Coming up on this episode of the Travel Pro Show, a nostalgic look at how flying used to be, a review of the flight connections travel app. I'll visit the world's first free covid testing center for travelers in Copenhagen Airport, and we'll share a nifty secret for whisking you to the front of the airport security line. I'm Andrew Lock and this is the show that shares the secrets to smarter travel.

Hello and welcome to the show. The business of flying has changed a lot over the years. I was looking at some photos from the so-called golden age of flying in the 50s and 60s, and I have to say it all looks rather civilized. Here, take a look.

Wow, that looks amazing, doesn't it? I've always wondered what it must have been like to live in a black and white world before color was invented, everything just seems so refined back then, didn't it? I can imagine that passenger in the last photo saying, "Gosh, darling, isn't this all rather marvelous? I'm so glad we don't have to go on that ghastly train anymore. Look at this feast. There's so much leg room and the service is impeccable, at this rate, in 20 or 30 years, everyone will be traveling like kings and queens."

I love how everyone was so well dressed - so stylish and sophisticated. These days it seems like anything goes like this, this or this. Why swipe the touch screen with your hand when you can use a dirty bare foot? Obviously, that's just a one off that, right? Yeah, no. How about this mom who sees that her toddler is drawn all over the seat back, and instead of being horrified, she helps him?

Obviously, that's just a one off though, right? Yeah, no. The one that's really going to make your stomach churn is this, where the passengers wound is oozing pus all over the floor? Oh, I can't look! Obviously that's just a one off, though, right? Yeah, that one is just a one off, thankfully. That's the kind of thing people do in their own space, but what about when passengers butt heads, and then everyone starts screaming and shouting?

What is going on with passengers these days? Some of these people have the decorum of a Super Bowl party atHooters. It's really sad that things have got this bad. And to be honest, the airlines haven't helped the situation, because most of them are cramming more and more people onto planes, with less legroom and a lot more angry flight attendants. It wasn't always like that. In rummaging through the archives, I stumbled across a quaint ad from United at the time, at a time people actually liked Flying United. Here, take a look.

"Nobody can connect you with more of this country than United Airlines. With low cost vacations from Hawaii to the New York islands to the mountains, to the oceans, to the sunshine and back again. That's why, in the friendly skies, we say your land is our land. This land is your land, this land is my land, from California, to the New York islands, from the Redwood forests to the country waters, this land was made for you and me."

Oh, United, what happened to you, where did you put your friendly skies? Why did you start dragging people off planes when YOU oversold their seats? Yes, at spirit that would be called an upgrade, but we expect more from you. I think it might be time to update United's slogan to, "We can't beat our competitors, so we beat our customers." The now infamous incident with Dr. Dao, who was literally battered and bruised from being dragged off a United flight, prompted many on social media to come up with alternative ads for United...

And my favorite was this one, "Board as a doctor leave as a patient. At United, we put the hospital in hospitality."

Sometimes it's nice to be able to browse flights visually on a map, especially if you're traveling to a region you're unfamiliar with. One of the tools that helps me to do that is an app called Flight Connections. It's available both for Apple and Android devices as well as on a website, and there's both a free and paid upgrade available. When you first open this app, you'll see this view with hundreds of little dots representing cities. The blue dots are cities with more than 50 direct flights, the yellow dots have between 10 and 50, and the red dots have less than 10. You can use your fingers to zoom in and touch any dot. So, for example, we can see all the direct flights from that city at a glance. Pretty nifty right? Now, suppose we want to travel to Paris if we type CDG in the 'too' box at the top. We see a summary list of all the stopover options and the respective flight times. If we now accept that view and go to the main menu, another one of the features is the ability to see all the airports in a country, as well as a big list of all the airport codes sorted alphabetically. I mean, it's genius, don't you agree? And lastly, this app also includes the route-maps for just about every airline in the world. You just check the box or boxes for the airlines you want to see, scroll back up and you'll now see the entire route map. How handy is that? Now, considering that you can do all of this for free, it's definitely a valuable app for any travel pro - yes, that includes you. All right, Andrew, it's back to you.

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It's the country that brought us Carlsberg beer, Lego, and bloodthirsty Vikings. And now it's leading the way in providing free covid-19 testing for all travelers, whether you're Danish or not. Yes, Denmark is going all out with this. And here at Copenhagen Airport, they've set up a mini city of tents and buildings and labs that are open 12 hours every day. What's remarkable is that even if you don't have any symptoms, you can still be tested. Heck, if you just like having an abnormally long cotton swab shot halfway up into your brain, they're happy to oblige.

