2. Flights Were Five Times as Risky Back Then
No only did you pay about five times more for your tickets back in the day, you had five times greater odds of being injured or killed, too. Statistically speaking, there were plenty more airplane crashes and accidents in that so called golden era. Today, flying is one of the safest forms of travel, with only 1.33 fatalities per 100K hours of flight. Back in 1952, that number was 5.2 fatalities, even considering that the amount of passengers on American airline carriers is up 42 times over the past 60 years. Back then, landing in fog was hazardous. Mid-air collisions happened relatively frequently. Engines dropping off of airplanes was shockingly commonplace. Turbulence caused more injuries (including neck snapping!) due to lower cabin ceilings and inferior seat belts. Glass dividers that once separated economy from first class could shatter. Even airplane bathroom design was full of sharp edges and safety snafus that wouldn’t cut it in today’s strict standards. Maybe we should stop and appreciate all the little advancements we’ve made over the years rather than whine about not getting peanuts anymore.
