Since we're pre-9/11, anyone have good memories of the airport and flying from the last of the good ol' days?
Posted by MajesticEmergency@reddit | Xennials | View on Reddit | 214 comments
My parents divorced when I was still young and I moved out of state with my mom after. I used to fly cross country to see my dad once or twice a year as a kid.
I used to really like flying before TSA and the greyhound of the skies shit we live with now. I loved domestic flights on DC-10 planes with all that wide body plane space of an international plane, the escorting to the gate by family, the meeting at the gate by family when arriving, the food service, and everything really. I used to get to special order a Happy Meal to be served on United. It was actually pretty awesome. I remember the planes having ashtrays in the arm rests that were all dirtied/gross still from when people used to be allowed to smoke on planes apparently (I can't imagine smoking happening on a plane lol).
Did you guys have memories of good flying as kids?
Organic_Incident4634@reddit
I grew up in Rhode Island and my grandparents lived in Florida. I miss being young and having my parents walk me to the gate and see my grandparents waiting for me when I got off the plane. Now I live in New Hampshire and my mother lives in Florida and my kids will never know that rush of freedom being sent off by themselves.
exceptionalnugget@reddit
Two grams of weed in my sock to get me through a week of spring break back home, March ‘01
IvyLynn32@reddit
I would put it in my outside pocket in my luggage. Could always pretend you don't know how it got there. However never had any issues.
IvyLynn32@reddit
Right before 9/11 I have a picture of my son being held by the pilot in the cockpit. This doesn't happen anymore I think
Gem2081@reddit
I visited the cockpit and got photos with the pilots every plane trip we took. There were dozens!
pizzabirthrite@reddit
I miss saying goodbye at the gate.
Curtainmachine@reddit
Opposite for me. I miss getting off the plane to the smiling faces of the people who came to pick me up as I walked off the jetway, and conversely picking people up and waiting for them to walk out rather than driving in circles past baggage claim while cops blow whistles and yell “keep it movin!”
Squirrel_Master82@reddit
Yeah, one of my core memories is walking off the plane and embracing my mom, who was in tears. I was too young to understand why she was crying. Thought she was sad about something.
Also, I liked flying as an unaccompanied minor and getting to go up into the cockpit where the captain gave you a golden wings pin.
Beneficial_Potato_85@reddit
My grandpa was a chief mechanic for the old Northwest Airlines. So naturally we flew with them to Florida in 1992/1993. I'll never forget getting the Northwest wings pinned on my shirt. I was so cool. To top it all off I got to meet two big WWF wrestlers at the gate! Tug Boat and Razor Ramone. I was so intimidated that my dad had to break the ice for me.
emscape@reddit
OMG! My grandpa worked for Northwest too! Maybe they were friends!
Beneficial_Potato_85@reddit
At their hub in Minneapolis/St.Paul?
emscape@reddit
Yup! They lived in Richfield
Beneficial_Potato_85@reddit
Nice. I am literally 2 blocks north of Richfield in South Minneapolis. Just north of hwy 62 near 60th and Penn. It's okay people I'm not doxing myself.
novisimo@reddit
I feel like wwf wrestlers were always on the road flying everywhere. My dad got my macho man autograph. A picture would have been cooler, but there was a time when people didn't have a camera on them at all times.
Beneficial_Potato_85@reddit
Yup, autograph in my school notebook had to do for me.
fromthedarqwaves@reddit
And then standing at the window waiting for them to taxi away.
EmmalouEsq@reddit
My cousin was in the military and we'd take him to the gate and hang out with him when he'd visit. We'd being snacks and make jokes while we waited for him to board. That was always fun.
Then my first trip abroad at 18, it was so nice having my parents meet me at the gate when I got off the plane so I could immediately start telling them all about what we saw and did. Plus I didn't have to deal with my bags because my dad carried them for me all the way.
Man, now I miss pre 9/11 travel and my dad
EdwardDorito@reddit
My coolest airplane experience was probably flying on Christmas Day 1996 from Jacksonville, Florida to Manchester, New Hampshire. I guess it was not a busy or popular flight plan. It was a smaller plane but still decent sized and besides my family there were literally 2 other passengers. It was kind of eerie at first but then the stewardesses kind of treated it like a break and they took care of us but it was super relaxed. Extra food and drinks for all. We even got to stick our head in the cabin and say hello to the pilot. I was 10 so it was super cool.
The trippiest part, other than feeling like we had a whole plane to ourselves was the stewardesses letting my brother play with a toy he had just got for Christmas that morning, in the aisle. It was a knockoff GI JOE type guy who when you pushed a button he actually kind of crawled, in a rudimentary way, stopping ever so often to fire his M16, with sound effect. He would go to the back of the plane and set the dude down and he would just crawl up and down the center aisle, to the cabin door, stopping to shoot his little gun, and then back to the rear, over and over again. It was surreal and very very pre-9/11 lol
When we finally got to Manchester, i don't know if the airport is still this small, and I mean this in the best possible way, but it was the coziest, dinkiest airport I have ever been in. Compared to Jacksonville International or Orlando or LaGuardia or Logan or anywhere else i have ever flown, it was like a little log cabinesque place
imtooldforthishison@reddit
When my dad would take us to the airport to fly us back to our mother and we could see him waving through the window until we couldn't see the window anymore.
Pinkkorn69@reddit
I was a rotary exchange student in the late 90s and loved seeing my parents just outside the sliding door of customs. I hadn't seen them for a year and it was nice to see them versus having to wind through all of the airport and then we walked to the parking lot together. Not rushed or stressed. Just us.
thisismynewnewacct@reddit
I graduated in 2000 and remember going to the gate to greet my relatives coming in from out of town for the ceremony. Seems insane now.
robkillian@reddit
sleepy_unicorn40@reddit
My friends and I would hang out at the airport watching people come out of the terminal. We were big people watchers and make up stories of their life.
Lived in a small town. It was the airport or cemetery.
kzthree@reddit
I got to sit in the cockpit after a flight from STL to O'Hare. Took pics with the pilot and all. Can't do that now a days.
cryingpotato49@reddit
Getting a paper ticket printed out
MajesticEmergency@reddit (OP)
I honestly still have a hard time not printing out my boarding passes at check-in lol
moonbunnychan@reddit
I print it. One time when I was flying my phone just completely died right as we were boarding. Like not dropped or anything, the screen just stopped working out of nowhere. Anyway I had a total panic attack and very nearly missed my flight, so ever since then I've ALWAYS wanted a paper one.
inspectorendoffilm@reddit
I print it as a back up but I use my app as long as my phone is working.
