Long on style and comfort

By DEIDRE KERR

When tidying up the bookcase (two cartons in the garage), I came across a project my husband had done in 1950 when he was a pupil at Tapu School.

Called "Air Ways of the World," it made for some interesting comparisons between the services offered by the airlines he had researched 50 years ago and those offered today.

According to a carefully pasted-in brochure, dated September 1950, BCPA (British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines) could offer a return flight to London from Auckland at a cost of 502 pounds 4s.

It was the only DC-6 service across the Pacific and - so much for today's airlines offering new "sleeper seats" - the only "full sleeper service." Not only that, they also gave all passengers taking the through ticket to London a special $15 ($US, I presume) allowance on arrival in North America to cover incidental transit expenses.

How things have changed.

However, it may pay modern travellers to remember: the journey between Australia or New Zealand and Britain did take a "comfortable" four days. (I could just about use my whole travelling wardrobe during that time.)

As for code sharing and that wonderful, allegedly new idea of up to 10 different airlines sharing the one plane - you must have seen all those advertisements bombarding us with the suggestion that airline alliances give the traveller more options when in fact there are fewer and fewer seats, but I digress.

According to my well-preserved Qantas Empire Airways pamphlet, in April 1949 BOAC (the forerunner of British Airways) and Qantas were already sharing passenger services between Sydney and London .

So much for the new idea, guys.

And what romantic-sounding aircraft: Lancastrian, Catalina, Constellation, a Sandringham S.25. Compare those to Boeing, Boeing ... Boeing.

Perhaps the modern business-class passenger who clamours for the upper deck will be interested to know that even this is not an innovation.

TEAL (Tasman Empire Airways Ltd) boasted upper and lower decks on its Solent and Empire class flying boats in the 1940s, and offered a fresh-cooked food service - though my young informant does not elaborate as to whether this was done on board.

But as crossing the Tasman took nine-and-a-half hours, I must presume it was, and one can imagine the appetising aromas that permeated the cabins.

Not to be outdone, Pan American advertised the "new Double Decked America-Class CLIPPER" on which they offered a "deep refreshing sleep" in their sound-proofed, airconditioned sleeper accommodation on the main upper deck.

However, some things have changed for the better: ladies do not need to wear hats and gloves while travelling, propellers no longer have to be turned by hand before starting the engines, passengers don't need to bring their ration cards along, smoking has been abolished and it only takes 24 hours to cross the world.

And telephones on board, you say? Nothing new in that. Pan American had a radiogram service.

A what?

Well, you filled out this form, gave it to the captain and he ... and that's another story.