Trip Reports - Economy Class menus & Experiences from another time?

Since Seat2A began that brillant thread 'First Clas menus & experiences from a bygone era' and got some incredible responses can we have a economy thread as well???

Unfortunately i don't have any menus from the 60s & 70s ,so it's over to you people...........

Well this is from long ago memory, but it was memorable enough to last this long.

Sometime in 1969. TWA (now defunct, of course) STL-somewhere on the west coast-probably LAX. I was late and raced to the end of a very long concourse to the last gate. Door was closed, they opened the door for me and I rushed to my seat. Mechanical delayed us at least an hour.

Up in the air the menu consisted of beef filet and other stuff. Other stuff was not memorable. The beef was absolutely the best I have had on an airline in any class. May TWA and its STL chef rest in peace, I suspect the guy is now working at one of America's ten best steakhouses.

Long ago and never to return:

AA, June of 1975, 727-100(Pipsqueak version with galley in the middle) SDF(Louisville, KY)-BNA(Nashville, TN)-DFW.

No menus were passed out but nevertheless a decent offering on this 2.5 hour flight with a "no service" quick hop over to BNA before lunch service to DFW:

Salad
Sirlion Strip Steak with Onion Rings
Chocolate Cake



[This message has been edited by LLZ (edited 07-27-2003).]

OK - this is going to be another wonderful thread I can just tell... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/thumbsup.gif

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------------------
Patrick A. Inouye, LMT
volunteer trip reports moderator

Although this menu isn't from the 60's or 70's, I do consider it from another time since Garuda Indonesia no longer offers service from the USA.

April 1992
GARUDA INDONESIA Economy Class
Los Angeles to Jakarta, via Honolulu, Biak, & Denpasar. (DC-10)

Los Angeles - Honolulu
DINNER
Hors d'oeuvres
*
Medallions of Lamb with Capsicum & Black Peppercorn Sauce
Breton Potatoes
Vegetables

OR

Sauteed Chicken Breast with Coconut Curry Sauce
Steamed Rice with Pineapple
Oriental Stirfried Vegetables
*
Cheese & Crackers
*
Mignon Slice with Wild Berries
*
Coffee or Tea

Honolulu to Biak
SUPPER
Seasonal Salad with Italian Dressing
*
Spicy Beef Dumpling Asian Style with Oriental B-B-Q Sauce
Fried Noodles

OR

Tortellini with Basil and Tomato Coulis
Vegetable Julienne
*
Pistachio Pineapple Bavaroise with Strawberry Sauce
*
Coffee or Tea

SNACK
Platter of Farmers Galantine, Shrimp Salad, Waldorf Salad, & Asparagus
*
Chocolate Bar
*
Coffee or Tea


Biak to Denpasar
BREAKFAST
Orange Juice
*
Fresh Fruit Cocktail
*
Omelette Franz Josef
Minced Beef Rissole
Grilled Tomato
Sauteed Mushrooms
Potatoes Village Style
*
Croissant, Soft Roll
Preserve, Butter
*
Coffee or Tea

Denpasar to Jakarta
SNACK
Paté Maison
Glazed Prawn
Carrot, Cabbage, & Raisin Salad
*
Shredded Beef in Coconut Chilli Sauce with Indonesian Style Noodles
*
Coconut & Banana Mousse in Lapis Legit
*
Coffee or Tea

1987: AA DFW-Wherever disney world is

Breakfast
Scrambled eggs
Farmhouse sausage
Hash brown
Muffin
Fruit
Orange juice

What made this meal so memorable was that I was 9 years old and it was served as we flew over the Mississippi river! I distinctly remember the sausage was so good...never had sausage before usually fried spam for breakfast (a Hawaii thing). Religously ate sausage with breakfast until I found out what was in them in college!

1986: Air UK CDG-NCL

In a delightful little F27. I was 11, and this was my first time flying in a prop. The fact we were below the clouds and casting a shadow on the ground most of the way completely mesmerised me. I was also stunned that anywhere as exotic as Paris had a direct flight to Newcastle...

Aérogare 1, in those days, felt like something out of another world. They had a Maxim's in the basement, and the bouncy travelators were like a fairground attraction to someone my age. Sadly, this was also ETA's heyday, so there were armed soldiers all over the terminal, holding their guns up, not by their sides. This wasn't so unusual for me - my school (in France) had had bomb threats that year, and we had to show ID and be searched to gain access.

The food service was small, but lovely. We had different varieties of open sandwiches - creme fraiche (in those days!) with fruit - I remember even my 11-year-old fussy self being impressed.

The flight was just a bit too long for an F27, so we had to touch down at STN for refuelling. Now, this was in the days when STN was nothing but a piece of tarmac and a shed somewhere in Essex. We finally got to NCL, and wandered up to the terminal to find our bags in a neat pile as we got to luggage reclaim. This was before the days of the Metro making it as far as the airport, so we took the little shuttle bus to Bank Foot and headed off home...