Pretend-Tea86@reddit
We still do and you should! We have had situations where our phones/the apps have glitched at the last second, or something wouldn't load right, or whatever. One time we got to the pre-check desk (we both have it, and we have an elementary aged child who's always gotten it on his ticket as well since we both have it), and my husband was told our child didnt have pre-check so one of us would have to double back to the regular line with the kid. Our app clearly said pre check on all three tickets, but the guy at the desk didnt care, "it didnt scan that way." So we showed him the paper tickets with pre-check and he was like "oh OK then go ahead."
Im pretty sure that was one of those "that shouldn't have happened that way" situations, but we were glad we had the printed tickets.
FradinRyth@reddit
I know! I want that printed one as back up even though I fully know I'll be using my phone the whole time.
Embarrassed_Rate5518@reddit
its like checking to make sure youre gate exists. its a weird thing we logically know we dont need to do but we all do it.
MarandTierra@reddit
I still like going to the kiosk to print it. Would rather have it on hand than fiddle with the app on my phone
inspectorendoffilm@reddit
And mailed to you well in advance, and you better not lose the tickets!!!
Traditional_Entry183@reddit
My family was so lucky we got paper tickets printed in Germany coming home from our last trip this summer. Our flight was rerouted and the airline tried to pre-cancel our connecting flight while we were still in the air, but we got there before the plane took off, I ran to the gate, and begged them to let us on. The paper ones saved us.
MightyCaseyStruckOut@reddit
Showing up to the airport 15 minutes before boarding time.
Indubitalist@reddit
Just imagine how many millions of passenger hours have been wasted in those lines waiting on security. The terrorists, in many ways, did win.
abellaviola@reddit
And walking all the way to the gate with whoever was dropping you off!
Eric848448@reddit
I flew with a paper ticket in late 2005!
Beneficial_Potato_85@reddit
I hope so. No one had smart phones yet. What else would you have used?
icberg7@reddit
Some airlines (e.g. American Airlines) were still printing tickets into the 2010s. Even then it felt antiquated because everyone else had switched to thermal paper.
Icy-Finance5042@reddit
I had my first plane ride last May and have 2 paper tickets. One for going and the other coming back.
Illustrious_Drama@reddit
I served on a jury, and the defendants whereabouts during a certain time were a factor. The defense entered his plane tickets as evidence, and I was suspicious AF that this man had paper tickets in 2021
Background-Student62@reddit
Yes! I went to Belize in 1990 with only my grandma and a birth certificate.
kjb76@reddit
Absolutely. I flew all the time starting in the late 70s. I had a situation in the 90s where I was going to miss my flight home (abroad) for Christmas because the first one was delayed due to weather. I was going from a domestic terminal to an international one at JFK and the flight attendant helped me grab my stuff, we got on one of those golf cart type things and we zipped through the airport. We got to the metal detectors, she gave me my boarding pass and said “Gate X. Run. They’re waiting for you. I’ll bring your stuff.” I ran through the metal detector with her yelling behind me “It’s ok! She’s with me!” I ran to the gate, tossed my boarding pass to the agent and ran down the jetway and got on the plane. The flight attendant came a few minutes after with my carry on and all was good. I made it home on time. My parents wrote a thank you letter to America Airlines.
DrenAss@reddit
That is the exact opposite of every American Airlines experience I've ever had. They've left me stranded for 2 days before when they couldn't get their shit together. I gave up and drove home from DC to Michigan.
catashtrophy80@reddit
When I was maybe 8, my mom and aunt went on a trip together. We didn't travel much and it was my first time at an airport. The flight attendant let us come on the plane after everyone boarded and say "bye mommy" over the intercom. I remember she got up from her seat and came to the front of the plane to give us a big hug.
Remote_Bumblebee2240@reddit
In the 80s my family flew across the country with 2 kittens one Christmas. My mother is/was cheap whenever possible, and was not going to pay the $60 pet fee for each kitten. So she popped those little fur nuggets in a purse, covered it with her jacket so she looked pregnant and we all headed to "security". As we got there, the kittens started mewing, so she whisper hisses "start singing!" at me and my siblings. We shrieked out a blasphemous rendition of "JiNgLe BeLLs!!!" to cover their little squeaks, and TSA couldn't shuffle us through fast enough.
Nothing keeps 3 kids under 8 more happily engaged than 2 bootleg kittens on an airplane with actual leg room.
And that's how my mother became a kitten smuggler.
RedSolez@reddit
I miss meals being served on even short domestic flights. It is so frustrating to fly as a parent and have to worry about feeding everyone in the process, especially when the flight itself is at a meal time and we can't bring liquids through security. It just makes for either a logistical headache or an expensive venture paying for food in the airport. Also, their definition of "domestic" doesn't factor in the size of our country. When we flew nonstop from NJ to Hawaii, that's 10 hours of flight time with no meals served. Considering the time to board and deplane, you have to pack enough food on your person to be good for about 12 hours. It's insane.
greasydenim@reddit
I went to University of Hawaii - Hilo in 98-99. Back then you could buy a 6pack of one-way vouchers for inter-island flights. It cost $300 for all six. You could show up at the airport, write the island/airport you wanted to go to on the blank voucher, and walk on the plane.
MarandTierra@reddit
No way! I’ve had to pay $200 just to get from HNL to Maui before when Hawaiian Airlines had a monopoly. But now that Southwest is there I hope prices for inter-island travel has dropped somewhat.
greasydenim@reddit
Back then I think there was Hawaiian air and Aloha air
HalifaxArcher@reddit
When I was 18 I flew from Quebec to Ontario and sparked a debate when I asked for a beer. Legal age is 18 in Quebec but 19 in Ontario. The crew talked about it for 10 minutes and then served me a beer, but I definitely remember them knocking on the cabin door and just open it. Oh, I was also in a smoking section.
sassooal@reddit
I flew on 9/9/01 with just a pocketbook stuffed with what I needed for the weekend, which wouldn't get through security today.
There was a long, sad good-bye right at the gate.
TripFisk666@reddit
Not needing to get to the airport half the day before your flight to account for security delays.
Also, driving across the Canada-US border without a passport.
phonymaroney@reddit
My high school friends would play Hide n Seek at the airport on Fri/Sat nights. There were boundaries about how far you could go and bathrooms were off limits. But yeah, it was a thing.
oldmamallama@reddit
My mom used to travel for work conferences. I remember picking her up with my dad and meeting her at the gate with flowers. Yeah, they were gross/cute like that.
Boring-Gas-8903@reddit
I lived near the Houston Hobby airport so my high school friends and I used to go hang out at the airport gates and just sit and people watch/ watch the planes take off and eat at the airport restaurants.
