Can you believe it was 50 years ago? Jan 25, 1959. The New York Times commemorates the event, a flight between LA and New York's then Idlewild Airport,  in this article in today's paper. "Of course," writes reporter Andy Newman, "the ticket itself was relatively expensive. A round-trip in coach in 1959 cost $238.80 -- that's $1,743 in today's dollars, or about 6 times the price of a bargain coach fare on American today." $1743?! And we're complaining about airfares today? It still costs $238 RT on that route--sometimes even less. No wonder the airlines are losing money.

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