Now passengers trapped in their squished economy seats will now be serenaded by musicians wandering along the aisles strumming and singing. With all the technical miracles predicted to imitate reality, how soon will it be when a virtual Sinatra will magically appear before senior Southwest passengers to croon, Come Fly With Me? And Peter, Paul and Mary belting out, Leaving On A Jet Plane.

Q: I retired after more than 30 Navy years. During my service I flew in all kinds of Navy, Marine and Air Force aircraft. I believed then that all military pilots were experts, and on most flights I managed to hide my fears.

Now that I’m a senior civilian and my adult kids and grandkids live many miles away, I need to get the courage to take commercial airline flights. How can I fight this nagging fear? JRMcK, San Diego CA

That security question is on the mind of every senior traveler who has enjoyed frequent visits to Sin City. The fears still linger since the gun maniac killed 59 and injured 500 from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort.

Despite heavy hotel security, he managed to book a room, take the elevator and roam freely through the hotel with 10 suitcases full of guns and ammo. On the other hand …. try to count cards while gambling in a Vegas casino. With dozens of video cameras watching your every move, a squad of security guards will grab you within minutes. But an insane killer full of mental, as well as metal, baggage goes freely to commit mass murder.

Your travel4seniors.com editor has been visiting Sin City for the past half century and more. Following Navy service in the Korean War and living in Los Angeles in the late 1950s, I was invited to the then-new Sands Resort by my high school classmate who was the hotel’s public relations director.

In addition to meeting Sinatra and his Rat Pack, I also experienced the city’s famed buffets for the first time. The average all-you-can-eat charges then at any Strip hotel were $3 breakfast, $4 lunch and $6 dinner. Also, at many times, the $25 nightly charge for a room included at least one free buffet daily. Of course, prices have gone up a tiny bit since then.

After retiring in 1990 and moving from Philly PA to Tucson AZ, I began regular Vegas visits of about four times a year. Buffet prices then averaged $5 breakfast, $8 lunch and $10 dinner. Today’s prices are much higher, and listed at the bothersome .99 rates that are supposed to make you feel they’re lower.