When my east coast friends would come to visit, I would dress up in weird costumes and have funny signs with their faces on them and meet them at the gate to try to embarrass them in front of their fellow passengers when they got off the plane. It was hilarious.
berthejew@reddit
Lived behind a small airport in the 90s. All flights were outside boarding. I remember walking my grandmother across the tarmac to the plane. My mom worked there at a rental car place and used to have to take us to work with her. So we spent hours screwing around in that terminal. Rode the baggage carousel, went out to the ATC tower and watched them work, sat in cockpits, stole airline trays of food. Was fun.
andiinAms@reddit
Flew to Paris when I was 17 and smoked a cigarette on the plane; wild to think about now.
I also have stuffed a bag of coke and ecstasy pills in my socks to fly from NY to Boston. Can’t believe I had the balls to do that, even pre-911. Wtf was I thinking.
Now I’m a boring old lady who doesn’t even drink anymore lol
Disastrous-Tourist61@reddit
Not long after 9/11 but before they installed millimeter scanners at the airport I cut a hole on the inside of my jeans at the doubled over section at the top to hide an 1/8th of weed. When we got to our destination my wife freaked out.
berthejew@reddit
Detroit to Texarkana- I cut open some tampons and snuck an eighth in prerolls in em. 3 in a tube, glue the bottom chunk with the string back on and seal the wrapper again. Just tossed em in the bottom of my bag- no man is usually gonna open up and inspect a tampon 😆
Also snuck rolls on back in the day the same way
unbalancedcentrifuge@reddit
I remember when someone you knew had a longer layover in the airport in your town, then you would go to the gate and hang out with them until their next flight. We also had american airline silverware in our house.
Traditional_Entry183@reddit
Most of my flights were between 95 and 2000 in college actually. Ive only flown twice since then, and both times international.
erino3120@reddit
Movies on the big screen, people meeting you at the gate, blankets/headphones/snacks were plentiful, more space and freedom to move around. Don’t miss the smoking.
SidFinch99@reddit
If I remember correctly, you used to be able to carry something like s swish army knife with you, as long as the blade was below a certain a length. Before 9/11, a lot of guys I knew I had one attached to their key chains, came in handy for all sorts of little things. Never know when you're going to need a short little screw driver.
After 9/11 I was like, what I am supposed to do if I survive a crash and I'm stuck on a deserted island?
Also, the attempted shoe bomber was after 9/11, that made things way worse. Taking off my shoes is a royal pain in the a$$.
Grey_Mare@reddit
One time my younger brother brought an entire backpack full of rocks he collected at the lake through security. My mom told him if he could carry it he could have it. I can’t imagine that would make it through today!
-piso_mojado-@reddit
I’ve got a few.
3rd grade my parents flew me off to play summer league lacrosse in MA, staying with my buddy’s dad (his parents divorced). All parties involved had only ever spoken on the phone for a couple minutes at most. And although you could go to the gate, my buddy had flown multiple times so my parents just dropped us at the 5 minute parking. Literally put 2 3rd graders on a plane by themselves. I had never played lacrosse before and was gone for a month. I’ve since been told there was no exchange of money for room and board. Granted my buddy basically lived at my house the next summer.
I was 12. My parents put me on a plane by myself to fly to the Caribbean to hang with my dad’s 2nd cousin’s ex husband. I have no idea how this even came to be a thing. Super weird saying it now, but it was one of the best summers of my life. Spear fished lobsters and some kind of redfish and cooked them over fire on random uninhabited island beach. Dude was basically all the Jimmy Buffet songs. Not sure what he did for work other than talk on the phone for a few hours a day. Then he fucked off and taught me how to sail. I’m pretty sure I didn’t even have an ID when I got on the plane. And I had never even met or seen a picture of this dude. I just rode away with the guy that had my name on a sign at the airport. I have 2 kids. There’s no way in hell anything about the 2 above scenarios are happening with them.
I have 2 brothers. Neither of them did anything even remotely like this. Pretty sure my parents didn’t like me when I was a kid. lol.
My girlfriend in high school studied abroad summer before senior year. I dropped her off and picked her up at the gate. It was special to me because when she got off the plane she dropped her bag and ignored her parents and literally sprinted straight to hug me. We are still friends, and she works directly with my wife. It just didn’t work out due to us getting scholarships to different universities and the distance factor.
FarmerMom1943@reddit
Family waiting at the gate when I got off the plane.
Embarrassed_Rate5518@reddit
So many. Similarly I also had to go visit a parent cross country. My dad used to walk us on to the plane, pilots would let us hang out in the cockpit mid-flight. FAs would often move us to 1st class bc it was easier to watch us.
It was a good time. now I just convince myself the travel is worth the vacation on the other side.
taleofbenji@reddit
I took a flight from Greece to London in 2000 that still allowed smoking. It was horrible, and even back then seemed wildly outdated.
Glittering_Tea5502@reddit
I haven’t flown since before 9/11 so I don’t really have the experience of the aftermath, but I do miss how simple it used to be. I’m low key afraid of flying since then.
Svinlem@reddit
Flying domestic to do an art show, I boarded the plane with my gear that I was gonna use for a performance. No one cared that I brought a briefcase with handcuffs, knifes, spray cans and beer on the plane. Not very smart to bring the spray cans I suppose, but nothing happened.
bigred49342@reddit
My Dad was a pilot, and i remember he used to take me with him to the airport to drop off paperwork for his schedule. We'd go through security and ride the plane train around and he'd show me all kinds of little hidden things at the airport. Then when we got to where his airline operated out of id get to go out on the ramp with him and we'd go in planes that we were parked and he'd let me sit the cockpit and he and his friends would show me what all the buttons did. I also remember getting to visit the cockpit in the late 80s while the plane was in flight, hell i remember the cockpit doors being open on the flight more often than not so you could see in and marvel at all the dials and switches and levers. I always loved those little trips, im not sure if he ever really knew how much I did. This was in the late 80's and early 90's at ATL and I just remember the airport being this magical place. I wish it was still the same.
foxontherox@reddit
I, too, was an unaccompanied minor flying to visit my dad. My stepmother hated me, so those flights felt like a trip to my own execution.
SadApartment3023@reddit
I used to stick my used pipe and a bag of weed in my bra for security/boarding so it wouldn't get found in a random bag search.
Vivid_Sprinkles_9322@reddit
My dad was born in Chile and when I was 13 I was put on a plane by myself, with a layover in Columbia, for a round trip flight from Miami to Chile. Fun times.
snowypotatoes@reddit
When a new airport opened in my city my parents took us and we just wandered around inside the new airport for a few hours. Shopped, ate lunch, watched airplanes come and go.
Dickrubin14094@reddit
Growing up we didn’t have the money to fly.
beachluvr13@reddit
Walking to the gate to pick my friends up from the airport. Like the actual gate like it was no big deal.
