Public yearns for the age of photo albums, call boxes and love letters

♦ Modern technology means no longer printing photographs or having to remember the phone numbers of loved ones, but pre-digital problems are actually much-missed.

Knowing phone numbers by heart, the anticipation as photographs are developed and sending love letters are among the things usurped by hi-tech innovations, a study found.

Researchers also found that people miss carrying a portable CD player, owning an encyclopedia and making mix tapes, all of which have fallen victim to the digital age.

Having pen friends, buying CDS and having a CD collection and using public telephones also made the list, following the poll of 2,000 adults.

The study, commissioned by British Airways, which will now offer an hour of free Wi-fi on a limited number of flights, also revealed the things people do not miss, such as having to queue in a Post Office to buy car tax, buying a TV listings magazine to find the schedules and faxing documents.

Carolina Martinoli, of British Airways, said: “Technology and the internet have evolved so much in recent years that tasks we once considered to be regular parts of our day are now done for us online.

“The results show us how dependant we have become on the internet and being connected at all times – even while travelling.”