What was the unpleasant truth about the golden age of air travel?

Delays were frequent, turbulence common, and air sickness bags often needed. People also forget that well into the 1960s, air travel was far more dangerous than it is today. In the 1950s and 1960s US airlines experienced at least a half dozen crashes per year – most leading to fatalities of all on board.



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Americans were wild about aviation in the 1920s and '30s, the period between the two world wars that came to be known as the Golden Age of Flight. Air races and daring record-setting flights dominated the news. Airplanes evolved from wood-and-fabric biplanes to streamlined metal monoplanes.

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Experts say it comes down to costs, and competition — and that we're unlikely to ever return to that golden age of flying. Keeping prices competitive meant airlines had to be more ruthless about the bottom line, said Fred Lazar, an associate professor of economics at York University.

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In the U.S., there are no FAA age limits for pilots except for commercial airline pilots employed by airlines certificated under 14 CFR Part 121. These airlines cannot employ pilots after they reach the age of 65. However, these pilots may stay on with a Part 121 carrier in some other role, such as flight engineer.

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The air travel boom in the US appears to be fading. Purchases by US consumers directly from major domestic airlines declined across the board in the second quarter, marking the first drop in more than two years, according to Bloomberg Second Measure.

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The main aspect of in-flight health that most of us will encounter is tiredness and changes to circadian rhythms. Flying often involves getting up at unsociable hours, inadequate sleep and messing up the body clock — all of which leave us more susceptible to being hit nastily by any bugs that may be floating about.

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Comparing greenhouse gas emissions Essentially, one long flight releases the equivalent of nearly 14 percent of the annual emissions from your car. The same route, when driven, will result in the release of 1.26 tons of carbon emissions.

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You are NEVER too old to travel. Because getting old IS just a number. There are, however, plenty of other things that enter the equation that come hand in hand with age. It is THESE things that you should take into account before you buy that plane ticket.

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Ability to travel is not a function of age, says Schaefer, who writes a blog about senior travel. It's determined by your physical and mental fitness.

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Since commercial flights are pressurized to 6000 – 8000 ft, older adults with stable cardiovascular disease should be able to fly without risk.

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