Peanut083@reddit
Was air travel actually inexpensive enough that people did it regularly in the US in the ‘90s? Flying wasn’t something that was typically done domestically in Australia by kids when I was growing up. I certainly didn’t know anyone at school who had flown anywhere within Australia. Even flying internationally was a rare thing, and most of the kids I knew who had flown internationally were born overseas and had immigrated here. I was 21 the first time I went on a plane.
Flying domestically in Australia became more common once Jetstar and Virgin came into the market and started offering cheaper airfares.
Emotional_Dot_5207@reddit
My best friend was going to Europe for a year in high school and I borrowed my moms car and drove to the airport in the city, parked, and ran to the gate to dramatically hug as she was about to enter the jet way.
LilRedForeman@reddit
Anyone else remember getting wings? I was pumped to get mine in the summer of 88.
TrollingForFunsies@reddit
I got to sit in the pilot seat when I got mine! First flight. I was 9. lol
KittySwipedFirst@reddit
My daughter has three pairs of wings. She loves them.
Psychological-Bee702@reddit
I had some but only because my dad’s friend’s wife was a flight attendant for PSA.
Unlucky-Reaction-892@reddit
They still do that. Last year I told the baggage checker it was my son’s first flight and they gave him wings. It was awesome!
WhiskerWizard626@reddit
Yes! I flew by myself when I was 8 (I think) and the flight attendant gave me some wings. She might have given me a coloring page too, but I can't remember.
MajesticEmergency@reddit (OP)
OMG yes. I remember that airline called America West and they gave me wings haha
JaketheSnake319@reddit
I remember as a kid I never saw the metal detector go off at the airport. So I would try to carry change with me to set it off. The first time I flew with a hand full of quarters it didn’t go off. So I added a hand full of pennies too. It went off and this time I had to put large amounts of coins into the little bowl. And I remember the security guy look at me like “why you have so much change?”
TheTinman39@reddit
I was in the same boat. Flew unattended minor from 6 to 18 (though they stopped really caring about the minor part when I was 16). It was a different world.
FormalDinner7@reddit
When I was maybe 7 or 8 (so 1988?) my mom put me on a plane in Detroit to visit her sister in Houston. But! She handed me off to some airline people who put me on a plane and I was like oh this is fine until the pilot announced the plane was going to Austin!
So I said, “I’m supposed to go to my aunt in Houston!”
The adults around me told me to hush so I said it louder, of course, then pushed the call button and told the flight attendants that the plane was going to the wrong place (!😂!) and they told me to hush too.
I remember looking at all these adults and wondering if I screamed, would that stop them from flying me to Austin? Then another flight attendant came bustling up and said, “This little girl is on the wrong plane!”
So they had to go back to the terminal and deplane me and replane me in the right place, and meanwhile my aunt in Houston was told that the second grader she was now responsible for was midair on my way from Detroit to Austin and she was panicking. They were ready to fly her to Austin and hold me there until she could get there when I got off a plane in Houston and was like, “Hellp, Auntie!” She AND the airline workers were very surprised to see me.
mc1rmutant_@reddit
When I was in college, I had a girlfriend who was flying for a trip. Her flight was leaving at like 3 AM January 1, 2000. So, we partied downtown and when the world didn’t end, I took her to the airport and waited at the gate with her until boarding.
Brent_L@reddit
I was telling my kids how you could walk someone to the gate to get on the plane. We see this a lot in pre-9/11 movies. Wild times.
henryhungryhenry@reddit
I remember how excited I was when the “air hostess” asked if my sister and me wanted to see the cockpit and say hello to the pilots. As a child I don’t think I’d ever seen such beautiful ladies before and it all seemed so fancy and sophisticated.
reginaphalange790@reddit
Ok so I’m from Utah, the land of the free and the home of the Mormons. Pre-9/11, church missionaries would depart or arrive on their 2yr church missions. Their friends and family would be able to see them off at the gate. Now they’re delegated to wait past security. It’s interesting to see the unofficial welcoming committees. Also I went to Central America for about six months right around Y2K. Like I flew out 12/27/99 right before. My mom and sisters (OG dad is super dead and stepdad is a dick) took me to the airport to see me off at 20 years old, never having left US soil before. We weren’t sure if my plane was going to fall out of the sky bc of Y2K computer mishap! Our family plan was to stay out wherever we were Anyway our airport send off was most likely interrupted by departing or arriving missionaries and their gigantic families. Whatever. It’s weird to think anyone could just walk up to the gate and fall off the jetway. Side note: Dumb and Dumber airport scene was filmed at SLC early 90s. My sisters and I always joked about falling off the jetway again.
Side note: I don’t live in UT anymore and the last time I flew into SLC it was a disaster of epic proportions. Why so much walking?!
sfseenu@reddit
Had a long layover at Logan. Stashed my carry on in a locker airside, then took the train into the city for the day. Came back to the airport 15 minutes before departure, somewhat smashed from a lot of day drinking. Made it to the flight, of course.
Labor Day 2001. So just the week before 9/11.
crmom22@reddit
I am Canadian. Pre 911 I lived close by the us border. We used to jump in the car and go the states to grab gas and shop. We just needed our drivers license to get through. Now you need a passport drivers licence and whatever else is required. I haven’t been to that states in almost 20 years.
johnvalley86@reddit
The good ol' days for me are when I flew during covid. Plane capacity 120, passengers 39. Sit where ever the fuck you want and stretch out
gerardkimblefarthing@reddit
When we were bored we used to go to the airport in the middle of the night, parking was $.50/hr in coin meters right at the front door, two hour limit. We'd go watch planes land, people arrive, see the two am crew walk around like zombies. Wheelchair races in the subterranean tunnel to the garage. Cheap coffee and danish at the 24hr stand. See who could do the funniest dance on the moving walkways. It was a playground for our late teens, and all we had to do was walk through the metal detectors. No scan, no boarding pass.
LeafyCandy@reddit
I just enjoyed being able to walk around without being considered a suspect of something and being surveilled nonstop. And our nearby airport had a great arcade.
Spartan04@reddit
I remember when my grandma would come to visit when I was a kid she'd usually fly in and I always loved going to the airport and watching the planes from the terminal and then meeting her at the gate. When she left we'd go to the gate with her and say goodbye and then stay for a bit to watch her plane take off.
The first time I flew myself was after 9/11. Air travel was more expensive back then and my family couldn't afford it for vacations or other trips.
chefjro@reddit
All of that. You nailed it .
Stunning_Radio3160@reddit
One of my last pre 9/11airport memories…. I had just graduated HS. A friend of mine was moving to Europe. It was still summer so no one had moved away for college quite yet. All of our friend group showed up at the airport gate to say goodbye. We even have a picture of us all hanging around the terminal. Just 3 months later, everything changed.
