Old-fashioned baggage attendant quietly declined to go back (5)
I believe the answer is:
retro
'old-fashioned' is the definition.
(retro can mean reminiscent of past fashions)
I can't explain the rest of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for retro that I've seen before include "recreating the past for effect" , "Imitative of past styles" , "sort of rocket" , "in the style of yesteryear" , "Imitative of a style from the recent past" .)