What Happened to This?

Take a good look at this picture.

What happened to this?
That is my theme for today’s blog. I saw this photograph today and I couldn’t help but think about how I’ve been pondering the changes in the airline industry for a long time now. LOOK at what it used to be.
I know I’m young, but even I remember a different experience. In fact this is what I remember:
My parents telling me we were flying somewhere on vacation. The morning of the flight my parents were excited. They didn’t seem stressed about airport processes, or nervous about terrorists. They would actually get dressed nicely. It was such a special experience to fly that we’d usually take a limo to the airport. When we got there we’d be greeted by friendly people and go through standard security and boarding processes. We’d check all our bags for free and bring on a small carry on; Going through security seemed almost unnecessary; terrorism was rarely on people’s minds. I remember boarding an American Airlines flight and getting to go into the cock pit and meet the pilot. He’d let me see all the equipment and then I’d cheerily head to my seat. “Stuarists” were always dressed up, always looked similar, always had friendly smiles and most were actually polite. They all seemed somewhat happy to serve me my FULL meal and drinks for FREE. Flights were usually on time, people looked happy to be in the airport. Things were different. So what happened? That’s up for discussion and I’m sure people all have different opinions, but more importantly my question is….will we ever get back there? Will a picture like this ever exist again…or is the airline industry forever changed?