Wayfaring_Scout@reddit
I remember getting on a plane in Salt Lake City by myself, after my parents said goodbye at the gate and being greeted by my grandparents in O'Hare at 13 years old. Now im 43 and i would never consider sending my kids to my parents alone, on a plane or not.
So-Called_Lunatic@reddit
In May 2001 my buddy and I went to Jamaica, I was 20, he was 18. At the time you didn't need a passport to get in, just a birth certificate and ID. We check in for flight there, show ID, and BC. We get on the plane, and somehow my friend loses his BC. He's freaking out thinking he's going to miss out on his vacation. We get to immigration he explained the situation, they let him in. There were also no issues getting back to the states on way home.
chunkerton_chunksley@reddit
Way before 9/11 I remember flicking the ash trays open and closed on a flight and getting yelled at by some guy across the aisle.
graveybrains@reddit
The first plane I ever rode on had lounge seating.
bluebird1922@reddit
I remember our family getting upgraded to first class by surprise & the meal on the plane was delicious. I wish I remember exactly what it was but it involved chicken and some kind of sauce. Just getting meals on a flight is a fond memory; all of our flights were domestic when we took family trips, all of them pre-9/11. Aside from an international flight in 2013, not a single one. You’re lucky to get a cookie or some pretzels now with the world’s tiniest bottle of water.
Drilling4Oil@reddit
In the best way possible: society was so casual back then that you could forget your kid was still back in the house & only realize it half-way to the France.
thechristoph@reddit
The entire air travel experience has always been absolutely miserable.
ssaall58214@reddit
Being met at the gate. And grabbing coffee and food with friends and family before heading out
GlitteringCobbler987@reddit
Flying is kind of a breeze at PDX
Firkster@reddit
When I was 18 I lost all my identification in Mexico and when I landed in DFW coming back into the country, the guy at customs said “you look American” and let me through with no problem.
MarandTierra@reddit
Now that is wild!
Your story reminds me that before 2001, you didn’t even need a passport for land border crossings when driving or walking back into the US from Mexico or Canada. All you had to do was show your driver’s license.
9_of_Swords@reddit
I used to go to the South Bend airport with my grandpa to watch the planes. It was weirdly relaxing. We were able to go straight down into Terminal C and just hang out for as long as we wanted. Now you have to go through the security gauntlet and if you don't have a boarding pass or an escort pass (used to escort my grandma when she'd fly to see her son) they treat you like you're Public Enemy #1.
Darth_Kara_Zor-El@reddit
Pre 9/11 access good memories here!!!!
My dad was a pilot for Delta. So we were all over the world, and 1st class. We had to extra dress up, being non-revs. I loved it. Felt like fashion show time when we’d fly. People watching was boss, everyone looked put together.
Different time it was, my Dad let me “fly” the plane when I was 12. Over the Pacific too🤭. It was the coolest thing ever. I had tons of hours in the ground training flight simulator by that time. So it wasn’t so crazy, right?
Slightly adjusting altitude and the feeling, I’ll never forget💗
The Delta flight simulator! Omg it was so fun to crash. I mean how cool is that, to go to work with your Dad and have access to everything he did? When I was old enough, he’d just turn me loose on the other side of the doors. The RAMP was the best. I drove so many Tugs out there as a kid.
Everyone my Dad knew in all the departments would kinda keep an eye on me too. Like it takes a village type shit. The absolute best!
Security was very different. Red Coats would give ya a high five and slap on the rear end, hey hun. I remember everyone’s names all over the hub. Why am I crying?
Those were the days. None of that is happening today. Straight up jail lock down are airports now.
Oh, if you’re wearing flops and a tank top or other chilling at the house attire on a plane, please don’t. It’s gross and you appear to smell like Bigfoot’s ball sack 🙅🏼♀️😂
Traditional_Foot9641@reddit
It was a family tradition to sit with whoever was flying at the gate until they departed. Usually for big trips, but back then it felt like all flying was a bigger deal. I was super young so what do I know?
high_everyone@reddit
I think it was like May 2001 and I got onto a flight in the cabin with a tool box that had screw drivers, computer parts, assorted cords and cables oh and a box cutter.
The return flight had me check the toolbox. Which by all accounts was more logical to do even back then.
principled_principal@reddit
I miss the hot cheesy omelettes American Airlines used to serve for breakfast on cross country flights—included with the ticket price! You’d get a full tray of food (which is why it’s called a TRAY table!) with fruit, omelette, toast/muffin, and drink. And then later they’d bring snacks and more drinks!
ashleysaress@reddit
i remember vegas airports having coin slot machines right outside the gates so you could gamble while you wait. Maybe they still do.. but I have distinct memories of meeting folx amidst the little clash of coins.
MightyCaseyStruckOut@reddit
Yes, slot machines are all over Harry Reid. There are even a couple of areas that are enclosed for smokers. If you're walking by when the door opens...woof.
MarandTierra@reddit
I’ve never flown into Vegas since it’s within driving distance of me. Had no idea their airport still has one of those enclosed smoking areas.
Dalionking225@reddit
My Dad checked an AR-15 to bring to our farm from FL to Albany NY. I vividly remember he opened the case to show the old lady checking us in, and she barely reacted, tagged it and sent it along with the luggage. Maybe you can stik check a gun, but that's one of my craziest memories
ParticularYak4401@reddit
Grew up in the Seattle area. The best night of the year was getting to go pick up my paternal grandparents at SeaTac after their long visit back to Virginia to see my aunt, uncle and cousins. Many times they would be there from Thanksgiving until after the new year. Anywho we loved getting to go pick them up AT the gate and the loopy loops to the parking garage thrilled us every time. Then we had to drive them home to their condo in the Sandpoint neighborhood before going back home to Redmond. The other exciting part was we got to stay up late on a school night.
Wait a minute..,I still live in the Seattle area and I still love the loopy loops of the parking garage. And I am 46.
Glitter_Sparkle@reddit
Being taken to the flight deck and given my wings by the pilots.
esomers80@reddit
Well i remember when I was 15 way back in '95 I flew with my grandparents & dad to a wedding down in San Diego and my grandpa carried a pocket knife that had a 3 inch blade and he was allowed to board with it in his pocket...it floored me even as a 15 yr old that it was allowed
gwmccull@reddit
The first time I ever flew was in the late 90s, when I was in college. On the way home, I set off the metal detector so the security woman was using the wand to scan me
The wand was triggering on the front of my pants near the button so she bent over and told me to lift my shirt, only to get a face full of my unzipped pants. She burst out laughing and just waved me through
Late_Being_7730@reddit
When I was 8, my aunt was pregnant with her oldest. Her husband was an exec. She and my uncle were supposed to visit her sister, my other aunt one weekend, but he ended up having a meeting, so they called the travel agent and switched the ticket into my name. My dad picked me up at school and asked if I wanted to go see my aunt, which I did. He drove me to the airport and sent me with his Amex because I wasn’t packed. Took me to the gate to meet my aunt. I had a blast and went to my first baseball game! Got spoiled by 2 aunts and an uncle. Man… those were the days
Psychological-Bee702@reddit
I flew from LAX to Costa Rica with my parents circa 1990, that was my first flight. I didn’t fly again until 2019!
OskeyBug@reddit
I remember tons of cigarette smoke at the airport when I was a kid in the 80s.
MarandTierra@reddit
Aside from having my parents wait with me at the gate, I miss the amenities of flying in the 90s. I know air travel wasn’t as glamorous at this time like it was in the 1960s, but I do miss the little extras you don’t get anymore. As a teen I flew cross-country on an economy ticket, and there was a pillow and blanket on every seat. I think I got two meals on that flight, served on ceramic plates with actual silverware. On another flight I got a branded toiletry kit and fuzzy socks. And the seats were bigger and reclined back further.
One unpleasant thing that I remember (and that makes me feel old!) is people smoking on an international flight when I was a kid in the 80s. I still remember the safety in-flight video where they told people to extinguish their cigarettes before putting their oxygen mask on.
MajesticEmergency@reddit (OP)
Amenities were so nice, even if you thought they were unecessary or wanted. Someone reminded me of the hot towels. Like wow! I had the option to say "no thanks" to that. I remember hard bristled toohbrushes and other random stuff from flying too. I remember the blankets too and saying "no thanks" and even getting irritated at some pont when I would accept one only to have some long hair on it or something.
MarandTierra@reddit
Hot towels! Forgot that they had those too, and in economy!
Yeah we took those airline travel pouches for granted. I don’t think they’re even available for first-class tickets anymore on domestic flights.
My siblings are older than me, and in the 90s they flew home from college at least 2 times a year. They started leaving those kits (unused) in the guest bathroom storage and they started to pile up, along with everyone else’s travel toiletries. One day my mom got annoyed and told them to stop accepting them on the flight home, lol! We didn’t know how good we had it.
I
MlleTartempion@reddit
I did my study abroad pre-9/11 and got to have my parents take me to the gate (first time to Europe) and to see more family pick me up at the gate when I came back ❤️
ASCENDKIDS@reddit
When I was about 6, one parent put me on a plane while the other waited in another state to receive me. Yes, somehow I flew alone, and it was ok
BasilCraigens@reddit
Oh ya, I miss getting "randomly selected" for additional screenings while standing in line to board the plane. Aw, memories.
Weird_Squirrel_8382@reddit
I don't, and other than the smoking, this sounds kinda nice!
MarkyGalore@reddit
They used to bring you into the cockpit , let you push some buttons, turn the midflight and then give you a branded with candy and games in it
MajesticEmergency@reddit (OP)
I'm starting to wonder WTF with everyone saying they were in the cockpit. My own Boomer uncle was a pilot and his wife was flight attendant yet I've never been invited into a cockpit of a plane. To be clear too, I never had anything special because of them being in aviation either haha
Equivalent-Pride-460@reddit
It was probably 1994 or 95. I was 17 and drove with my stepsister back to college in Boston. I left my paper ticket on top of the toaster oven and the heat turned it black. The clerk that checked me in had to hold it at an angle and squint to read the print, but let me on anyways. Once in the air, I pulled out a couple of Sam Adams and borrowed a bottle opener from the attendant and listened to my discman. It was glorious.
PsychologicalLog4179@reddit
My dad had an aversion to realistic toy guns when I was really young. So he made me some gun shaped toys out of wood in the garage, he did paint them black which was kinda cool I guess. Anyhow, from about ‘82-‘85 I carried one of those things everywhere. So my favorite memory of a bygone era is walking through the airport and onto the plane with my little wooden gun, pointing it at people and making little gun noises.
GoCurtin@reddit
We took a video with the family camcorder at the airport for a high school Spanish project. Similar to Airplane, we filmed the protagonist arriving to chase his lover as she took a flight to her new life overseas without him. Security let us film a scene where we ran through the metal detector gates and kept running down the tunnel. Security chased us on camera for a bit. We talked to two pilots eating tacos and they told us how to sweet talk our way into a gangway to record our final scene. We pretty much had free rein of the place for three hours. No tickets, no problem.
Pankosmanko@reddit
When I was a kid in the mid 80s I remember flying internationally on a 747. Every seat had an ashtray and it felt like everyone around was smoking. The airport also had smoking rooms with strong ventilation that my mom would take us into
affectionateanarchy8@reddit
Meeting your loved ones at the gate instead of outside like a taxi
Also I flew first class delta once and sat diagonal from charles barkley, he had his shoes off and his toes still haunt me
WhiskyStandard@reddit
When we were kids, sometimes our parents used to let us choose going to the mall or the airport as an evening activity. Just a quick walk through the metal detector and then it was off to find planes at that perfect time when the passengers had already gotten off, but the crew wasn’t so busy that they wouldn’t let some kids aboard.
The flight attendants gave us plastic wings. The pilots let us sit in the cockpit and ask what every button was.
Afterwards we went to the arcade and played this vector graphics Star Wars flight sim game that was the Death Star trench run.
If I had known what a shitshow air travel would become I never would’ve picked the mall.
theang@reddit
I remember being with a group of other kids and being left unattended in the Atlanta airport while the chaperons had to deal with getting a rental van. It was, of course, chaos.
electric-poptart@reddit
I was on a layover during the Bush v Gore recount. There was a journalist with a film crew sitting in the chairs by the ramp, waiting for their plane. A guy tried to strike up a conversation about the court case and hanging chads, and the lady got this really uncomfortable look on her face and said, "as journalists we're not supposed to share personal opinions about news stories we're covering, it's against our code of ethics."
Lol.
Joeva8me@reddit
I used to take my gf at the time (now and still wife) to the gate. She would always dress up in something provocative and we would just enjoy the relaxed experience saying hello and goodbye just before or after getting off a flight.
Feisty-Bluebird-5277@reddit
As kids we got to go up to the cockpit many times, all my dad did was ask, and he got to go too, absolutely mind boggling to think of now. Also the cool activity packs you used to get, that were actually filled with so many useful things, I think one of my favs was one of those plastic fake indented ink pads, you would draw on with a plastic stick/pen and then to erase you would lift the sheet of plastic, all so much fun!
CaptinEmergency@reddit
My parents got to see me away at gate as I left for the Army.
ataphelion@reddit
My first flight was when I was 15 on Southwest. My sister and I bought tickets for a Spring Break special to go visit the city we previously moved from. For the return trip, though, she stayed and my friend used her ticket to come back with me instead.
