There was no Internet to buy ticketsIf you wanted to book a flight, you either had to call the airline, go to their office, or call a travel agent.
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In the olden days you would book your air travel through a travel agent. There was no online purchase, or advance seat assignment. You got a piece of paper which was your “ticket”. Check in at the airport was far more important than it is today - because then, and only then are you assigned your seats.
Back in 1975, things were simple. All fares were refundable and bundled with a plethora of services. According to a contemporary edition of the OAG North American Edition, the cheapest unrestricted one-way flight on American Airlines cost $138 including taxes.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the average round trip domestic ticket in 1980 cost $592.55. Even with bag fees, water fees, oxygen fees and whatever other fee Spirit charges, the average cost in 2010 was $337.97. The moral of that story: you get what you pay for.
In the 1980s you could smoke cigarettes on flights, meals were included, and you could check as many bags as you wanted. Flying saw some fun arrangements in the '80s.
Average ticket prices have been steadily decreasing since 1980. In fact, tickets are close to their lowest prices ever. But from 1950 to 1980, flying was different. Before 1978, fares and routes in the US were closely regulated by the federal government, and many routes had fixed minimum prices.
According to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the average domestic roundtrip base airfare in 1990 cost $288 or $554 in today's dollars.
Very expensiveIn the 21st century, air travel is relatively cheap, but in the 1950s, you could expect to pay 40% or more for the same ticket you buy today. A ticket on TWA in 1955 from Chicago to Phoenix, for example, cost $138 round-trip. Adjusted for inflation, that's $1,168.
Until the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, airlines were considered a public utility and airfares were set by the federal government, which ensured airlines always made more than enough money. Even after deregulation, a basic domestic round-trip airfare in 1979 averaged $615.82 in today's money.
Of course, back in the 1950s, plane tickets could cost as much as three times (or more) than tickets do today, with prices adjusted for inflation. In that regard, modern air travel's lack of amenities seems to make sense.
First-class stampAt the start of 1985, you could send a letter across the country, courtesy of the U.S. Postal Service, for just 20 cents. (The price rose to 22 cents in February of that year.) A first-class stamp is 55 cents today — just a penny more than the price of one in 1985 after inflation.
Electronic ticketing paves the way for online check-inThe first e-ticket was issued in 1994, and by 1997 IATA had adopted global standards for e-ticketing. In 2008, IATA announced 100% of ticketing was electronic, which meant that airlines no longer needed to produce physical tickets.
The world's first airline originated in St. Petersburg, Florida. The world's first regularly scheduled heavier-than-air airline took off from the Municipal Pier in St. Petersburg on New Year's Day 1914.