Deia 10 Comments

As we enter the holiday season, complaints about expensive airfares become more and more common.

But over the last few decades, the price of air travel has dropped a lot. That’s the only reason why almost everybody can huddle together by the water cooler and bond over chats of expensive flights, bad airplane food and pesky TSA agents.

Three Coworkers
Nothing like complaining about flying to bring people together.

If you were to start talking about expensive flights in the 50s, you’d be greeted by silence and jealous glares. Only one out of five people had ever flown back then.

 

Flight ticket prices: then and now

Back in the day, the U.S. government used to regulate airfares. It was only in 1974 that regulators decided to let airlines set their own prices, which resulted in competition and price wars.

Looking at ticket prices today, you may not believe this. But since 1974, airfares have dropped by about 50 percent.

Consider this: in 1934, for the privilege of flying on one of TWA’s first transcontinental flights from Newark to Glendale, you’d have to pay $160. That sounds like a bargain, but — if we adjust that amount for inflation — it’s about $2,700 in today’s dollars. And that’s a one-way fare on a flight that made three stops along the way.

 

Airfare price case study: New York – London through the years

To make an even interesting comparison, I looked at how the price of a popular international route has changed over time.

In 1950: a round-trip New York – London airfare would set you back $500 for an off-season ticket or $675 at all other times. Again, those fares sound fine, but they actually translate into $4,700 (off-season) or $6,300 (on-season) after adjusting for inflation.

Airfare prices in 1950s
In the 1970s: you’d have to pay $550 to fly the same route. That doesn’t seem like such a big difference, but if you take inflation into account, you’d find that there had been a big discount. This fare would only cost $3,200 today.

Airfare prices in the 1970s
An almost-empty plane in mid-flight (1968).

In 2013: I just made a quick search at Skyscanner and, even at the peak of holiday season, you could get a return ticket on the same route for about $1,100 on British Airways — fees and taxes included.

(Note: I scoured through many websites and forums to find the historical airfare data, so they may not come from the most reliable sources. But these prices correspond with this graph from a paper that was presented at a geographer conference, so they shouldn’t be too far off the mark.)

 

But what about service?

I hear people say all the time that air travel used to be better. Flight attendants were actually nice; we had food; we had leg room; we didn’t have to pay extra fees; we didn’t have to go through strict security screening, etc.

Thanks to the airfare regulations, airlines in the past didn’t have to compete in pricing and knew that they would certainly turn a profit. That’s why flying came with the best services. Among them:

  • Lounge and observation area.
  • Actual tables and wicker chairs.
  • Silverware and crystal.
  • A portable altar (!) on Sunday flights in case you missed church to get on the plane.
  • A vanity table and chair in the lavatory.
  • Toiletries you could actually steal from the lavatories, like individually wrapped bar soaps.

So yes, it’s true that some things used to be better back then. But you also had to pay a high premium to fly.

 

The truth is: you can still get great service today if you’re willing to pay a premium

If you want great in-flight service, you can always spring for business class or first class. (Let’s not discuss the security hassles because, arguably, they’re there for a good reason.)

With another quick search at Skyscanner, I found that a first-class New York-London return ticket would cost $4,000 on Swiss Air. Again, this is the fare for a holiday trip, departing right before Christmas and returning right after New Year’s Day. You could get a much better deal if you travel at practically any other time of the year.

Sure, it still wouldn’t be the same as flying in the 50s. There won’t be any altar or other pieces of furniture that are not bolted to the floor, for example.

But it comes with modern facilities that we take for granted, like in-flight movies and, on some flights, even power sockets and wi-fi. I’d choose these things over altars any day.

Garuda Airplane Cabin
Look at all those screens! Glorious, glorious screens.

Either way, the price of a first-class ticket today is still lower than the inflation-adjusted prices of yesteryear. On top of that, now we could make use of frequent flyer miles, which didn’t exist until the late 70s.

 

Wait, don’t go yet! I have an announcement to make.

I finally caved and made a Facebook page over the weekend. It’s feeling rather lonely now, so please be a friend and take a quick look over there, will you? Thank you. :)

 

Images: 1. Chris Hunkeler (CC BY-SA License); 2. 1950sUnlimited (CC BY 2.0 License); 3. John Atherton (CC BY-SA 2.0 License); 4. Simon_sees (CC BY 2.0 License).

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Comments

  1. James Bergman says

    January 11, 2017 at 9:42 AM

    I’m a little surprised that airline tickets cost so much more in the 1950’s to the 1970’s. I thought that the prices were always comparable to what we have today. Only increasing when the price of aircraft fuel went up. I’ll just count my blessings and be happy that the prices are good enough now that I am able to fly.

    Reply
    • Deia says

      February 14, 2017 at 4:53 PM

      Yeah, it was super pricey and that’s why it was an event to fly back then. Like, people dressed up and everything. Now it’s almost as casual as going to the movies.

      Reply
  2. Derek Freal says

    February 11, 2014 at 12:20 AM

    Interesting comparison through the ages. I’ve always known airfare was more expensive back then but didn’t realize it was that much. No wonder everyone used to dress classy for flights. Nowadays I tend to wear my worst clothes but always have a pair of my nicest clothes in my carry-on. Soon as I land the first thing I do is change and freshen up in the restroom so that I’m looking nice and classy by the time I exit the airport and meet whoever is picking me up (if anyone). There’s just something about air travel that makes even the cutest people look, well, a little rough after their flight ;)

    Reply
    • Deia B says

      February 11, 2014 at 3:42 PM

      That actually sounds like quite a lot of work!

      Reply
      • Derek Freal says

        February 11, 2014 at 7:18 PM

        It’s actually not that bad. Plus this way I always make a good (and well-dressed) first impression.

        Reply
        • Deia B says

          February 11, 2014 at 7:49 PM

          I see, that’s where we differ. I generally just go straight to the accommodation before doing anything, so there’s no danger of traumatizing someone so much they wouldn’t want to meet me a second time. :D

          Reply
  3. Wheres Sharon? (Sharon) says

    October 30, 2013 at 6:39 AM

    I would never complain about the price of flights today. Growing up on the relatively isolated island of Tasmania, it used to cost as much to get to Melbourne, an hour away, as I can now get flights all the 8 hour journey from Melbourne to KL. It is crazy how much cheaper it has got!!

    Reply
    • Deia says

      October 30, 2013 at 5:42 PM

      It really has! This being late October, the trick is to compare it to last decade as opposed to last month. ;)

      Reply
  4. Cinetraveler says

    October 29, 2013 at 10:39 AM

    Great post! I love how you translated the prices in today’s terms so we can have a better understanding. I have some magical psychic gift and *poof* “I must buy my holiday flights” pops into my head and I get great deals. This year I purchased my September, Thanksgiving and going home for Christmas all for $108/each one way. Bargain city!

    That altar for Sunday travel back in the day sounds interesting. I don’t think that would “fly” in today’s world.

    Happy Travels!

    Reply
    • Deia says

      October 29, 2013 at 5:16 PM

      Oh wow, that’s a great superpower to have! You could, like, charge people to have you book their tickets, although maybe that’s an abuse of your powers. As Spiderman says, with great power comes great responsibility. :D

      Reply

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