The late 1950s and 1960s were the golden age of jet travel. People dressed up to go on flights and were excited about jetting off to distant locations. This shot, taken at the Tampa International Airport, is an example of how things used to be. Not only are the people formally dressed to fly, but there are no jetways or high-end security.  In those days, travelers walked onto the tarmac and boarded the plane. This flight was on a Delta DC-8 and was called Royal Jet Service. It was going to Chicago, most likely in the early 1960s. Zooming into this photo, one can see a photographer and someone with a movie camera at the top of the steps, so this photo may have been the inaugural flight in 1960.

© Chip Weiner. oldtampaphotos.com