I could envision the magnificent First-Class environment found on the typical trans-con flight between LAX and New York in 1982 – a roomy, wide-body aircraft, wide recliner seats with footrests, sumptuous meals served on china, and naturally, a cabin without the riffraff seen on today’s flights. While Short never mentioned the airline or aircraft type (although there was a clue) during his telling of this story, my aviation geek brain began to imagine the time and the place. In this late-night appearance, Short tells of an encounter he had with the legendary Lucille Ball while travelling in first class on a flight from Los Angeles to New York, sometime in 1982. Now THERE is an interesting aviation angle, I thought. On a recent YouTube search, I noticed this quirky little video, “Martin Short & Lucille Ball’s Airplane Argument”. Like most aviation geeks, I could watch those hair-raising crosswind landing videos and dreamy First-Class flight reviews all day long. My favorite streaming site, YouTube, provides me with my fix for all things aviation and airline-related. Fasten your seat belt, as we travel back in time, to 1982. As it turns out, there were many desirable flights, but for the industry as a whole, it was a turbulent time. What did the premier trans-con route between LAX and New York look like forty years ago? I piece it together with the help of airline timetables, advertisements and promotional materials. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Messenger Email

Jfk arrivals flight 209