American Airlines turned heads this week with an announcement that the airline’s amenity kits would be receiving a major upgrade. The airline’s Dopp kits will now be stuffed with goodies from global lifestyle brand Cole Haan, 3LAB Skincare, C.O. Bigelow Apothecaries and Clark’s Botanicals. The four brands will divide and conquer the amenity kits basics between them, providing passengers with various toothbrushes, lotions, lip balms, headphone covers and eyeshades, depending on seat class.
The branded bags are a far departure from the original airline amenities provided to passengers. We’ve come a long, pampered way from the first commercial flights of the 1930s, when courier boys and flight nurses would give each passenger cotton balls to muffle the noise of flying out of necessity. From the 30s to today, here’s what you could expect in your airline amenity kit:
Photo: eBay
1930s & 40s: Technically, amenity kits wouldn’t arrive until the 50s, but airlines did indeed distribute a number of items to passengers to provide some relief from the arduous flights of early aviation. In the 30s, the airline that would eventually come to be known as TWA was simply known as The Lindbergh Line, and gave out cotton balls for passengers to stuff in their ears, and Wrigley’s chewing gum to help alleviate the strain of flying before the advent of the pressurized cabin.
With the Stratocruiser and Stratoliner’s sleeping berths came airline pillows and blankets, available for customers who wanted to catch some Zzz’s. By the turn of the decade, some airlines were even providing passengers with pajamas, a practice Delta still employs today.
Photo: Delta
1950s: With the 50s came the introduction of the amenity kit as we know it today. That is, if your current amenity kit includes a solid brass Gillette Blue Blade razor and shaving cream! Then called R.O.N. kits — remain over night, of course — many airlines outsourced the production of these kits to a company called AirTex in Des Moines.
Photo: eBay
1960s: United Air Lines — then three words — gave out this bag packed with groovy goodies in the swinging sixties.
Photo: Delta
1970s: Delta Air Lines introduced its very first amenity kit in the seventies, offering passengers a sewing kit, comb, nail file (Yeesh! But at least it wasn’t a facial.), cloth, toothbrush, and tube of Pepsodent tooth paste.
Photo: eBay
1980s: Northwest Airlines curiously included matches and cologne in their 80s-era kits, two things most of us would not want to see our fellow passengers playing with on a long haul flight.
Photo: Delta
1990s: Delta, ahem, elevated the amenity-kit game to a whole new level in the nineties, partnering with Essentiel Elements to offer a first of its kind branded kit. Aromatherapy towelettes, lip balm, mouthwash, and toothpaste accompanied curious relics of the decade, like a CD case.
Photo: Delta
2000s: Delta passengers circled the wagons to get their paws on one of the decade’s amenity tins, packed with hand cream, socks, and tissues.
Photo: JetBlue
Today: JetBlue has been offering its Mint Experience passengers an eco-friendly, mini Birchbox featuring mascara, lip balm, a stain remover bar, and shave oil since 2013.