Vintage photos show how flying first class has changed over the past 70 years

• Modern commercial air travel pales in comparison to the pampered flying experience of the 1960s.
• Luxury air travel is still alive and well in the first-class cabins of the world's leading airlines.
• Brands like Pan Am have given way to Singapore Airlines, Emirates, and Etihad. 

Flying these days can be a slog.

For most of us, it's something we tolerate as a means to get from point A to point B. It's no longer a special occasion. For the traveling masses, commercial flying has been reduced to the essence of what it is: public transportation.