Playing cards used to be the ubiquitous free item handed out on board a flight. These were the inflight entertainment back in the days before audio, movies and games.
You could not only play various card games, but you could make a house of cards like they are doing in the image at the top of this post. While that sounds like fun, sometimes the playing cards themselves were really cool too.
History of Flight Playing Cards
While searching for images for this post, I stumbled across these British Airways History of Flight cards. I immediately recognised them as I had a pack of these when I was a kid.
Practicality With Braniff
In 1968, when Braniff decided to go groovy by painting their aircraft in bold colours, they also had Alexander Girard design the on board entertainment. These playing cards would have been quite useful for jet setters.
Celebrating the Airbus A380 at Thai Airways
While playing cards are largely a thing of the past when flying, they do make an appearance from time to time. Thai Airways celebrated their Airbus A380 with a set.
Overall Thoughts
That History of Flight set of playing cards from British Airways is really something else. Other airlines such as Pan Am featured cards with images of their destinations on each one. This kind of variety I really like as it makes the cards far more interesting.
It makes you wonder how many card sharps were on board aircraft back in the day. They were certainly present on ocean liners during the first half of the 20th century, but did they switch to air along with everyone else? Who knows.
Do you remember getting cards on board a flight? Got any recently? Thanks for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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Featured image via CNN Travel.
British Airways cards via Jassy-50 via Flickriver
Braniff cards by Paul Sorene via Flashbak.
Thai Airways cards via The World of Playing Cards.
EVA still has playing cards upon request.
Weird that you should say that, a friend of mine gifted me some Eva Air cards last month!! Thanks for the comment!
I used to have a bunch of them laying around but now I’m down to one unopened pack that I kept from the Ozark Airlines STL-SAN inaugural flight I was on as a kid.
That’s probably worth something to someone, both for being unopened and Ozark – plus I’d say getting it off an inaugural has something too. Very nice! Thanks for the comment!
Yes, card collectors disappointed! Have a good collection from many airlines. Last chance now is flea markets, sadly. Thanks, great article with the pictures, tad nostalgic!
Very true indeed – great you have a collection of them. Thanks for the kind words, I appreciate it!
I had to chuckle at the translation on the #4 card. What is says in Spanish translates to “Can I take this plane – but in in the sense of carry it with me or hold it in my hand. Not to take the plane to go someplace.
Hahahaha!! I’d best make sure I don’t use that one in conversation! That’s pretty funny – thanks for pointing that out 🙂
I have collected lots of old airline playing cards including those from Delta, Western and Muse Air as well as pictures of aircraft, post cards, ticket jackets and tons of old airline timetables back when airlines actually printed their schedules just to remind me of the ‘good old days.’ As a kid, I used to write to all the major airlines once or twice a year (public relations department) and you would be amazed at all the stuff the airlines would send me. Nostalgia rules!
I completely agree with you – I used to call the airlines and ask for timetables and what not when I was a kid and they always sent stuff along. They had no problem with that at all. When people knew I was into flying, I used to get gifted various things such as old tickets and what not by friends or teachers. I have many things still back in Australia. Totally agree on nostalgia 🙂 Thanks for the comment!
Quote: “In 1968, when Braniff decided to go groovy by painting their aircraft in bold colours”
Not only do I remember, BUT I also worked for the coatings company whose product was USED in painting those Braniff aircraft. Desoto Paint and Coatings Inc and the used Desoto’s Aircraft Urethane Coatings !!
I worked there from 1964 to 1979 starting as a Lab Tech and after an education in Coatings Technology moved up the ladder to Chemist and finally to Asst Plant Superintendent, Coatings. It was A GREAT company and when I turned 65 I started getting a pension from them.
This is one of the more unexpected comments that I have received! I have obviously never heard of the company, not being one who paints aircraft, so this is really interesting to know. Looks like you had a pretty decent career with them and great to hear you enjoyed working there! Thanks for the comment!
Comair (BA franchise partner in South Africa) still giving them out on JNB-MRU (at least they were 18 months ago).
Oh that’s good to know! Thanks for that! I really need to get down to South Africa… both for the country and to give Comair a whirl.
I remember the cards on planes. I was recently watching the movie Black Rain and in the movie Michael Douglas is playing with Northwest Orient cards on his flight to Japan in a nice sized economy seat in the back of the plane. As an AVgeek it made me feel nostalgic 🙂
There’s a blast from the past, Northwest Orient! I thought that was a much nicer name than plain old Northwest, it seemed far more exotic. I can totally understand your nostalgia there!! 🙂
I got an awesome Vegemite deck onboard Qantas once, maybe 15-20 years ago. They were really funky and also really nice cards to play with. Unfortunately some of the cards became so identifiable with their damage it was like playing with an open hand, and they eventually wore out and I had to retire them.
A Vegemite deck? You can’t get more Australian than a combination of Qantas and Vegemite, can you? haha! I just found them on Google Images too – who’d have thought it? Thanks for letting me know about those 🙂