I remember contrails from when I was little, when I played outside I would always look for where the noise of the planes were coming from. This was in the early 90's. But they would never get very long because they would quickly fade without a trace. I occasionally see contrails today that look identical to the ones when I was little.

They were obviously very different from the trails of today, which linger, spread, and can cover the whole sky on what should be a clear blue day.

I am no stranger to watching the sky, and contrails were never rare from what I remember. They did happen and I do remember them quite clearly...and I believe some still do happen.