26-04-2025
Incredible photos show how planes were once luxury playgrounds that even included dancefloors
In the early 1970s, Air Canada made aviation history - not with a new route, but with a dancefloor.
As the Boeing 747 ushered in the age of wide-body jets with spacious upper decks, airlines around the world scrambled to turn commercial airliners into flying lounges.
For a brief moment the sky wasn't just the limit - it was the dancefloor.
In 1971, Air Canada went all-in on disco, transforming the upper deck of its new 747s into a fully functional dancefloor, mirrored wall included.
For about a year, passengers flying between Toronto and Europe could step into the airline's mile-high dance club.
'It was all so gracious,' recalled flight attendant Heather Tregaskes in a 2004 interview with the Toronto Star.
'We even had a mirrored wall and a dancefloor, and sometimes stewardesses would even dance with customers.'
Air Canada's disco experiment was part of a larger trend: luxury lounges in the sky.
Not to be outdone, United Airlines rolled out its own airborne lounge aboard its 747s, branding it the 'Friendship Room'.
Located in the iconic upper deck, this space featured swivel chairs, cocktail tables, and plush seating where passengers could enjoy drinks and quiet conversation.
The name played off United's long-running 'Fly the Friendly Skies' slogan, and the lounge reinforced the idea that flying could be not just efficient - but elegant.
American Airlines added its own twist by installing a piano bar in the rear main cabin of its 747-100s - though the 'piano' was actually a 64-key Wurlitzer electronic organ.
The airline introduced this Piano Bar lounge in August 1971 on its transcontinental LAX-to-JFK flights, famously launching it with a special performance by Frank Sinatra Jr.
To accommodate the piano bar, American removed about 50 seats from the aircraft, making this lively corner accessible to coach passengers.
The electronic piano was chosen for its durability in the face of cabin vibrations and turbulence, though maintaining it wasn't easy: Wurlitzer technicians like Don Morningstar often had to fix sticky keys and broken reeds, sometimes caused by spilled drinks.
Today, you can see one of these legendary Wurlitzers at the American Airlines C.R. Smith Museum in Fort Worth, Texas.
By the 1980s, Continental Airlines took in-flight entertainment up another notch with its famed 'Pub Flights' on DC-10s serving routes to Chicago, Denver and Houston.
These sky-high pubs featured a full-service bar with flight attendants doubling as bartenders, a unique electronic game called Pub Pong, and plenty of snacks, including complimentary popcorn.
Passengers could mingle in the bar area, play games, or watch double-feature movies, newsreels, and cartoons.
The laid-back pub environment made flying more sociable and interactive.
Australia's Qantas Airlines joined the trend with its Captain Cook Lounge, a retro nautical bar nestled just behind the cockpit on its earliest 747s.
While the 747 is often credited with democratizing travel, Qantas' upper-deck lounge turned the 'hump' into a private, upper-class sanctuary.
First class passengers could enjoy an intimate space for 15, a stand-up bar, and full cabin service with drinks, snacks, and even cigarettes (in the days before smoking bans).
The lounge was decorated in the bold colors and swirling patterns of the '70s, complete with ship's wheels, lanterns, and faux wood dividers. Its name honored both design trends and the 200th anniversary of Captain James Cook's arrival in Australia
The planes of yesteryear with their flashy entertainment are a far cry from economy cabins today
The lounge was decorated in the bold colors and swirling patterns of the '70s, complete with ship's wheels, lanterns, and faux wood dividers.
Its name honored both design trends and the 200th anniversary of Captain James Cook's arrival in Australia.
Eventually, airlines realized that the space taken up by pianos, pubs, and dance floors was more profitable as additional passenger seating.
By the late 1970s and early 1980s, most of these luxe lounges had been removed, grounded by profit margins and shifting priorities.
But the spirit of the airborne disco didn't disappear entirely - it just found a new home on the ground.
In 1977, that same groovy energy touched down in Rochester, New York, with the opening of Club 747: a sprawling, aviation-themed nightclub modeled after the jumbo jet.
Created by Buffalo entrepreneur Jim Cosentino, the venue delivered the full flight fantasy, complete with a replica fuselage entrance, 'boarding passes,' jetliner-style seating, and a DJ booth set in a faux cockpit.
Created by Buffalo entrepreneur Jim Cosentino, the venue wasn't just airplane-inspired - it was full-blown flight fantasy
Video screens played footage of plane takeoffs and landings, and the dance floor was pure Saturday Night Fever - just without the turbulence.
Club 747 became a local legend, offering nearly a decade of disco decadence for revelers - no boarding pass or airfare required.