I fondly remember this flight. It was thoroughly enjoyable, and a welcome change from the zoo of LHR T1 domestic non-shuttle ("8, 9, 10, Newcastle we're the pits" as it was known), and AF from LHR T2 (even though I was always impressed AF gave me a bottle of wine for lunch, and had a tendency to run almost-empty Tri-Stars LHR-CDG, which meant I didn't have to battle my little Sister for a window seat).

1981 Piedmont 727-100 DFW-RDU (back Piedmont only had Y cabin)

Dinner
Tossed Salad with Thousand Island Dressing
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Rice Pilaf
Green Beans
Roll with Butter
Coffee Crumb Cake

1977 - SEA-PDX-BUR on a Continental 727-200. Between PDX-BUR they served scrambled eggs, sausage, and hashbrowns. We were in K class, which did not get meals, but it sure looked good!

(Don't cry for us though, CO flew all five of us LAX-SEA in UA First and gave us $400 for offering up our five K class seats BUR-SEA. Had an awesome filet on that one).

AS and UA both used to serve a full hot breakfast (omelette, meats, hashbrowns) as recently as the late-1990s up and down the coast. I always loved AS' hot pastrami on rye sandwiches, too.

1982 Delta 727-200 DFW-BOS

Lunch
Tossed Salad with French Dressing
Beef Skishkabob with Peppers, Onions, Cherry Tomatos on a Bed of Rice
Roll with Butter
Cheesecake

1982 Delta L-1011 BOS-ATL

Dinner
Tossed Salad with French Dressing
Barbeque Chicken
Potatoes Au Gratin
Green Beans
Roll with Butter
Peach Cobbler

1986 Eastern Airlines 727-200 ORF-MIA
Breakfast
Scambled Eggs
Sausage Links
Hash Browned Potatoes
Fruit Plate
Sweet Roll with Butter

1986 Pan Am 747-200 MIA-CCS
Dinner
Caesar Salad
Turkey Tetrazzini
Glazed Carrots
Roll with Butter
Caramel Flan

LLZ,

How old are you???

35 http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

1981 Delta 727-200 DFW-LBB 55 min

Snack
Roast Beef & Swiss Sandwich with Horseradish Sauce
Potato Salad
Cheese and Crackers
Pickle
Fudge Brownie

Believe it or not, this was served on real china...wrapped in plastic, but china nevertheless in Y.

1988 Continental 727-200 AUS-LAX

Snack
Assorted Plate of Cold Cuts and Cheeses
Cucumber Salad
Crackers, Rolls, Butter
Cheesecake

I'm on a roll recalling these and getting hungry!

1982 Northwest Orient 727-100 DFW-MSP-CLE-BOS
Yes, it was one flight with two stops before the final destination. Service and food were pretty good. The old 727-100 had seen better days...the interior was heavily tobbaco-stained and it still "featured" the hat racks in lieu of more modern overhead bins. Nice over-lake views approaching CLE with snow and all. At the age of 15 I was thrilled to have so many takeoffs and landings on one flight!

DFW-MSP

Breakfast
Cheese Omelette
Sausage Links
Fruit Plate
Sweet Roll with Butter

MSP-CLE

Snack
Pretzels and your choice of beverage

CLE-BOS

Dinner
Salad with Thousand Island
Roast Beef with Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Green Beans
Roll with Butter
Chocolate Cake

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by pallensf:
OK - this is going to be another wonderful thread I can just tell... &lt;IMG SRC="http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/thumbsup.gif"&gt;

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Coach-class transcons (LAX-JFK), 1979

At the beginning of my career, I was flying this route monthly or more, at the dawn of deregulation. Sorry, I don't have an actual menu, and am unsure if the experience below was on AA or UA, as I switched between the two (I think it was AA). Flights were always either DC-10s or 747s -- no 737 or similar flying transcons in those days !

1. While boarding in coach (a leisurely 45 - 60 minute process, with no pushing, shoving, or other mob scenes as we see today), the FAs would serve orange juice and warm donuts to passengers as they were seated - Remember, this is "during boarding" and in COACH.

2. After takeoff, a full hot breakfast meal was served to coach passengers (eggs, breakfast meat, breads, beverages) - this part is not too different from what you might experience on a coach transcon today (if lucky).

3. Then, after the movie, it was time to begin the "Deli Lunch Buffet"; that's right two full meals on a domestic coach flight, and this was a true stand-up buffet smorgasboard: During the movie, the FAs had set up a lavish deli buffet in the rear of the coach cabin. The FAs would invite passengers in one area after another of the coach cabin to rise (groups of maybe 20), make their way to the back of the cabin, and then help themselves to a "make your own lunch" meal at the buffet.

