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  2. In ’63 & ’64, I had to go to Pakistan for a year (Thanks, Uncle Sam), and though they didn’t book my trip on PanAm, I did get to fly half-way around the world and back on a C-135 – backwards – I don’t think Juan Tripp had that in mind when he convinced Boeing to build the 707.
    While there, I met many of the folks working for the Guy Atkinson company who were building a dam for the Pak Gov’t. Atkinson created an “American Village” for their workers, most of whom came from CA where the company was based. When hired, they would be given a round the world ticket on PanAm, San Francisco to San Francisco, and they’d fly west until they got to Karachi. No one I met ever had a bad word to say about PanAm.
    Civilian flying, then, was way different than it is now.

    1. Was sent to Saudi Arabia as part of a mobile training team teaching the ins and outs of the M60A3 to the Saudis during Desert Sheild. We were booked on Pan Am. After we checked in in St Louis one of the agents approached us and asked if we’d mind getting bumped to business class. No problemo senorita. About 20 minutes later she came back and asked if we’d be troubled if we got bumped to first class. Hello. First and only time I’ve flown first class, ever. Then we landed in Frankfurt and back to steerage on Lufthansa. Fun while it lasted. Think I was the only one of the team that landed sober. The chateaubriand was quite tasty. So long Pan Am, salute.

      1. Had that bump myself on a PCS to Anchorage. Had to fly Alaska Airlines from SeaTac, and wouldn’t you know it, we were all stand-by, and I was next to last onto the plane…..1st Class!

  3. I remember flying in the great old days, 50 years ago, in DC-3’s with great seats and lovely ladies and then in the ‘JETS’, kind of better but not the same. I did a lot of travel in planes with a not a full load of passengers, the stews were young, lovely, skinny, and liked to have fun flying. There were some good old days when we wore business suits with ties and expected to be treated rather well. That Was Once Upon A Time.

  4. Back before air travel became an aboveground subway system. Got in on the very tail end of it as a younker. Fly a fair bit for work now, and loathe it. The stews are crones or fairies, and your fellow passengers are complete assholes, crammed into seats that wouldn’t give starving Somalis enough room.

    1. Preussenotto,
      You’re absolutely spot on about air travel today.

      I avoid air travel whenever I can. I’d rather road trip to my destination and forgo the molestation from TSA (Touchin’ Squeezin’ ‘Arrassing), being herded like cattle into a tin can, shoved into seats made for kindergartners and dealing with the incessant whining of Karens etc.

      JQ

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