This reversible destination board for Brussels and Paris, dating from around 1937 and once fitted to the steps used for boarding Imperial Airways aircraft at Croydon Airport, is a wonderfully matter of fact relic from the early age of international air travel. That things like this survive at all pleases me greatly, I like the symbolism.
There is something rather pleasing about the simplicity of it with no glowing screens, no urgent gate change announcements, no little electronic dramas and just a solid sign informing passengers that they were off to Paris. Or Brussels. Depending, of course, on which way round somebody had turned it.
I very much like air travel today, but I do wonder just how different it would have been. It would have been a more occasional treat with less security hassle, no worrying about whether bags fitted into the sizer and probably not having to deal with checking in on-line 24 hours before and wondering if the seating Gods had given me a middle seat.