Take a walk down memory lane with ten vintage airline commercials

by Scott Carmichael on

Taking a page out of the “they don’t make them like this any longer” book, I’ve compiled a list of 10 fantastic vintage airlines commercials.

Take a walk down memory lane with me, and see how flying looked back in the 70’s, or listen to people tell you how awesome their (now bankrupt) airline is.

This article originally appeared on Gadling last year, but as part of our closer look at vintage America, the video clips have been updated and refreshed.

Wien Air Alaska – “When it comes to experience, Alaska’s first airline has the last word“ (1981)

Yes, that is a video of Captain Wien, father of our very own Kent Wien! The video took 35 takes to get right, because pilots are apparently better at flying a plane than acting on command. And here is a bit of trivia for you; Wien Air Alaska was the second airline in the country, and at one point they flew to more places in the world than any other airline (excluding Aeroflot). Sadly, Wien Air Alaska ceased operations back in 1984. I just hope they found a good home for the Canada Goose!
Eastern Airlines – “we earn our wings every day” (1984)

Eastern Airlines is another airline that is no longer around. They closed up in 1991 leaving 18,000 people without a job or pension. This video clip taken in 1984 and shows a bunch of very happy employee/owners, completely unaware that just 7 years later their investment would be worthless.

Republic Airlines – “Nobody serves our republic like republic” (1982)

Catchy music? Check! Smiling flight attendants? Check! Catchy slogan? Check!

This 1982 commercial has everything that made 80’s commercials the hilarious relics they are today. Republic Airlines was born in 1979 out of a merger of 2 other airlines, and in 1986 Northwest Orient Airlines and Republic Airlines merged to form Northwest Airlines, which is still operating strong today. The old Republic Airlines hubs (Detroit, Minneapolis-Saint Paul and Memphis) are still the main hubs for Northwest today.

Northwest Airlines – first airline to ban smoking on domestic flights (1980)

Remember when checking in at the airport meant picking smoking or non-smoking? This commercial from 1980 shows Northwest Airlines bragging that they are the first airline to ban smoking on domestic North American flights.

Continental Airlines – “If you can’t fly Continental you might as well not fly at all” (1977)


Ah, the 70’s… This commercial is the cheesiest of them all. The theme song is soap opera meets bad radio jingle, but it’s the kind of bad song that sticks in your head.

United Airlines – Gene Hackman flying the friendly skies (1994)

This is the youngest commercial in the list, but even at 14 years old it shows how much has changed since then. The commercial brags about the 1000 flights and 135 destinations United flies to every day. In just 14 years they have grown to 3200 flights and over 200 destinations. Of course, it also shows that 14 years later, they are still using Rhapsody in Blue for all their commercials.

United Airlines – The new DC10 jetliner featuring the Friendship Room lounge in coach! (1971)

Here is an early United Airlines commercial where they get to show off their new DC10 jetliner. Featuring specially designed spacious seats, and a luxurious lounge in coach! This 1970’s plane shows just how miserable flying as become nowadays.

Braniff International – The end of the plain plane (1965)

A funny commercial from a time when it was still considered acceptable to brag about your attractive flight attendants. This clip tries to convince people that Braniff has the most colorful planes and “that they won’t get you there any faster, but it sure will seem that way!”

American Airlines – Doing what we do best (1982)

Warm meals in coach, full service no matter what you pay and a skycap who opens your cab door to help you out. It’s how flying used to be, just 26 years ago. This vintage AA commercial is another from the feel good era.

TWA – Steak in coach! It’s the new widebody L-1011, it’s built for comfort! (1977)

The last Lockheed L-1011 rolled off the assembly line in 1984, after just 250 of them were built. They can still be found today, but none are in operation with any major US carrier. This TWA commercial shows the spacious wide body cabin, the fantastic steak dinner in coach and the captain explains that their Rolls-Royce engines mean you’ll get a smooth ride!

Detroit’s Boblo Boat is back!

by Katie Hammel on

As a child growing up in Detroit, one of my favorite summer activities was riding the “Boblo Boat” down the Detroit River to Boblo Island. An amusement park created in 1898, it closed for good in 1993. The island is now a residential community and any hope of resurrecting the old-time amusement park is gone, but thanks to a local doctor, nostalgia-seekers may soon be able to take a ride on one of the official Boblo Boats, the Ste. Claire.

After over 80 years in use along the route and a decade spent docked south of the city, the boat was in serious disrepair. For three years, crews have been working on restoring the boat to its former glory. They started by hauling out over “40 dumpsters worth of trash and debris,” according to the Detroit Free Press. Work continues today as they remove paint and rust and take out rotted walls and decking. Crews plan to continue work throughout the winter and hope to have the boat ready for dock-side tours as early as next summer. A few years later, having installed new plumbing and electricity, they hope to offer cruises and special-event sailings on the Detroit River.

