20. It was easy to ambush celebrities 

"you could go through security without a ticket. my mom supported my teenybopping days, so 13 y/o me met a backstreet boy when he got to his gate. thanks AOL chat rooms for being the first reddit"

rubiwoo

19. Flying was a big even

"My 90 year old dad is still shocked men don't get dressed up in suit and ties, and women in a church dress while flying.
I guess prior to the 80's it was so comparatively expensive that for personal trips it was like going to a formal.

I remember the cheapest price for flight from Houston to Philadelphia my dad could find in the mid 70's on a weeks notice was $650. I remember because that was huge amount of money and he decided to take a weeks vacation to drive there and back.

45 years later you can easily find such flights for less than $400."

rethinkingat59

18. Painless bag checks

"Put your carry-on on the conveyor. Walk through the metal detector. Take your bag. Off you go."

t0f0b0

17. Kids often flew alone

"Easy preezy. I travelled back and forth by myself to Washington from Phoenix every year since I was 7. I went through security with a pocket knife and had a really fun time on planes."

graciepaint4

16. Gate agents really didn't care

"I once got into Canada using an expired 6 Flags Over Texas season pass as my I.D. in lieu of an actual passport."

TX_Metal

15. It was good to be a child on a plane

"McDonald's Happy meals in flight, getting wings from the captain and seeing the cockpit."

gibsonh90

14. Planes were BYOB

"I sat with four other passengers in first class and shared half a bottle of Captain Morgan from my backpack.

The flight crew brought us all the mixers we wanted."

BonGonjador

13. A picture on a credit card? Wow. 

"Travelled on a plane from Canada to USA with the picture on my American Express Credit Card because I don't drive."

thelupoloser

12. No stressing over ounces

"Oh god, guess I'm an Adult© now.

It was way more relaxed. You didn't take your shoes off, didn't have to take electronics out, and there was no limits on liquids. Overall much better experience."

appa-ate-momo

11. Only surrender real weapons, please

The ticket counter asked if we had any weapons. My dad and I pulled out our Swiss army knives. The lady just repeated, 'Any Weapons?' In an irritated tone."

RobotPorcupine

10. "Security was a joke..."

"Easy. Security was a joke. You could bring small knives on the plane, and everyone could go to the gate.

I once had to turn my cell phone on to prove it was a real phone and I got really annoyed at that level of scrutiny."

Manatee_Soup

9. No hassles...

"Back in the late 90s when I was traveling often for work, I'd wear steel-toe boots and bring a laptop bag stuffed with tools and never got hassled."

phishtrader

8. No ID checks

"I had a 30 minute drive to the airport but could leave the house 1 hour before departure. The bag checked 20 minutes before would still make the plane.

Half empty planes were pretty normal. I once had all 5 seats in a row on a 747 flight, so I laid down and slept. That started changing in the 1990s, more about $ than security.

You could buy a stranger's return ticket because no one checked IDs."

Hestolemyvan

7. Planes actually had a smoking section

"Let me do you one better: in the late 80s you could smoke on them mother******s"

DisinterestedGiraffe

6. "It was so lonely at the gate..."

"The biggest difference I remember is that my grandparents used to greet us at the gate as we got off the plane, and come to the gate with us while we waited for our flight back home. Obviously you couldn't get on the plane without a boarding pass, but you could get through security without a boarding pass.

It was so lonely at the gate after 9/11."

rubywolf27

5. I have vague memories of this happening to me

"I remember being taken up to see the pilot in the late 90s when i was a kid - later on I assumed i must have imagined it, but my parents assured me that they would genuinely take people onto the flight deck for a look around."

Hill_Reps_For_Jesus

4. Forty-five minutes

"Remember when the McAllister family from 'Home Alone' made it from the suburbs to O'Hare for an international flight in 45 minutes? That Easy."

wtfchuckomg

3. Less racism and prejudice

"There were still people who had flying anxiety but seems like a ton more now. Also you didn't have to show up hours ahead of time and worry that you're still too late. People who looked the slightest bit middle eastern weren't stared at"

Addy_Bishop

2. Everything is checked

"I only traveled by plane a handful of times before 9/11 and I was young (6-8 years old) but the difference was huge from what I can remember, it was just so much more hassle free, and people could wait for you when you got off the plane right where you were getting off! Now you gotta take off your shoes and get EVERYTHING checked, they go through your stuff, it takes so much longer now."

Moonlight-Pendent13

1. It was better overall

"Aside from the security and the process of getting to the plane, the overall flight experience was way better. There was def more leg room which was awesome. Longer domestic flights 2+ hours even had economy meal service if you were flying during a mealtime. Drinks were provided as a full can without having to ask. Flights were actually a bit faster because gas prices weren't an issue. This all started to disappear throughout the 90s and early 00s. Meal service was first to go."

DankChunkyButtAgain