There wasn't any real ID check involved with the ticket or concern about two 15 years getting dropped off at the airport and taking this flight. It's weird to think this was doable. I can't fly at all right now since my passport expired and I haven't upgraded my license.
Stock-Blackberry-812@reddit
Flew from stl to Orlando every spring for five six yrs in early nineties flew TWA every time think they were mostly dc-10 back then cockpit doors wide open when boarding was allowed to view the cockpit from the door in flight once that was pretty cool haven’t flown since those days and have no desire to either
Forgotten-Owl4790@reddit
Every summer, my little brother and I would fly alone to upstate New York to visit our grandparents. He was too young to fly without an adult, but we just lied about his age. Our grandparents would meet us at the gate when we arrived.
osddelerious@reddit
Yeah, in 2000 a 737 pilot let me sit in the jump seat as they landed. It was amazing.
Dorkus_Mallorkus@reddit
I remember a friend who joined the Air Force in 2002 was deployed to Guam and a whole bunch of us walked him to his gate to see him off at LAX. Like 20 of us just grabbed a beer at the airport bar (crazy expensive, like $4), watched him get on the plane, then went home. Simpler times.
QueerTree@reddit
I moved states when I was 17. It felt huge at the time, leaving so much behind and having so many different feelings at once. A friend came to the airport with me and my mom and just hung out with me while I waited for my flight. We walked around and watched the other planes and talked and cried and laughed. My flight ended up being delayed for hours due to mechanical issues, and my friend just stayed with me at the gate until I boarded. It remains in my memory as one of the most perfect kindnesses I’ve been privileged to experience, just the gift of presence.
Embarrassed_Key_4539@reddit
I lived abroad in Switzerland my junior year of high school (95/96) and remember smoking butts on the plane 🤣🤣🤣
I_like_flowers_@reddit
I lived near an airport and remember one day when several moms from the playgroup brought a bunch of us to one of the terminals to watch the planes take off and land.
Akvavit78@reddit
Grandma waiting for me at the gate when I got off the plane.
DnDAnalysis@reddit
MF'ers used to smoke on planes.
irishprincess2002@reddit
I only flew twice pre 9/11 both times curtsy of the US Army once when I was 3 months old with mom on our way to join Dad in Germany and then four years later when we were stationed back in the US. I briefly remember seeing the Statue of Liberty and when we landed at our final destination of Detroit, to see family before going on to dads new duty station, looking all around in the car to see it though I was to young to know it was the Statue of Liberty at the time.
ZealousidealPound460@reddit
LGA <> BOS. Marine Air terminal. Shuttle every hour between the cities. $50/flight when you buy a packet of 8.
God I miss it
Klutzy-Morning7123@reddit
I remember those nasty ass ashtrays and my mom smoking next to me like a freight train. Having a Lisa Frank coloring book that had me hyped af. I remember the TWA wings, and most importantly the innocence of nothing bad happening.
lewter100@reddit
When I was a toddler my parents flew from San Diego or LA with those toy rifles from I think Universal or Disneyland. It was a replica of a Winchester lever action. It was wood and iron. It looked legit except the cartridge gate and receiver was welded shut and just a hammer hitting steel respectively. It looked so real to me as a except for that particular area. You could club someone to death with it but after some explaining it was a toy we were supposedly let through with it in our carry-on.
cheeker_sutherland@reddit
Pops put my brother and I on a plane to visit my grandma in Vegas, brought us to our seats, watched us taxi from the tarmac and then walked away back to the gate. Albeit it was a smaller airport but no way in hell that would happen now.
NotYourSexyNurse@reddit
Actually accompanied my grandma all the way to her gate. Got to watch her board, the plane taxi away and watch it take off. Now you have to say your goodbyes before security.
Hyperion1144@reddit
I was once given a tour of the cockpit of a Northwest Airlines cockpit. I have no idea how I was selected for this, or why I specifically got to do it.
It was one of the coolest things ever.
The captain gave me a Northwest flight pin.
ryanfromohio@reddit
I remember picking up a friend at the airport August 2001 and waiting for her at her gate.
_--_Osiris_--_@reddit
I remember flying with boy scouts and we all had pocket knives
Ex-PFC_WintergreenV4@reddit
Flying JAL from Mexico City to YVR smoking Marlborough reds, drinking Sky Time… 17 years old
JHerbY2K@reddit
In spring 2001 i travelled with a group to study monkeys in the jungle. We flew with a duffle bag of machetes as carry on.
Eureka05@reddit
Every flight I ever took, something has gone wrong... from late, delayed flights, to luggage put on the wrong plane, to terrible food, or unable to sleep, to other annoying passengers.
Ive never enjoyed a single flight in my life
Turbulent_Ad9508@reddit
When I was a kid...I found myself in a cockpit of a major commercial airline with the pilot letting me push buttons.
AND I WASNT EVEN FLYING THAT DAY.
hamburgler26@reddit
One of my best friends and I growing up used to just go to the airport terminal and hang out and people watch. I miss that. You could greet your loved ones as they got off the plane, it was a different time.
GenXMillenial@reddit
Yes. I flew when I was 13, so in 1993, alone to spend time with family for 2 weeks in the summer; I remember my mom easily taking me to the gate to see me off.
kattrup@reddit
At 16 years old, I flew from Ohio to LA to meet a person that I met online. My parents had no idea where I was, they thought I was at Niagara Falls with my friends. Ah the good old days when all you needed was a drivers license. No parents? No problem.
galfriday612@reddit
I went to Russia when I was 13. We flew there on Valentine's Day and got to make free calls from the seat back phones to people on the ground. I remember bringing a large leather suitcase with a whole bottle of shampoo that was wrapped in two plastic bags. I brought home bottles of vodka and teddy bears, and my family met me when I landed.
MajesticEmergency@reddit (OP)
I forgot about the seat back phones! Weirdly I don't think I remember anyone ever using one, nor did i see anyone ever yak in a barf bag (so far) ever.
13 years old coming back home from Russia with Vodka. I love it lol
soclosesoon@reddit
I sat next to a yacker once. She knew it was coming. Happened every flight. Filled three bags.
Remarkable_Major7710@reddit
Just the lack of security theatre and being treated like an adult.
littlemama9242@reddit
I have a specific childhood memory of my parents driving my grandparents to LaGuardia Airport and getting really excited seeing the Twin Towers from the Whitestone Bridge. Then walking them right to the gate and watching planes take off and land from the big windows
Top-Elephant-2874@reddit
I just miss feeling like airplane seats had room. I’m on the smaller side and even I’m getting claustrophobic these days. Drink tray practically touching my dang nose.
inko75@reddit
My very first airplane flight smoking was still allowed and it was pretty dang gross 😂
YakiVegas@reddit
I remember playing with the flap on the ashtrays until my dad got annoyed and asked me to stop lol
joelkeys0519@reddit
Going into the cockpit during the flights was fun as a kid.
