A very different situation from the "silver service" days of yore.
What a load of tripe - there are and never were any "Good Old Days." The best days, as always, are right now.
Compare those "silver service" days properly with top-of-the-line travel today. In the Boeing Clipper/Shorts Empire days, EY was by ship - and second or third class at that. All air travel was first class by definition and the experience and service was rubbish compared to what you'd receive today on an SIA "Suite Class" trip. And, since the equivalent of "Suite Class" was also by ship - but in First Class - what you really need to compare those "Good Old Days" with is the Private Jet.