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There’s a black-and-white memory, maybe one you’ve only seen in old films, of what it meant to take a plane. It had nothing to do with today's cattle-call at the gate. Instead, picture clinking glasses in a sky lounge, the murmur of conversation over a steak dinner, and the feeling of having all the space in the world. Flying was once the height of modern style, a civilized affair from takeoff to landing. These photographs are time capsules that capture the lost elegance of the skies.

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#1

Dornier Do X Aircraft, Dining Room, 1930

Vintage airplane interior featuring plush seating and elegant dining table, showcasing flying as an affair of pure glamour.

Bundesarchiv, Bild 102-10252 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 Report

Final score:
6points
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    #2

    Lady Having Breakfast In Flight Aboard A Deutsche Lufthansa Plane, 1928

    Woman dining elegantly by airplane window overlooking cityscape, showcasing the glamour of flying in the past.

    Sueddeutsche Zeitung Photo Report

    Final score:
    6points
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    #3

    Breakfast Being Served On SAS Douglas DC-6, 1950s

    Flight attendant serving breakfast tray to glamorous woman and child in vintage airplane, showcasing flying glamour era.

    SAS Scandinavian Airlines Report

    Final score:
    6points
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    #4

    Air Travelers Leaving Washington Airport During National Air Travel Week Are Being Given Cakes, Washington, D.C., 1938

    Chefs dressed in white uniforms serving food on a glamorous Eastern Air Lines vintage airplane flight.

    Harris & Ewing Report

    Final score:
    6points
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    #5

    The Eastern Air Transport Company Hostess Serves Tea, 1931

    Three glamorous women enjoying tea served by a stylish flight attendant, capturing flying as an affair of pure glamour.

    Harris & Ewing Report

    Final score:
    6points
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    #6

    Interior View Of Sikorsky S-42 Plane, Circa 1934

    Passengers dressed in elegant attire enjoying a luxurious vintage airplane cabin with round windows and polished wood paneling.

    State Library and Archives of Florida Report

    Final score:
    6points
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    #7

    Passenger Lounge Onboard Pan American Airways Martin M-130 China Clipper, 1936

    Vintage airplane interior showing passengers dressed elegantly, capturing the glamour of flying in the past.

    SFO Museum Report

    Final score:
    6points
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    #8

    Martin 130 Clipper, Circa 1935

    Two passengers in elegant attire playing cards in a vintage airplane cabin showing flying glamour era.

    San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives Report

    Final score:
    6points
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    #9

    Sas Dc-8-33 Interior, Service On Board, Cabin And Seats, Passengers, Circa 1960s

    Flight attendants serving elegant meals and fruit to stylish passengers, showcasing the glamour of flying in the past.

    SAS Scandinavian Airlines Report

    Final score:
    6points
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    #10

    Interior Of Junkers 'Plane, Between 1915 And 1920

    Vintage black and white photo showing passengers resting in private sleeping compartments, capturing flying glamour era.

    The Library of Congress Report

    Final score:
    5points
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    #11

    Interior Of New Handley Page W.8 Plane Cabin, Early 1920s

    Vintage airplane interior with plush seating and decorative curtains showcasing flying glamour from a bygone era.

    SDASM Archives Report

    Final score:
    5points
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    #12

    Commercial Aviation, Between 1905 And 1945

    Vintage flight attendant serving a meal on United Airlines, showcasing the glamour of flying in the past.

    Harris & Ewing Report

    Final score:
    5points
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    #13

    Interior View Of The Cabin Of A Junkers G 38 Aircraft, 1929

    Vintage black and white photo showing glamour of flying with passengers dining and relaxing in an elegant airplane cabin.

    Digital museum Report

    Final score:
    5points
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    #14

    Interior View Of Sikorsky S-40 Plane Miami, Florida, 1931

    Passengers dressed in vintage attire playing cards aboard a luxurious airplane interior, showcasing flying glamour in the past.

    State Library and Archives of Florida Report

    Final score:
    5points
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    #15

    How Babies Used To Travel On Airplanes, 1950s

    Flight attendant placing a baby in an overhead bassinet during a glamorous vintage flight experience.

    Seahawks1991 Report

    Final score:
    5points
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    #16

    Cabin Of An L1649 Superstar, Which Was In Service With Lufthansa, From 1957 To 1966

    Vintage black and white photo of glamorous passengers enjoying upscale in-flight service on a luxury airplane.

