This story originally appeared on the Gents Cafe Newsletter. You can subscribe here.
Images on magnetic tape flicker in succession as a spinning mirror-drum, and revolving disc project (and resurrect) a way of life lost to the ages. In this film we see painted hot air balloons adorning the bulkhead of a 1958 Pan-Am Boeing 707. Six passengers laugh and mingle, seated in the round upon a cushioned booth as flight stewardesses deliver complimentary meals and beverages on trays of sterling silver. A centerpiece of potted flowers adorns the table. A crisp baritone voice that could only belong to a mid-century American man narrates in a bygone accent:
“A new concept in air transportation! The travail has been taken out of travel. This is the atmosphere on a jet-clipper flight. Delicious food adds to the enjoyment. It is prepared in four simultaneously operating galleys, where dishes can be cooked in 5-minute ovens. Scenes of quiet, and living room relaxation – the mood enhanced by lighting that can be changed from the pale pink of dawn, through all the variations, to the dark blue of night…It all goes so fast and it’s so comfortable that you feel as if you haven’t traveled at all. Many hours gained and no sleep lost.”
Now, I can’t speak for any of you, but this advertisement is a far cry from my experiences on modern commercial airlines. I do not consider salted pretzels and Biscoff cookies “delicious food.” Moreover, I am left wondering how we live in the era of smart, color-changing light bulbs yet are left without this simple, mood-enhancing technology when it was an apparent fixture back in 1958.
Beyond my simple nitpicking, social media data, survey data, and a continuous surge in “unruly passengers” also illustrate a different picture – one wherein the average consumer experience with commercial air travel is at an all-time low. The smallest dignities and minute comforts have been stripped away entirely…save for one hidden oasis – the airport lounges.
Whether it be morning, noon, or night, a refuge from the anxiety of invasive security checkpoints, swarms of crowds, and the discomfort of insufficient gate seating can be found in the private lounges. Here you can indulge in simpler luxuries – an assortment of hot meals, endless coffee and tea options, a refreshing shower, a fully stocked and staffed wet bar, leisure reading, and the company of other, more at-ease travelers who similarly believe that the process of flying from one location to another warrants a degree of civility and comfort.
I encourage you, if you haven’t done so already, to hide away with me. If you are planning an escape to a faraway land, or merely across state/provincial lines, there is no better way to start the journey than by relaxing in a private lounge. You’ll certainly find me there, sitting comfortably with ample room, casually reading the newest issue of WM BROWN and nursing a gin martini. Stop by and drink with me to numb the impending travail that lies ahead and cheers to the next lounge in waiting.
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