The first-class section of a passenger plane in the 1950s.
Authenticated News/Getty Images
Modern commercial air travel pales in comparison to the pampered flying experience of the 1960s.
Luxury air travel is still alive and well in the first-class cabins of the world's leading airlines.
Brands like Pan Am have given way to Singapore Airlines, Emirates, and Etihad.
Flying these days can be a slog.
For most of us, it's something we tolerate as a means to get from point A to point B. It's no longer a special occasion. For the traveling masses, commercial flying has been reduced to the essence of what it is: public transportation.
Things didn't used to be this way. We've all been regaled with tales of the Golden Age of air travel: spacious seats, cosseting service, fine wines, and gourmet meals.
However, the glamour of the Golden Age has not completely vanished. It's still alive and well in the first-class cabins of the world's leading airlines like Singapore Airlines, Emirates, and Etihad.
Additionally, flying, in general, is significantly more safe and reliable than it was decades ago. According to data from the Flight Safety Foundation, the rate of fatal airliner accidents decreased from 4.2 per 1 million flights in 1977 to around 0.3 per million flights in 2023.
And then there's the inflight experience. Modern first-class cabins offer a greater degree of privacy, comfort, technology, and personalization than the jet set could have ever imagined. With prices that could top $40,000 for a round-trip, these tickets are far from affordable. Then again, neither was first class during the Golden Age of Flight.
Here's a closer look at how first-class air travel has changed over the past 70 years.
The age of jet-powered scheduled passenger air travel kicked off in 1952 with the De Havilland Comet 1. However, a series of fatal crashes forced the plane to be grounded for modifications.
Crew members wave after the first commercial flight of the de Havilland DH Comet 1, the world's first jetliner, in 1952.
STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images
Even though later versions of the jet, such as the Comet 3 seen here, would go on to serve successfully in airline fleets around the world, it was no longer at the forefront of the industry.
A Comet 3 plane.
Museum of Flight/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images
While the Comet was dealing with its troubles, it was overtaken by the Boeing 707 and the Douglas DC-8 as the jet-powered workhorses of the airline industry.
A Boeing 707.
AP
The jetliners of the era, while not quite as refined as today's aircraft, were faster and smoother than their propeller-powered contemporaries.
A Douglas DC-8 aircraft.
AP
The capabilities of the jetliner served as a great complement to the first-class services provided by the world's airlines, such as gourmet meals.
Passengers eat on a first-class flight in the 1950s.
Authenticated News/Getty Images
Reclining seats included footrests and leaned almost all the way back.
Passengers recline in their seats on a first-class flight in the 1950s.
Getty Images
Cocktail lounges were also a feature of the first-class flying experience in the 1950s.
A flight attendant serves cocktails in the lounge of a new Pan Am Boeing 707, circa 1958.
Pictorial Parade/Archive Photos/Getty Images
The introduction of the double-decker Boeing 747 jumbo jet in 1970 took first-class service to new heights.
A Boeing 747.
AP
The extra width of the 747's cabin gave airlines the ability to up their games even further.
First-class passengers in a BOAC Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet are served lunch.
Fox Photos/Getty Images
The first-class cabin's gourmet dining remained.
Flight attendants serve first-class passengers with drinks and refreshments on board a Boeing 747.
Fox Photos/Getty Images
Flutes of Champagne were an added bonus.
A flight attendant serves Champagne to first-class passengers on a Boeing 747.
Tim Graham/Getty Images
Spiral staircases led to the 747's upper deck lounge.
First-class passengers on a Boeing 747.
Fox Photos/Getty Images
Some early jumbo jets were even equipped with pianos.
A first-class lounge on a Boeing 747.
Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images
Between 1976 and 2003, Air France and British Airways passengers had the opportunity to fly on the Concorde supersonic airliner.
A Concorde supersonic airliner.
AP
Its speed came at the expense of a smaller cabin, but passengers were still treated to fine wines and gourmet meals.
A flight attendant serves food and drinks in the first-class cabin of a Concorde.
