AN airline once offered flights for men only – with both women and kids banned from flying.
Passengers on board the flights operated by United Airlines in America could make the most of cigars, steak dinners and business magazines.
Called “The Chicago Executive”, it was dubbed “A Club in the Sky for Men Only”.
The route ran from New York to Chicago at 5pm, taking just over three hours.
It was first launched in 1953 and was aimed at businessmen commuting between the two cities.
Onboard, the male passengers would also have access to a desk for working, as well as slippers and unlimited cigars.
Of course, it wasn’t exclusively men on board, as flight crew were entirely women.
The flights may seem crazy now, but were indicative of attitudes in 1953 when they were launched.
In March 1954, a United spokesman said: “What we give men is an opportunity to get away from women.
“We don’t regard it as segregation. We regard it rather as a little luxury.
“As soon as a man gets in the plane, he can take off his coat and vest, if he wants to.
“And we give him a pair of slippers, so he can take his shoes off, too, and really relax.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Dad discovers he’s only passenger on Jet2 flight – so is hailed ‘king’ all flight ” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6324726292112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]“What results is a kind of smoking-car atmosphere. A passenger can smoke a cigar or his pipe, if he likes.
“He can’t do that on other flights. A lot of women object to sitting next to a man smoking a pipe; a lot of men object, too. Let those men ride with the women.”
However, it wasn’t just the chance to smoke away from women that appealed to the passengers.
One told the New York Times in 1970: “It’s not because of no women [that we’re here].
“It’s because there are no squealing kids. We get enough of that at home.”
The flights lasted 17 years, but were scrapped in 1970 after several protests from the National Organization for Women.
The protest group better known as NOW had picketed the Chicago headquarters of United Airlines forcing their hand, although the airline said that dwindling sales were responsible for the cancellation.
And earlier this year, an airline launched new seating rules that let women choose to sit next to other women.
Airline IndiGo said: “It is specifically tailored to PNRs with women travellers – solo as well as part of family bookings.”
Meanwhile, this airport was the first in the UK to offer international flights.
And these cabins could be the future of air travel with dining booths, sports bars and shops.
