As the US series Pan Am makes its debut in the UK, taking viewers back to the golden age of flying, Cheapflights.co.uk surveys its users asking whether it was really such a golden time. The survey questioned travellers on various factors, from complimentary blankets and pillows, to smoking versus non-smoking flights and baggage fees. Each question presented a then versus…
As the US series Pan Am makes its debut in the UK, taking viewers back to the golden age of flying, Cheapflights.co.uk surveys its users asking whether it was really such a golden time.
The survey questioned travellers on various factors, from complimentary blankets and pillows, to smoking versus non-smoking flights and baggage fees. Each question presented a then versus now option to determine which era of flight was favoured.
After having considered all the factors presented, users were then asked which era they preferred. Surprisingly, opinion was divided almost evenly, with 51 per cent choosing ‘now’ compared with 49 per cent who said ‘then’.
"As much as travellers today wax lyrical about the ‘good old days’ before flying became a hassle, when they compared what is better now to what was better before, the tech age nosed out the jet age in popularity," says Nadine Hallak, Travel Expert for Cheapflights.co.uk.
"There was a huge preference for modern amenities such as self-check-in, eticketing and modern day entertainment. This demonstrates how much the online world has changed the face of travel and, in the end, how modern convenience wins out over the luxury and service of the past," adds Hallak.
A total of around 600 people took part in the survey. The gender split of respondents was 50 per cent male compared with 48 per cent female and two per cent who preferred not to highlight a gender. More than 80 per cent of respondents were over 40 years of age.
Despite the preference for online check-in and in-flight Wi-Fi, travellers were nostalgic for some of the perks of golden age flying. For example, 86 per cent longed for the days when baggage fees weren’t charged; 80 per cent were nostalgic for complimentary in-flight meals and snacks on all flights; 91 per cent wanted the return of the complimentary cocktail on all flights and 60 per cent want to see the return of peanuts on all flights.
The days of yore did have some drawbacks, such as smoking flights, which 89 per cent of travellers voted against, preferring the clean air of today’s flights. When it came to entertainment, 78 per cent of travellers were also in favour of today’s complimentary movies and in-flight Wi-Fi, compared with the complimentary in-flight magazines of the past.
On quirkier topics such as how to refer to flight crew, opinion was split, with 40 per cent favouring the term stewardess and another 40 per cent favouring the term flight attendant. When it came to style versus comfort for passengers, 82 per cent preferred today’s style for travelling in comfortable clothing compared to the past, when travellers dressed up to fly.
Given the debate over the introduction of body scanners at airport security, it was surprising that 81 per cent of Brits were in favour of body scanners compared with the pat-downs of the past.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
