First Class Menus and Experiences From Bygone Years
Following my lead on Air Canada’s 1977 Paris - Montreal service, I thought I’d create a more well rounded thread, encompassing any and all First Class Menus from years past. This way, any future menus which I post (or which you may care to add yourselves) can stay under one easily accessible thread. Certainly, any comments about and/or reminiscing upon one’s experiences from “The Good Old Days” would be most welcome. I think the comparisons with current services could be most enjoyable and enlightening.
Indeed, while catering standards for flights back in the sixties and seventies is generally thought to have been more elaborate than those of today, I think the evidence will suggest that some of today’s inflight services are every bit as good, if not better than those of yesteryear. In any event, I hope this thread will prove to have some historic as well as entertainment value amongst Trip Report readers.
The following menu is from a Philippine Airlines flight between Manila and Paris via Bangkok in 1993. I believe PAL offered its First Class clientele traditional seating downstairs and actual beds upstairs. The champagne was Perrier Jouet Belle Epoque.
Bon Apetite!
** *** **
P H I L I P P I N E . A I R L I N E S
Manila - Bangkok
DINNER
Canapes Smoked Salmon with Dill, Onion and Caper
Asparagus and Ham Sushis
Hors D’Oeuvre Shrimp Cocktail on Solo Papaya Boat
Parma Ham with Melon
Basket of Homemade Bread Sesame Roll
Wholemeal Roll
Basil Butter Bread
Nilagang Baka Boiled Beef Soup, garnished with
Beef Julienne, Shredded Cabbage and Potato Cakes
Chicory and Grapes Salad Served with your choice of dressing:
Red Wine Vinegar with Mustard and Olive Oil
Or
Blue Cheese
** *** **
Entrees
Prime Sirloin Steak Served with Tarragon and Rosemary Butter
Mang Leon’s Harana Lechon Manok Roasted Chicken Mang Leon Style
Deep Sea Scallops Accompanied by Mixed Capsicums
** *** **
Bouquetiere of Fresh Vegetables Green Asparagus Spears
Sautéed Button Mushrooms
Sautéed Young Corn with Basil and Tomato Fingers
Starches Rice Valenciana
Baked Potatoes in Jacket with Sour Cream and Chives
Linguini with Olives in Oil
** *** **
Fresh Fruits in Season
Cheese Tray Camembert, Edam and Stilton
Vanilla Ice Cream in Chocolate Cups With Apple Puree and Hazelnut Crisps
Assorted Chocolate Pralines
** *** **
Freshly Brewed Coffee Napolitaine, Marnissimo, Irish Cream or Jamaica
Actually, 2A, if you happen to have them, please post any TWA, Braniff, or CO (bird with the golden tail) menus from the 60's or 70's so that some of us may reminisce about how it was.
Hi- Here is another First Class Menu - LH Flight FRA-ORD Summer 1978
Cocktail Hour followed by
Luncheon
Caviar Sevruga Malossol
Fresh Lobster with American Sauce
Rolls of roast beef with creamed horseradish
Roast Breast of Poularde on Rice Salad
Parma Ham
Herring Salad "Rhineland Style"
Shrimp Salad "tropicana"
Toast - Rolls - Butter
Consomme with Marrow Dumplings
Cheese sticks
We offer for your choice
Roast saddle of veal
Poached eel in dill sauce
Tender chicken in orange sauce
Roast veal with piquant stufing
Marinated beef "Rheinland Style"
Shoulder of Pork in mustard sauce
Ragout of Hare
with
Assorted Vegetables
Home-made noodels "Spaetzle"
Rice
Buttered Potatoes
Mixed salad with choice of dressing
Charlotte Russe
Basket of fresh fruit - assorted cheese
Bread - Butter
Cocktails in the forward lounge with martinis expertly stirred by the Maitre d'Avion at the stand up bar. All available liquors were displayed on shelves behind the bar with fresh flowers on the cocktail table.
Dinner
Lobster Parisienne
Accompanied by Un Gran Vin Blanc du Rhin ou de Bourgogne
Pheasant en Cocolte
or
Chateaubriand Sauce Bordelais
Jardiniere de Legumes
Salade de Laitue
Accompanied by Un Vin Rouge de Gran Cru
Soufle Clare de Lune
Cerises Jubile Glacees
Vacherin ua Moka
Accompanied by Champagne
Plateau de Fromages
Friandeses
Accompanied by your choice of Liqueur
Cafe
The parchment menu was personally signed by the Chef du Cuisine Mr Bolinski and the Maitre d'Avion Mr Balogh.
I am looking forward to the Braniff menu but it will be for F, not the back of the bus, right? Anyway, I had the "pleasure" of being on a very crowded flight in July of 1980. LAX-CDG, changing at a sweltering DFW, where they ran out of ice for drinks in the terminal and we then sat on the runway for 20 minutes, waiting for our turn to take off. Not very ladylike, but I was sweating like a pig. Couldn't sit with my group--was with a few Texas doctors who were feeling no pain. Had to land in Amsterdam and before Paris we were served croissants and champaigne, which was a nice touch. I'd taken a sleeping pill so slept through that. That's about the time I became an EC member and have flown non-stop, LAX-LHR ever since.
Sorry - No early United Menus but just to bring us all back to earth here is a Pan AM Economy Menu for 1972 - Note only First and Economy Class then. Menu is for a flight across the Atlantic
Pub Fare
Hors d'Oeuvre
Grilled Filet of Beef
Buttered Garden Vegetable
Thousand Leaves Pastry
Coffee
Tea
Mints
(Not no choice of meal!!.)
Drinks
Various Cocktails and Liquers $1.00
Beer and Wine $.50
Cigarettes $.30
Champagne (Split) $1.00
I think that the Y class service is much better now!!
Programs: AA Gold, United Premier Executive, Hilton Gold, Marriott Silver
Posts: 2,453
I thought I'd compare the by-gone days of yesteryear to what we deal with now.
American Flight 143, STL-LGW. Economy.
Dinner:
Fifteen pieces of penne pasta with marinara and four chunks of chicken.
Salad of iceburg lettuece, shredded carrots with Italian Dressing.
Cold Roll
Coconut Cake
Square of Choclate.
Bottle of Water.
Breakfast:
Warm Croissant with Preserves
Blueberry Yougurt with your choice of raisins or nothing.
Orange Juice, Coffee, Tea.
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DC-10's Forever!
__________________
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What a great response! Thanks to all of you who have posted those First Class menus. Raldal, I wish I'd been of age to have flown Lufthansa First Class back in the 70s. What a spread!
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by opushomes: Actually, 2A, if you happen to have them, please post any TWA, Braniff, or CO (bird with the golden tail) menus from the 60's or 70's so that some of us may reminisce about how it was.</font>
I do have some of these. At present, they are in storage up in Fairbanks. Until then, please check out This First Class TWA DEN-JFK menu from 1972. It's an awesome menu compared to today's services on this 3:40 minute sector. There are also some interesting comments following the original posting.
Patrick, I can also help you out on some of those 1970s Western services. Again, they are in Fairbanks, but I have MIA-LAX and DEN-LHR alng with SEA-ANC menus. I also have a 1960s Pan American Honolulu-Tokyo First Class menu I will retrieve. It is catered by Maxim's of Paris.
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by daph: I am looking forward to the Braniff menu but it will be for F, not the back of the bus, right?</font>
Daph, although I have some Coach and Business Class menus, the only ones I personally will post here are for First Class. I hope to have that BN menu out in the next couple of days. It's a very nice dinner and breakfast service aboard 747-127 N601BN, "The Big Orange"
