Vintage American Airlines Ticket Shows How Astronomically Expensive Airfare Used To Be
A vintage American Airlines ticket from New York to St. Louis shows just how expensive airfare used to be…and how great we have it today in an era of cheap airfare.
Vintage American Airlines Ticket Shows How Good We Have It Today When It Comes To Airfare…
Take a look at this vintage paper ticket on American Airlines from New York JFK, still called Idlewild in 1962 to Lambert Field in St. Louis. The round-trip ticket was $118.80. Not bad, right?
Well, consider this was 1962. When adjusted for inflation, that $118.80 in April 1962 is the equivalent of $1,240.32 in November 2024…
Let’s look at it another away. You can still buy a ticket today from New York to St. Louis on American Airlines and it will cost you as little as $219 if you buy in advance. $219 in 2024 is the equivalent of $20.98 in 1962…
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Put simply, for all we like to complain about how “expensive” airfare is, it is so much cheaper today than it once was. This idea of dressing up to fly (because it was a rare and special thing) and why only the wealthy were able to fly makes a lot of sense when using this example.
I’m quite happy, however, that airline deregulation has made it possible for the masses, including me, to travel. I’m thankful that I can hop on a plane without having to give up other things that likely would take precedence if not for the bargain of airfare today. Can you imagine mileage running or even my review trips at those prices?
Sure, complain about the legroom and the bad food, but we’ve got it pretty good today…airfare is dirt cheap.
Fun Fact: New York International Airport opened in 1948 and was called Idlewild Airport. Afer the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963, it was renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport.