Our cover story in December 1986 had a “Singapore Girl” air hostess sporting a halo. Asian airlines consistently polled well with Business Traveller readers, and among the reasons were “the charming, perfectly groomed air hostesses who turn the tedium of a long-haul flight into the pleasures of a magic carpet ride”.
The feature then described the rigorous training stewardesses with Singapore Airlines underwent, although at that time female cabin crew were grounded at the age of 35, while (male) stewards could work until 45 or more in some cases. The “Singapore Girl” has been central to the airline’s marketing since 1972, and continues to this day.
Another feature had advice on drink-driving, with four units of alcohol (equivalent to a double scotch and two glasses of wine) recommended as the maximum that should be consumed before driving. Thirty years later, the 2018 advice from the NHS is: “Any amount of alcohol affects your judgment and your ability to drive safely.” Thankfully, deaths caused by drink driving fell from 990 in 1986 to around 240 in 2016, as attitudes
have changed.
HIGHLIGHTS
Aviation boo-boos
In the magazine’s own version of the Darwin Awards, a feature celebrated some of the year’s worst boo-boos in aviation. They included some ill-phrased cabin announcements, such as the captain who asked for volunteers to move up to the front of the aircraft “so that we don’t scrape the tail on take-off”.
Not-so-smart phones
The first cellphone call in the UK was made in 1985, and despite coverage being restricted to London, Business Traveller was quick to embrace the new technology. The new Excell Pocketphone from Vodaphone was, we were told, “the smallest”, measuring a mere 7x3x1 inch and weighing 18.5oz. Now, Apple’s largest smartphone weighs a mere 6oz and has more computing power than any PC from 1986.
Technical terms
A glossary fronted up the small ads at the back of the magazine, explaining such arcane terms as “bucket shop”, “Apex”, “fifth freedom traffic”, and even “economy class”. “Some airlines now provide economy class passengers with free drinks and in-flight entertainment, where previously passengers had to pay extra,” readers were informed.
