Back in 1976, when I was a West Coast Correspondent for Newsweek, I practically lived on Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA), the San Diego-based California airline — the distinctive orange and red 727s with the smile painted on the nose. It was a fun airline reflecting the youth, fun and sex of California in the 1970s. And the stewardesses (yes that’s what they were called then) were gorgeous, outgoing, California girls all dressed in provocative uniforms. Tickets back then were about $16 a flight (sometimes even cheaper). And in keeping with the spirit of the airline, if a flight attendant liked you, you got one of these.

Hard to believe, but 45 years ago, this was essentially your unofficial “frequent flyer” card. Later, PSA was sold to USAir, and the very first thing the USAir folks did was remove the smiles from the PSA planes, a strong signal that the fun was essentially over.

Needless to say, I remember the 1970s and PSA with great affection.