The offerings were always :
- assorted varieties of sandwich sliced bread (rye, sourdough, white, etc.) and rolls
- platters piled high with roast beef, turkey, ham, lox (yes, lox - $$$), and sliced cheeses
- various chips, crackers and vegetable munchies
- desserts: cookies and fruits (apples, oranges, bananas)

Each person could help themselves to as much food as they wanted, pile it on a tray, then go back to his seat to enjoy their meal. The food never seemed to run out. And yes, let me repeat -- this was in domestic COACH !

I have no idea what the folks in FC were having --- given the tremendous quantity and quality of the coach food, heaven only knows !

To the person who has flown only in recent times, I know the above is difficult to believe, but it did happen, and the service continued as described for at least 5 or 6 months in 1979, maybe longer !

I am inspired to post a few Economy Class menus from my years in South America. I have lots more!

The first one is from the defunct Venezuelan airline, Viasa, which flew long haul routes, mostly with DC10s. This is their Caracas-Lima-Santiago menu from 1985.

Caracas-Lima - Breakfast

Fruit Supreme
Omelette Gardener's Style or
Ham Omelette
Cheese and Crackers
Croissants and Rolls

Lima-Santiago - Lunch

Cold Appetizer
Chicken Ragout ++ Rice Pilaw or
Veal Collop Marsala ++ Vegetables & Potatoes
Cheese and Crackers
Strawberry Cake

Another Venezuelan airline that was renowned for good food and service was Servivensa, and here is their menu for the Lima-Quito-Bogota-Caracas route (1990s):-

Lima-Quito - Breakfast

Orange, Grapefruit and Strawberries
Scrambled Eggs ++ Bacon and Diced Potatoes or
Fine Herbs Omelette ++ Bacon and Sausages
French Rolls and Croissants

Quito-Bogota - Snack

Cheese or Turkey Open Sandwiches
Sweet Ricotta Pastries

Bogota-Caracas - Lunch

Italian Salad
Blanquette of Veal in Mushroom Saucee or
Supreme of Chicken in Creole Sauce
Mixed Vegetables ++ Potatoes ++ Rice Pilaf
Cheesecake with Raisins

Another airline that disappeared was Ladeco, which was absorbed into LanChile. Their catering was renowned, and the following menu is from a domestic route lasting less than two hours. I'll give the original Spanish (minus acccents!) and then translate it.

Lunch

Cornets de Jamon Rellenos
Pollo Marengo o
Corvina ++ Salsa Mousseline
Papas Duquesas y Zanahorias Baston
Tronco de Chocolate o Carlota Rusa
Frutas de Estacion
Cafe y Licores

Stuffed Ham Cornets
Chicken Marengo or
Corvina (Fish) with Mousseline Sauce
Duchess Potatoes and Carrot Batons
Chocolate Log or Charlotte Russe
Seasonal Fruits
Coffee and Liqueurs

This menu dates from 1986

Finally, a recent one from TAM (Brazil), for their Sao Paulo-Paris route. I'll give it literally, and you will see one or two terms that might amuse.

Dinner

Salad of Frayed Chicken Supreme with Yoghurt and Chestnuts Sauce

Assorted TAM Hot Breads

Jerked Meat typically served with Tomato Sauce and Vegetables, Pumpkin and White Rice or

Chicken Supreme with Herbs abd Demiglace Sauce, served with Saute Vegetables or

Ham & Chicken Ravioli with Tomatoes Concasse and Bechemel Sauce, Italian Cheese sprinkled

Lemon Pie with Meringue

Breakfast

Fresh Fruits
Assorted Cold Cuts
Hot Breads
Croque-Monsieur
Yoghurt
Butter and Jelly

Not a bad offering for Economy Class!

Enjoy!
ID

I have a Qantas economy menu from SYD -PPT - LAX in 1982.

SYD-PPT 6 Hours 45 Minutes
DINNER
-Seafood Salad
-Fillet Steak Forestiere
-Passionfruit Pavlova
-Cheese, Coffee, Tea

PPT-LAX 7 Hours 50 Minutes
BREAKFAST
-Fresh Fruit Cocktail
-Omelette Fines Herbes
-(with grilled bacon and Tomato)
-Danish Pastry
-Coffee, Tea

LUNCH
Garden Salad Vinagrette
Chicken Portugaise
Pear Belle Helene
Cheese
Coffee, Tea

and the movies playing on the mainscreen during the whole journey:
"Victor/Victoria"
"I Ought to be in Pictures"
"Absence of Malice"
"Starstruck"

UA circa 1984 BDL-BOS-LAX
Beverage service BDL-BOS, then breakfast BOS-LAX:
Choice of Scrambled Eggs or French Toast
Link Sausage
Breakfast potatoes (real diced & sauteed potatoes, not those deep-fried McPotato rectangle thingees)
Muffins
Orange juice cup
Fresh mixed fruit

2nd service (which today would be a "light snack prior to landing"):
Hot soup (veg beef, I think)
Fresh Pineapple half filled with a delicious chicken salad
Assorted rolls & butter
chocolate cake/fudge frosting

Doubt we'll see anything like this in domestic coach today!