Foss explains: “Scandinavian Airlines had the finest food in the air. What was most impressive about mid-century air travel were the hugely varied menus. Choice is a long-lost luxury, but back then there were as many as 20 choices, including vegetarian meals and various special diets being catered for. Extravagant dishes like seafood platters, beef Wellington and caviar blinis were a common sight.”

However, the difference between mid-century and modern travel goes way beyond the in-flight experience. Turning up half an hour before take-off, passengers wouldn’t have worried about getting through security. The only checks involved placing your luggage on a sizeable scale to weigh it before strolling across the tarmac and onto your plane. “If you were flying internationally, customs would check you too,” adds de Syon, “but otherwise security was lax. Your loved one could accompany you all the way to boarding the stairs.”

As well as the airports, planes in the Fifties and Sixties would have been unrecognisable. The first thing you’d notice is the space – seats were far roomier than the ones we squeeze in to today (think business-class-size chairs for everyone), windows had proper curtains and some airlines, such as Air France, would hang small pieces of art, which had been specially commissioned for their carriers, from the walls. Together, these touches created the impression of an elegant sitting room in the sky.

Danger zone

But while in terms of service the Fifties and Sixties may have been the halcyon days of flying, there were still some glaring downsides – particularly the danger factor. According to de Syon, flying at the time was statistically five times more dangerous than it is today. Unsophisticated aviation technology, for example, would result in mid-air collisions. Engines were known to drop out of planes. Pilots drank in the cockpits.

What’s more, first and economy classes were often separated by a glass wall that was known to shatter if turbulence hit – just one more element of danger in an already risky mode of transport. Clearly flying back then was not for the faint-hearted.

This risk factor might have added to aviation’s glamour, but it does reassure modern travellers of one thing – even if you’re not as stylish, you’re much safer in the skies. Which we’re sure makes you feel better about squashing your La Prairie eye cream into a tiny freezer bag, right?

Yep, thought so.

The birth of the Jet Set: Stylist uncovers a time when flying was the height of luxury