by Pa Rock
Nostalgia Buff
My oldest son, Nick, is forty-four-years-old. I sometimes become confused at his age by a year or so in either direction, probably because he has been around so long, but today I know his age for a fact. He is forty-four.
Nick was born at Camp Kue Hospital, a U.S. Army facility on the island of Okinawa way back in July of 1973. He lived there for a little less than two months when he boarded a plane with his parents and flew back to what would become his permanent home in Missouri - by way of Guam, Honolulu, and Los Angeles. By the time he finally arrived in Missouri he had left his mark and DNA, via dirty diapers, across much of the globe.
Nick took his first plane ride, the one that lifted him off of Okinawa, on the evening of September 17th, 1973. I am positive about that date because I recently came across the boarding passes that his mother and I used to get on that plane that night.
Besides reminding of the exact date of that flight from Naha, Okinawa to Honolulu with a gas stop on Guam, those boarding passes also offer a unique view into the issue of what commercial flight was like four decades ago.
Our airline was TWA (Trans-World Airline) a major carrier of the times that had once been owned by real billionaire, Howard Hughes. (TWA went our of service in 2001, hence many young people may not have even heard of it.) Our flight number (742), the passes also had stickers with our seat numbers (17 A and 17 B). We were in the coach or economy section.
In addition to all of that factual information on the front of each boarding pass, there was also a statement on the back of the passes which gave a lot of insight into the flying culture of the times. It read:
Our tickets were purchased by the military and we had no choice in seat assignments. I don't have a memory of any of our fellow passengers, but I suspect that most were lighting up and blowing smoke toward our baby. It's the way things were back then. The adults "settled back" with cigarettes and watched adult-oriented movies while the goody-two-shoes got their smoke secondhand and were stuck with Disney!
And that's the way it was - back in the day with TWA!
Nostalgia Buff
My oldest son, Nick, is forty-four-years-old. I sometimes become confused at his age by a year or so in either direction, probably because he has been around so long, but today I know his age for a fact. He is forty-four.
Nick was born at Camp Kue Hospital, a U.S. Army facility on the island of Okinawa way back in July of 1973. He lived there for a little less than two months when he boarded a plane with his parents and flew back to what would become his permanent home in Missouri - by way of Guam, Honolulu, and Los Angeles. By the time he finally arrived in Missouri he had left his mark and DNA, via dirty diapers, across much of the globe.
Nick took his first plane ride, the one that lifted him off of Okinawa, on the evening of September 17th, 1973. I am positive about that date because I recently came across the boarding passes that his mother and I used to get on that plane that night.
Besides reminding of the exact date of that flight from Naha, Okinawa to Honolulu with a gas stop on Guam, those boarding passes also offer a unique view into the issue of what commercial flight was like four decades ago.
Our airline was TWA (Trans-World Airline) a major carrier of the times that had once been owned by real billionaire, Howard Hughes. (TWA went our of service in 2001, hence many young people may not have even heard of it.) Our flight number (742), the passes also had stickers with our seat numbers (17 A and 17 B). We were in the coach or economy section.
In addition to all of that factual information on the front of each boarding pass, there was also a statement on the back of the passes which gave a lot of insight into the flying culture of the times. It read:
Where Would You Like to Sit?
Will you be settling back with a cigarette? Or do you prefer to sit in the section for non-smokers? TWA lets you pick the seat that suits your style of flying. We're the first airline to offer this choice on every flight.
If its a movie flight, the film you choose at check-in time determines where you sit. The mature movie is in the smoking section, the general movie in the area for non-smokers. Check the airport marquees for the announcement of films of your flight - also for the sections they're shown in.
Where the flight has no reserved seats, the front rows of both First Class and Coach/Economy are for non-smokers. Look for the signs on board.
Our tickets were purchased by the military and we had no choice in seat assignments. I don't have a memory of any of our fellow passengers, but I suspect that most were lighting up and blowing smoke toward our baby. It's the way things were back then. The adults "settled back" with cigarettes and watched adult-oriented movies while the goody-two-shoes got their smoke secondhand and were stuck with Disney!
And that's the way it was - back in the day with TWA!
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