These days, flying can feel a bit impersonal. Typically, you board a plane, settle into your seat, and find yourself surrounded by a sea of quiet passengers, who are all plugged into their devices or browsing the latest in-flight entertainment.
You might even spend several hours sitting next to someone without exchanging a single word, but so long ago, flying was a very different experience — one where passengers would frequently strike up conversations with each other, and even dance above the clouds.
In the 1970s, airlines raced to outdo each other with extravagances that seem almost unthinkable on a flight today. Once the Boeing 747 entered service in 1970, airlines had access to a new, larger aircraft that could host a range of novel services.
While some airlines decided to turn their upper decks into dining rooms or lounges, Air Canada decided to turn theirs into a dance floor for their passengers.
Air Canada’s Boeing 747, introduced to service in 1971, had a fully functioning dance floor complete with a mirrored wall. The idea behind the innovative addition was to attract more passengers on the airline’s transatlantic services between Canada and Europe.
For about a year after the aircraft’s introduction, those travelling between Toronto and Europe could join the mile-high dance club. Heather Tregaskes, a 54-year-old Air Canada flight attendant who worked in the lounge, recalled the experience in an interview with the Toronto Star in 2004.
“It was all so gracious,” she recalled. “We even had a mirrored wall and a dance floor, and sometimes stewardesses would even dance with customers.”
Air Canada wasn’t the only airline that went all out with its 747 upper deck. The 1970s, to some, were the golden age of air travel, and some flights weren’t just about getting you from point A to point B.
American Airlines, for instance, introduced its famous piano bar at the rear of their 747-100 cabins. The piano was technically an electric Wurlitzer organ, but it gave passengers the chance to enjoy some tunes while cruising the skies.
In the 1980s, Continental Airlines (which would later merge with United Airlines in 2011) offered a unique flying experience with its “Pub Flights.” On its DC-10 wide-body planes to Chicago, Denver, and Houston, passengers could mingle at fully-stocked bars.
They could also enjoy an electronic game called Pub Pong, watch double-feature films, news reels, and cartoons. The pubs were manned by flight attendants-turned-bartenders, who mixed drinks for their high-flying guests at the front of the plane.
Qantas Airlines, Australia’s flag carrier, included a groovy upper deck on some of its first 747s delivered in the 1970s called the Captain Cook lounge. Located behind the cockpit, the lounge had enough seating for 15 passengers, as well as a stand-up bar.
However, realizing that these concepts weren’t the best use of space, airlines around the world quickly replaced lounge and bar areas with regular rows of seats just a few years after these socializing areas were introduced.
While these experiences have long faded into the past, it’s pretty interesting to think about the fact that some passengers had the option of busting a move on a dance floor that was, quite literally, way above the rest.