    Lufthansa Report

    Final score:
    5points
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    Some details in these photos feel almost alien today. It’s not just the legroom (which seems to go on for miles) or the full-blown beds on some of these jumbo jets. It’s the social atmosphere. People aren't staring at screens but rather, they're mingling in lounges, enjoying a cocktail, and treating the flight like a sophisticated cocktail party. Each photo tells a part of that forgotten story, which we would so desperately want back.
    #17

    Imperial Airways Ltd., On The Sea Of Galilee And At Semakh. Flying Boats's Passenger Cabin, 1931

    Vintage airplane cabin interior with cushioned seats and wood paneling, showcasing the glamour of early flying era.

    Library of Congress Matson Collection Report

    Final score:
    4points
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    #18

    Interior Of Junkers 'Plane, 1927

    Vintage black and white photo of glamorous early airplane passengers seated in a luxurious cabin interior.

    Library of Congress Report

    Final score:
    4points
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    #19

    Actress Phyllis Brooks At An Airfield, Los Angeles, 1937

    Woman in a fur-trimmed coat and hat standing by vintage airplane, reflecting flying glamour and style from a bygone era.

    Los Angeles Daily News Report

    Final score:
    4points
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    #20

    Interior View Of A Pan Am Sikorsky S-43A, 1936

    Passengers dressed in glamorous vintage attire inside a classic airplane cabin showcasing flying as an affair of pure glamour.

    National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution Report

    Final score:
    4points
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    #21

    Deutsche Lufthansa Puts Large Aircraft Into Operation In Which Passengers Can Eat Their Meals, Just Like In The Railway Dining Cars, 1928

    Passengers enjoying tea service inside a vintage airplane cabin, highlighting the glamour of early flying experiences.

    Bundesarchiv, Bild 102-05460 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 Report

    Final score:
    3points
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    #22

    Klm Douglas DC-2 "Uiver" At Darwin During Macrobertson Air Race, 1934

    Vintage black and white photo of a Royal Dutch Airlines plane with passengers and classic cars, showing glamorous flying era.

    Mayse Young Collection Report

    Final score:
    3points
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    #23

    Passengers In Front Of The Douglas Dc-2 115-B, HB-ITE In Dübendorf-Domestic Flight, 1935

    Group of well-dressed men posing in front of vintage Swiss Air Lines plane, reflecting flying glamour era.

    Walter Mittelholzer Report

    Final score:
    3points
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    #24

    Lady In Front Of Douglas DC-2 Of Swissair, 1935

    Vintage black and white photo of a glamorous female flight attendant standing in front of a Swissair airplane.

    Walter Mittelholzer Report

    Final score:
    3points
    POST
    #25

    Lauri Lehtinen And Eino Purje, 1931

    Two well-dressed men standing by a vintage airplane, capturing the era when flying was pure glamour.

    Agence de presse Meurisse Report

    Final score:
    3points
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    #26

    Passengers On Aero Oy's Junkers Ju 52-3m, 1940s

    Vintage black and white photo of passengers in stylish attire inside a glamorous airplane cabin from the golden age of flying.

    Niels Kjeldsen Collection / Finnish Aviation Museum Report

    Final score:
    3points
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    #27

    Group At Airplane, 1928

    Group of stylishly dressed men and a woman posing by a vintage airplane, showcasing flying glamour from a bygone era.

    Harris & Ewing Report

    Final score:
    3points
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    #28

    Commercial Flight, Between 1905 And 1945

    Vintage black and white photo of elegantly dressed passengers inside a glamorous airplane cabin from the early flying era

    Harris & Ewing Report

    Final score:
    3points
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    #29

    Heathrow Airport Terminal, 1950s

    Vintage black and white image of a glamorous flying lounge with seating, plants, and telegraph service signs.

    Heathrow Airport Report

    Final score:
    3points
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    #30

    Douglas DC-3 SE-BAA Ornen At Bromma Airport Sweden, Around 1937

    Passengers dressed in elegant attire boarding a vintage Swedish Airlines plane, showcasing flying as an affair of glamour.

    wikimedia Report

    Final score:
    2points
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    #31

    Commercial Aviation Airport Are, Between 1905 And 1945

    Passengers dressed in elegant attire walking through a vintage airport terminal, showcasing flying as an affair of pure glamour.

    Harris & Ewing Report

    Final score:
    2points
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    #32

    Women At The Airplane, 1932

    Two elegantly dressed women standing by a vintage airplane, capturing the glamour of early flying experiences.

    Harris & Ewing Report

    Final score:
    2points
    POST

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