Ste. Claire and her running mate, the Colombia, are the “last two remaining classic excursion steamers” in the country. The Colombia is the oldest passenger steamer in the US (not including ferries) and together, the boats are believed to hold the record for the longest amount of time (81 years) spent on a single route. A New York investor plans to restore the Colombia as well, but so far work has not begun.

New Hampshire museum dedicated to vintage camping

by Kraig Becker on

There once was a time when family vacations meant loading up the car and hitting the road for a camping trip that involved setting up a big canvas tent or parking a silver Airstream camper in a vaguely wooded area, and enjoying some time in the great outdoors. It was a simpler time, when mom packed sandwiches in a wicker picnic basket, or dad helped cook dinner by sliding a hot dog on to a stick that would be hovered over the fire for an indeterminate time.

Fortunately, that era isn’t completely lost to us thanks to the Museum of Family Camping located in Bear Brook State Park in Allenstown, New Hampshire. The museum was the brainchild of one Roy Heise, who first proposed such a site back in 1990. Heise spent years collecting all manner of camping gear starting with his years with the Boy Scouts and extending to his later life, when in 1955 he opened the first public campgrounds in New Hampshire. Heise’s collection became the launching point of the museum when it finally opened its doors back in 1993, and since that time, the number of items on display has risen to more than 1500.

This slice of camping Americana begins with the building itself. The museum is housed in a wooden bunkhouse that dates back to the 1930’s, with several 50’s era campers flanking it on either side. Moving inside, you’ll find all manner of vintage gear, including old lanterns, coolers, tents and sleeping bags. There is even a full campsite set up in a manner of the time period, that gives us an indication of just what “roughing it” meant in bygone years.

As if all that old gear wasn’t enough of a draw, the museum is also home to the Family Camping Hall of Fame, which includes such luminaries as Teddy Roosevelt, L.L. Bean, and Roy Heise himself. One wall inside the old log cabin is filled with plaques dedicated to memorializing those that made camping fun and adventurous for families everywhere.

The museum is a perfect walk down memory lane for those who have fond memories of camping with the entire family, but modern campers will get a kick out of it too, as they realize how much their gear has evolved and changed over the years. If you’re ever in Allenstown, stop by to see how camping in the U.S. has changed over the years and be glad that our tents now weigh a third of what they once did and our campfire dinners have improved immeasurably.

The Alaskan roadhouse experience

by Catherine Bodry on

Last month, Up Here Magazine ran a feature on the end of the roadhouse. Even if you’ve never stopped at a roadhouse while driving long distances, you’re likely familiar with the sight of them: generally a larger main building with a few gas pumps and a small restaurant, and several cabins fanning out on either side. These days, many of them are sagging in the weeds and boarded up.

Up Here cites highway improvements and a drop in tourists for the shuttering of so many roadhouses along the Alaska Highway (or “Alcan”).

Though I usually camp off the side of the road when I dive the Alcan (I’ve made the 2500 mile drive from Seattle to Anchorage five times), I’m familiar with many of the grilled cheese sandwiches available along the way. I even had a toothless, bearded old sourdough recently offer to buy me and my friends shots at a roadhouse along the Richardson Highway. Authentic roadhouse experiences are clearly still available.

Though there are more derelict than functioning roadhouses these days, there is still a few you can visit in Alaska:Eureka Lodge: Billing itself as a lodge, which surely appeals to Anchorage residents wanting to take a long weekend in the mountains, Eureka nonetheless offers the standard roadhouse atmo. Cabins, a restaurant and lounge, a grocery and liquor store and gas pumps make this place a great stopover as you’re rolling into southcentral Alaska.

Steese Roadhouse: Way up on the Steese Highway outside of Fairbanks, this joint doesn’t even have a website. It has all the roadhouse standards, and is pictured above.

Silver Fox Roadhouse: Free coffee, cabins, and local gossip. The roadhouse also appeals to hunters and fishermen.

There are plenty more out there that simply aren’t on the web – maybe it’s time to plan a road trip and discover this dwindling part of American travel.

A closer look at Vintage America

by Grant Martin on

Vintage America. It’s a concept that many are familiar with but that few are experts on. Plugging the topic into Google brings up dozens of hits on a Nine West marketing campaign featuring faux fur boots and interlock stud belts — not quite the dusty old streets and aging neighborhoods that the traveler has in mind.

Today, Gadling is becoming the experts. Our nation is rife with history, culture and depth, thousands of small towns across the country relics from the industrial revolution, the gold rush, manifest destiny. Textile mills have risen and fallen the the Northeast, steel through the Midwest and logging through the Northwest, each boom brining a small fury of growth, prosperity and small facet of American history.

Today we’ll be taking a ride through a few vintage corners of our American lives, roaming through film, photography and more than a few destinations along the way. It should be a great old-school journey through a country that once was and in many cases, still can be. We hope you enjoy it.