Come Fly With Me

Are you traveling by air this holiday season? Travel in the past has seemed so glamorous - loading your steamer trunk onto a passenger ship (unless, of course, it's the Titanic, Lusitania, or other famous disaster), flying in a propeller plane.  Maybe we've watched old movies too many times, or too many Indiana Jones movies (where you see Indy's itinerary traced out on a map), but in our heads, every time we get on our plane and sit in our economy class seat and are served our lackluster airplane meal (if we get one), it's a bit disappointing.  Whether you are an armchair traveler or heading out into the wild blue yonder this season - well, you can dream, can't you?  Or, at least, check out what travel was really like in the past.

Jet Set: The People, The Planes, The Glamour, and The Romance in Aviation's Glory Years  by William Stadiem

In October 1958, Pan American World Airways began making regularly scheduled flights between New York and Paris, courtesy of its newly minted wonder jet, the Boeing 707. Almost overnight, the moneyed celebrities of the era made Europe their playground. At the same time, the dream of international travel came true for thousands of ordinary Americans who longed to emulate the "jet set" lifestyle. Bestselling author and Vanity Fair contributor William Stadiem brings that Jet Age dream to life again in the first-ever book about the glamorous decade when Americans took to the skies in massive numbers as never before, with the rich and famous elbowing their way to the front of the line. Dishy anecdotes and finely rendered character sketches re-create the world of luxurious airplanes, exclusive destinations, and beautiful, wealthy trendsetters who turned transatlantic travel into an inalienable right. 

Airline: Style at 30,000 Feet 

written and designed by Keith Lovegrove

This fascinating book examines every aspect of airline style, from the company liveries and interior designs of planes to advertising, haute couture and airborne haute cuisine. Divided into four sections covering fashion, food, interior design and identity, Airline shows how airborne culture has changed since the 1920s. The book spans the conservative to the outrageous, from saris to hotpants, from Hugh Hefner's private jet to the huge Airbus A380. A wide selection of retro styles are illustrated with illuminating archive material and images of ephemera. Airline uncovers the style, image and experience of the parallel universe that exists at 39,000 feet.   *book blurbs are taken from the catalog unless otherwise noted  Links   Take a One-Way Trip from Tatty to Natty [Slate]   All Aboard AirBnB's Airplane Apartment [Messy Nessy Chic]   Come Fly Away [RL Magazine]   What It Was Really Like to Fly During the Golden Age of Travel [Fast Company]  Forget 1960, The Golden Age Is Now [New York Times]   The Endless Holiday [Vanity Fair]