How much did they pay for an airline ticket (in units of "day's wages")
vs. how much we pay now?

True, on the surface it appears that the cost of airline travel is
lower now than then.

However, it would be interesting to see a study that factors in
opportunity costs and lost productivity. Just 34 years ago, you could
walk into Iowa City Municipal, board a plane, and fly to Chicago,
Denver or Minneapolis. Now, you must drive to Cedar Rapids or the
Quad Cities to do so.

After factoring this in, times the hundreds of millions of air
travelers, I'll bet the costs (to most consumers and businesses) are
similar today. The only difference is that the airlines no longer get
the money.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"