Whether you're traveling in or out of Denmark, no appointment is necessary. You just turn up and show your boarding pass. I arrived at 6am and there was no line, so I was shown right in. Well, it was 6am. An attractive blond Danish nurse asked for my phone number, which was rather nice, but then she said they ask everybody for their phone number. Apparently, if you test positive, they'll call you to break the bad news, and if you're negative, you won't get a call. You'll probably just be left wondering if you gave them the right phone number.

Well, I'm sure you're wondering the big question, what is the test like, right? Surprisingly, it was much easier than I thought it would be. Rather than solving a Q tip up my nose, those clever Danes have opted for a much better saliva test instead. If you'd like more information about the coronavirus testing in Denmark, go to this website, which has all the details just to give you an update. Since recording that piece, Denmark has updated its rules to now require everyone to take a covid test when they arrive into Copenhagen airport.

Passengers are taken by bus directly from the plane to a facility inside the airport for an antigen test. There's no charge, but it does take about an hour to get processed. So if you are traveling to Copenhagen any time soon, it's worth considering upgrading to business class, since you'll then get to deplane first and save a lot of time standing in line. Having gone through this situation myself a few weeks ago, at first I have to admit I felt the test requirement was a bit redundant, considering that we all had to test negative just before the flight.

But surprisingly, I was told that on every flight, they find around five or six passengers who test positive after the flight. So read from that what you will. Very bizarre.

Let me tell you about Founder's Card, the best tool for savvy travelers with a modest annual fee. Founders' card members get discounts, but airlines like Emirates, American United BA Singapore and Cathay Pacific, as well as with hotel chains like Marriott and Hilton, plus car rental companies like Hertz, Avis, and Sixt. So as an example with Hilton, not only do you get discounts on every booking, you get instant gold status without having to meet any of the normal state requirements.

That means you can get a free room upgrade, free breakfast, free late checkout free high speed Wi-Fi access, and an additional twenty five percent bonus points. Not too shabby, right? There's hundreds of discounts and perks to choose from. There's also member networking events. You get a sleek metal membership card to flash in front of your friends. I mean, who wouldn't want that? And as a member myself, I love it. I get back to TheFoundersCard.com, where you can get a lot more perks and discounts when you travel.

One frustrating aspect of flying is having to wait in long security lines. During covid, obviously things were easier, but even now it's not uncommon to have to wait 20 or 30 minutes or so, especially in airports like Denver, New York, Atlanta, and here in Orlando. The good news is you can now pay to bypass the line with a privately run service called Clear. You can find Clear in many major U.S. airports. And frankly, it's a game changer for travel pros.

There is an application process. And to get approved, they run a background check, capture your fingerprints and do a retina scan. And for a small annual fee, ultimately, you will be able to get whisked to the front of the line like a VIP. There's different lanes for pre and non-pretravelers, so you still go through the relevant channel according to your ticket. Top tier travelers on United and Delta get clear for free, and some airlines have negotiated discounts for their members, so be sure to check that out before signing up. It's a great service and it's spreading to more and more airports, and certainly it's saved me a lot of time over the past years that I've been using it. So if you haven't yet considered it Clear, I highly recommend it.

We'd love to hear your opinion and feedback about any aspect of the show, including your memories of flying in the 50s, 60s or 70s - if you're old enough to remember that, of course. If you want more travel tips and inspiration, check out the excellent website God Save the Points dot com. It's run by travel pro Gilbert Ott. He does an outstanding job of sharing high quality articles and travel news on Instagram, check out Paolo DeLaval from Brazil.

I wish I could say that with a nice Portuguese accent. Anyway, his photos are sooooooo good - each one almost looks like a mini work of art. Amazing. We'll put links to both of those resources below, so be sure to check them out. Join us again next week. There's a report from London's Heathrow Airport about the impact of covid on travel, and we'll be reviewing a brilliant travel app that keeps you updated with the best of the best flight deals. It'll save you a lot of money.

And finally, here's a lost in translation sign for you. Most information signs are very helpful, but with this one, it seems like the translator gave up after the first word, leaving travelers scratching their heads. Something's definitely lost in translation there. See you next week!