M. McKeown/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
During the 1990s, airlines began to introduce 180-degree lie-flat seats to their first-class cabins along with improved in-flight entertainment.
All Nippon Airways first-class seats in 1996.
Stringer/Reuters
By the late 1990s, a new generation of first-class cabins with added privacy began to take shape, which would play a huge role in the development of today's business-class seats.
The first-class cabin on board a Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-400 in 1998.
Reuters
The next leap forward for first-class cabins coincided with the arrival of the Airbus A380.
An Airbus A380.
Pascal Rossignol/Reuters
The massive double-decker entered service with Singapore Airlines in 2007.
A Singapore Airlines Airbus A380.
Tim Chong/Reuters
The enclosed first-class suite on the A380 afforded passengers an extra measure of privacy.
A first-class suite on a Singapore Airlines Airbus A380.
Vivek Prakash/Reuters
Two suites could even be merged to create a couple's suite.
A couple's suite on a Singapore Airlines Airbus A380.
Pascal Parrot/Getty Images
Dubai's Emirates is the A380's largest customer with more than 120 aircraft in the fleet.
An Emirates Airbus A380.
Emirates
Emirates has also launched its own first-class suites.
A first-class suite on an Emirates Airbus A380.
Emirates
Amenities include access to an in-flight shower.
The first-class bathroom on an Emirates Airbus A380.
Emirates
However, the ultimate first-class experience comes courtesy of Etihad.
An Etihad Airways Airbus A380.
Markus Mainka/Shutterstock
In 2014, the Abu Dhabi-based airline introduced the Residence first-class suite on board its A380s.
The living room onboard one of Etihad's A380.
Etihad Airways via Getty Images
Each 125-square-foot, three-room suite features an en suite bathroom with a shower.
The Residence bathroom with a shower.
Etihad Airways via Getty Images
It also includes a private bedroom and a personal butler.
The Residence's bedroom.
Etihad Airways via Getty Images
There is only one Residence suite per aircraft, and tickets can cost more than $41,000 for a round trip between New York and Abu Dhabi.
An Etihad Airways butler.
MARWAN NAAMANI/AFP via Getty Images
Etihad also offers a 45-square-foot first-class suite called The Apartment with access to a shared shower and a lounge stocked with beverages.
The Apartment suite on an Etihad Airbus A380.
KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images
In 2017, Emirates introduced its next generation of first-class suites on its fleet of Boeing 777 airliners.
An interior view of the first-class suite on an Emirates Boeing 777.
Christian Charisius/picture alliance via Getty Images
They were the industry's first suites to be enclosed from floor to ceiling, effectively making them flying hotel rooms.
A first-class suite on board Emirates' Boeing 777.
Christian Charisius/picture alliance via Getty Images
The suites even come with artificial windows that use cameras mounted to the plane's fuselage to give the passengers a view of the outside world.
Meal service inside a first-class suite in an Emirates Boeing 777.
Christian Charisius/picture alliance via Getty Images
In 2017, Singapore Airlines also announced it would spend $850 million on a new generation of first-class suites for its fleet of Airbus A380s.
A Singapore Airlines first-class suite.
James D. Morgan/Getty Images
Two suites can be joined to create a two-passenger mega-suite.
A first-class suite on Singapore Airlines' A380 aircraft.
James D. Morgan/Getty Images
Although not every airline's first-class cabin features a full suite, the common features these days are large, comfortable seats, fancy beverages, and delicious food.
A first-class seat on a Boeing 777-300ER.
David Slotnick/Business Insider
In 2023, Japan Airlines debuted new first-class cabins on its Airbus A350-1000 featuring 43-inch TVs and speakers built into the headrests.
A first-class suite on Japan Airlines.
Japan Airlines
United Airlines is also upgrading its first-class seats with features like wireless charging, privacy barriers, and Bluetooth-enabled 13-inch seat-back screens.
United Airlines' new first-class seats.
United Airlines
This story was originally published in May 2019. It was most recently updated in March 2024.
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