For many, travel is a necessary evil. Business people travel several times a week, normally going through the motions like zombies. While I love to travel, I find myself loathing the “getting there” part.

I’d rather not spend $10 on a sub-par sandwich or banter with grumpy airline attendees. However, the destination is usually worth it.

As my obsession with ABC’s new show, “Pan Am,” grows, so does my envy of its display of travel. I crave the glamour of 1960s travel each and every time I watch it.

In a Los Angeles Times review, Robert Lloyd said, “The show says, yes this is as good as it looks, and it looks very good — though anyone who has flown anywhere in the last, oh, 30 years, may find it difficult to believe, or to remember, that air travel ever was this gracious, customer-friendly, or fun.”

Now, with the pain of airport security and countless cancelations, I can hardly believe that flying was ever as enjoyable as the show makes it seem.

But what if it was?

If airlines placed a little more emphasis on building these types of relationships, the pay-off would be worth it.

Having flown continentally and abroad, I’ve had a wide variety of travel experiences. I’ve flown on airlines like RyanAir, paying less than $10 for a ticket and more than $200 in overweight baggage fees. Conversely, I have traveled with airlines that have been more than willing to find extra space for my behemoth of a backpack.

Regardless, I have never gotten off a plane wishing I could spend a little more time with the crew. Sure, I’ve had good experiences, but never anything to write home about.

If airlines go back to the premise of customer service in their business, maybe I would. If nothing else, the air around airports would be lifted.

Maybe airlines have something to learn from TV.

And this from The Wall Street Journal Blog:

Pan Am and Elegant Air Travel, Found Only on the TV Screen

If you’ve seen the new ABC television show “Pan Am,’’ you get some taste of the elegance and excitement of what air travel used to be. Pan Am veterans say the show is mostly accurate, though they quibble with some details, acknowledge there is some Hollywood glamorization, and lament that an airline they loved exists only in a TV drama now.

This week’s Middle Seat strolls down that Pan Am memory lane, visiting with Pan Am flight attendants, pilots and station managers about what the iconic airline and the classy era of air travel were like. Some of the stories will make you long for a day when air travel was far different, or mourn the current state of air bus travel. Some are historically significant and chilling. A collection of wonderful photographs can also be found here.

Good service does still matter to travelers, and they hate that airlines so often fail to deliver reliable, hassle-free transportation.

Bo Gustawson, a Chicago-based export manager, started flying Pan Am on a regular basis in 1976, taking Flight 1 around the world several times. He still longs for the china, caviar, helpful employees and adventure of Pan Am, but appreciates that travel is far less expensive, letting him make more frequent trips abroad and back home rather than staying on the road for long stretches.

“Travel is far more hectic now than it was then,’’ he said.

I did a story noting that the “Golden Age’’ of air travel was not all that golden. But there was a period in the 1960s when jets made travel safer, faster, more comfortable and more reliable, when airlines made service a top priority, and when travelers dressed up and treated air travel as something special. Of course, only the wealthy and business elite could afford to fly then.

Even today when low fares are the defining factor for airlines, it’s important to remember that flying can still be special, and fliers still like to be treated as special.

Here’s a classic clip:

and trailer for the new show:

If you would like ideas, advice or presentations on how to improve customer service, please contact Founding Partner Kate Hardcastle either by email here, or telephone 0845 468 0280.