SnooSongs450@reddit
My grandpa used to take me to the airport just to watch planes take off and land from an observation deck. Loved it when I was younger. Thought being a pilot would be so cool. Then found out I am very color blind, so there went that idea.
ah-mazia@reddit
Home alone style running thru the concourse full speed to catch my flight home for winter break in college. A couple friends from my dorm took me one year and after showing up late and narrowly missing my first flight, got my ticket transferred to the next one, departing about an hour later. So we obviously decided to use that time to smoke a blunt and I ended up running the whole concourse a second time and just barely skated thru in time to board before takeoff. Pretty sure that was the last Christmas break I flew before everything changed. I can also remember just hanging out at the airport sometimes in high school if we were bored just to people watch and pretend like we were important people with interesting things to do lol. Good times.
SayItAgainLucas@reddit
BFF and I flew to SF in July of 2001. We had a tent, a hammer that had hidden tools inside, and an ounce of shwag along with 15 joints. We puddle jumped between 3 small airports, and the ounce of weed fell out of my bra in SFO. It was incredible.
warm_sweater@reddit
Yes. When I was an edgelord teenager I loved setting off the metal detector with my totally bad ass boots. Hey everyone! I’ve got boots on! Look at me!
IceSmiley@reddit
Yes and a more weird flight from WCW wrestling back in the day and it was so much fun and I got to meet Eddie Guerrero, Rey, Mysterio, Buff Bagwell and Dean Malenko
Johhnynumber5ht2a@reddit
I had my TWA wings for years. I flew internationally when I was 10 and got a deck of Old Maid cards but instead of old maid it was a pilot without a plane, there was smoking on the plane, we all got served meals that were basically microwave meals but the cherry dessert thing was bomb as fuck. We got bags of peanuts and hot towels. Pretty sure none of that exists anymore.
MajesticEmergency@reddit (OP)
I forgot about hot towels! I remember those too. That was domestic too. I didn't fly international until I was 25, and didn't get offered a hot towel even then haha
vidvicious@reddit
Getting to meet the pilot in the cockpit as a kid.
Mountain-Ad-9070@reddit
Checking out the cockpit
TheLastBoat@reddit
I too was a child of divorce and would fly down south by myself to visit my grandparents.
Linzcro@reddit
Not of flying itself, but it was way less of a hassle back then but back then my parents still handled it all for me.
No what I miss is going up to DFW as a teen, riding the tram, and just being heathens in general. To this day the only perk of flying to me is airport time when I can people watch as I sip my judgment free adult beverage. I’d much rather not have to spend 100s if not 1000s of dollars whenever I want to go watch weirdos LOL
sodangshedonger@reddit
My Mom picking me up at the gate in the airport. Walked off the plane, through the hallway thingy (what’s that called again?), and into my Mom’s arms.
BrattyTwilis@reddit
I used to go fly out all the time to visit grandparents, so it was a pain when they started doing all the extra security stuff
DustedGorilla82@reddit
Hell yeah. Flying to Portland with a stopover in St. Louis. Walked out into the parking lot and hit a bowl and went back in. Also had a smokers section in the airport
Gwendolyn-NB@reddit
I vaguely remember going to the gate to meet people but still needing to go thru the metal detectors and needing a gate pass. Some flights on the Saab 340s that Northwest used to fly as we didn't fly much, but similar to OP divorced parents and few a little between them.
My biggest memory pre 9-11 was actually on 9-10-01. I have moved away from my mom 3 years prior for college and went to live with my dad. She had drove out (about 700 miles) to give me her car because mine died, and was flying back home. I was a stoic 21 year old who never had major emotional reactions saying goodbye to her. But that day was different. I walked her to the counter, then security and said goodbye and I lost my shit and broke down crying and gave her a massive hug. I just had a horrible horrible feeling some bad was gonna happen and I wasn't going to see her again. I freaked with a full blown breakdown/anxiety attack till she called me when she landed at home. Then I finally chilled out and could relax.
Then the next day in Thermo-fluids... we walked into the atrium for our mid-class break to see the TVs showing the impact of the first plane going into the towers.
Both days are burned into my memory, and will be forever.
Responsible-Meal2851@reddit
Yes! My mother was a United flight attendant for almost 40 years. We would often meet at the gate.
adammerkley@reddit
Yeah you used to get pilot wings and anyone could go up to the cockpit literally anytime.
I was born in England but moved to the use in 1987 and I distinctly remember multiple trips to the cockpit during trans Atlantic flights.
bentripin@reddit
My parents would walk me to a gate, put me on a plane and a relative would be waiting at the other gate for me..
Notoriouslyd@reddit
imhungry4321@reddit
The pilots flying with the door open so I can see all the controls.
My mom walking me to my plane seat.
TwixorTweet@reddit
I used to love going to the airport and either seeing my dad off on his flight or being able to greet him at the gate.
Swimming-Squash-3573@reddit
After a visit, I remember my grandparents walking with our family all the way to the gate and waving goodbye from the window as the plane backed off from the jetway 🥹
xmadjesterx@reddit
Air Force brat, so I flew in and out of the country constantly. I LOVED flying. I'd always get to go to the cockpit and check everything out, and I still have many wings and playing cards.
I actually got a travel pouch from Eastern Airlines from my uncle recently. My grandfather was a pilot for them after the war. Sadly, he died in '67 due to a mid-air collision. He safely crashed landed in Connecticut, and the only fatalities were him and a passenger who he had gone back into the plane to try and save. Dad was only im his second year of college.
Anyway, the pouch had cards, toothbrush/toothpaste, a comb, socks, and a sewing needle with buttons. I think there's cologne in there, too, but I don't quite remember
CharacterWitless78@reddit
I used to love going to the airport and go watch the planes arrive and depart and all I had to do was go through security
HughJuvula@reddit
I used to go to the airport and just take pictures of stuff. I miss that
heaven_and_hell_80@reddit
I do remember going with my dad to pick my mom up from the airport and we got to wait for her right by the gate.
DeterminedMidLifer@reddit
My mom traveled a lot for work. We always saw her off and watched her plane land and greeted her off the jet way. It wasn't crowded. It was a treat. I took my first solo flight at 11. My parents saw me off at the gate and my aunt met me at the gate in NY
SimplyTheApnea@reddit
Not really flying, but one time a friend's parents drove us out to the airport and we played capture the flag in a concourse. It was a big wide area with lots of obstacles so it made for the perfect pace to play it and we were all instructed to claim we had a long layover if anyone asked.
Great68@reddit
All I remember is being shown the cockpit during a flight to Japan. it was a school trip in 1996, and we got to sit in the bubble on the 747.