To say the world has changed a bit since I was younger is a dramatic understatement. And I like to ponder the tides of change on slow, quiet weekends like this one…
One example of the past versus present is airports.
Prior to 9-11 you could hang out at the gate with whomever was on the flight, or meet them there when picking them up. So it was normal to arrive, walk up the boarding ramp from the plane, and have someone waiting right there at the gate for you. And tearful goodbyes at the gate were just as common.
And all of those eateries and whatnot on the other side of security used to have families sharing a meal before jetting off to parts unknown.
I spent a lot of summers with my grandparents growing up, so I had a lot of solo flight time between Colorado and Ohio when I was little. Being a solo 8-12 year old had some perks – like always getting invited up to the flight deck where the pilot and co-pilot would show off the controls and answer my million-and-one questions. Every flight I also got a pair of gold-plated plastic wings pinned to my lapel from some very nice stewardess, as well as a bag of airline swag.
Airports were also a lot less stressful back then and I fondly remember the old “Stapleton” airport in Denver, which seemed like a mall with airplanes to me. And plane flight was more of an event back in the day; people were generally all dressed up for the trip and everywhere parents whispered to children to be on their best behavior.
Notable flights out of Stapleton for me include:
- 1986 – departure to boot camp in Great Lakes Illinois
- 1987 – departure to groton sub-base from Christmas leave
- 1991 – departure to Galveston for work in the gulf
- 1992 – departure to Istanbul for work off the coast of Mersin
Stapleton was closed in 1995 where everything moved to DIA.
I’ve flown out of DIA a handful of times – the most notable being when I left Colorado in 1997 to restart my life in D.C. – but since 2004 I’ve basically sworn off airlines and just drive everywhere… It’s cheaper and less stressful.