Cheap flights? Airfares haven't changed in 50 years This TAA promotion shows all the back end machinations of how the airline functioned in the 1950s. AN overseas airfare costs almost as much today as it did five decades ago - despite wages being 40 times higher. The price of a ticket has gone from being more than half of the average Australian's annual salary to 3 per cent, which has sparked a love affair with international travel. One in three Australians has gone overseas in the past year, compared to only one per cent in 1963. "Today a week or two weeks of your salary can pay for your airfare," said James Thornton, the managing director of the Intrepid Group. It is no longer the domain of the elite it was 50 years ago. Watch: Airline videos chart the course of aviation history In 1963, a return flight from Sydney to London cost Pound589 - which converted into $1058 when Australia switched to the dollar three years later. While travellers in 2013 could potentially find a ticket at the same price, in today's money that ticket was worth $15,500 and made up more than 60 per cent of the average Australian's annual wage. Pictures: First-class flying through the years Costing Pound634, a flight from Darwin to New York was more than 65 per cent of the annual salary. With inflation, it is equivalent to $16,684.35. Melbourne to New York meant parting with 61 per cent of annual salary, almost $16,000 today. And Brisbane residents taking that dream trip to Rome needed to put aside 56 per cent of their salary for the airfare alone. In the early 1980s Ansett introduces their digital check-in system. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics reveals just over 112,000 Australians headed overseas for a grand adventure in 1963. New Zealand was the most popular destination followed by the UK and Ireland and Malaysia. Just under half of holiday makers chose to reach their destination by sea while the air was reserved for men - 63 per cent of airline passengers were male. And the expense of air travel meant it was for business rather than the family vacation. "It's pretty amazing to think an airfare could cost 60 per cent of your annual wages," said Mr Thornton. The evolution of cost and technology have both played a role in making international destinations more accessible. We still whinge that a flight takes 24 hours but 50 years ago it took days or weeks. A Qantas flight from Melbourne to London in 1963 went via Brisbane, Darwin, Singapore, Colombo, Bombay, Tehran, Tel Aviv and Zurich before reaching its destination. Watch: How Qantas has changed A flight from Sydney to Johannesburg went via Melbourne, Perth, Cocos Island and Mauritius. And smoking was permitted. Today, the cost for flights to Singapore from Sydney and Darwin or Bangkok from Perth is cheaper than 50 years ago and in the past 12 months 8.7 million Australians have headed overseas. In the 1980s Qantas made a campaign using a montage of numerous historical planes and a whole lot of bouncing kangaroo. New entries into the top 10 destinations since 1963 include Indonesia, China, Thailand, Singapore and India, while the previously popular Italy has now been relegated to 17th place. The number travelling by air is now 11 times greater than those choosing the sea route, but sea voyages are not done yet. "The level of luxury on today's ships wouldn't have even been dreamt of back in the '60s," said Brett Jardine, general manager of CLIA Australasia. Cruise boom: The boat people politicians love The industry is experiencing an increase in popularity with an average of 700,000 Aussies heading aboard annually. "We're seeing new ships promote everything from skydive simulators to dramatic seawalks and entertainment is starting to rival shoreside offerings with Broadway-style shows, adventure, live sport broadcasts and the latest in technology, all available at sea," said Mr Jardine. As for the future of international travel, Aussies will be heading to destinations not dreamt of in 1963. "The hot destinations include Antarctica, Burma and Colombia," said Mr Thornton. People want to get there while they are still untouched. Qantas Constellation arrives in Brisbane in 1950.