Alrighty then - we're off to a great start on this fine sunny morning here in Alaska's Interior. The squirrel that had been stealing insulation from my cabin walls has now been convinced not to - permanently. And now, with a steaming cup of Sumatran/Colombian java to empower me, let's go over some of the excellent answers submitted to my recent questions ~
1. What airline offered thru-flight service between New York and Elgin Air Force Base, Florida?
jlemon, allow me to quote the late TV sidekick and pitchman Ed McMahon: "
You are correct, sir! Har - Har - Har!!" In late 1970 Southern offered four daily direct flights from New York (LGA and EWR) to Northwest Florida Regional Airport (VPS) serving communities from west of Pensacola to east of Panama City and southern Alabama. Although VPS refers to the nearby city of Valparaiso, Fl., the city most closely associated with VPS in today's schedules is Ft. Walton Beach.
2. You’re booked to depart New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport at 10:45am on this daily nonstop flight to Fairbanks, Alaska. Name the airline and aircraft you’ll be flying aboard.
miniliq is correct! Pan American's New York to Tokyo service made a fuel stop in Fairbanks. Pan Am also served Fairbanks with daily departures from Seattle. Pan Am's 1:00am 747 nonstop to SEA was
the way to travel outside back in the late 1970s. That flight turned around at Fairbanks and made a lot more profit in the cargo compartment than the passenger cabin.
3. This airline operated four different sizes of aircraft on its seven daily flights between Detroit and Buffalo. Name the airline and the aircraft utilized.
American is correct,
miniliq. As to the aircraft, here's a hint: I phrased the question "four different sizes of aircraft" rather than "four different types of aircraft". Think about American's fleet back in 1970...
4. It’s 4:40pm as your 727-100 taxies away from the terminal at Grand Cayman, bound for San Juan, Puerto Rico with an intermediate stop in Kingston, Jamaica. What airline are you flying?
Ya, Mon! BWIA's 727 Sunjets did indeed ply this route. Less than a year later, BWIA's three 727s were traded to Braniff for four 707-227s.
5. Effective December 1st, 1970, this airline offered the only 747 service into Phoenix with a single daily flight. Name the airline and the route.
Alas, Northwest did not serve Phoenix back in 1970. I'll leave this one out there...
6. It’s 12:00n and you’ve just taken off on a cold, drizzly day at St. Louis’ Lambert Field. Ahead lies a 9 hour and 55 minute flight nonstop to sunny Honolulu, Hawaii. What airline and aircraft would you be flying upon?
Mahalo to
jlemon. Many of American's 707s were just beginning to be refurbished with the widebodied interior. Dubbed "Luxury jets", some of them even included an attractive First Class lounge at the front of the cabin. That is no doubt where you would find most of this thread's participants. I can just taste that first Mai Tai now as we reach cruising altitude somewhere over western Kansas...
tonywestsider, would you pass those Macadamia nuts, please?
American's 707 Luxury Jet
7. Name the three airlines that offered nonstop 747 service between Chicago and Los Angeles.
American and TWA are correct. Surprisingly however, United did not yet operate 747s on this route. TWA scheduled three per day, American and this other airline two each per day.
8. It’s 9:10am as you climb through the clear desert skies above Albuquerque and adopt a southwesterly heading on your 55 minute flight to Tucson. What airline and aircraft would you be flying?
Right on,
jlemon! Frontier's spacious layout (The 737-200 offered 106 standard class seats with 38" pitch) and excellent inflight service would have left many of us wishing that this flight were longer.
9. This airline operates two-class service aboard the largest jet scheduled into Grand Junction, Colorado. Name the airline and the aircraft type.
United would seem a likely choice but as of the 11/15/70 schedule, it was not.
miniliq is correct however in that United did occasionally schedule DC-8s between Chicago and Grand Junction as a Saturday only ski flight serving Powderhorn, Telluride and Aspen ski areas. Occasionally even a DC-8-61 was scheduled. But again, as of 11/15/70 a different airline offered two-class service aboard what was then the largest aircraft serving GJT, so Ill leave this one open.
11. Which U.S. airlines were operating 720s on the November 15, 1970 schedule?
Mr. Lemon, you are correct on all counts (Alaska, American, Braniff, Continental, United and Western) but you are missing one major operator...
12. You want to purchase a ticket on a nonstop flight between Ft, Lauderdale and Los Angeles. Which airline should you call?
Delta would seem a likely choice, but alas, it was a different airline...
13. By 1970, only one airline still flew Lockheed Electras to and from Seattle. Name the airline and the single route served.
Reeve Aleutian did indeed serve Seattle with Lockheed Electras from Cold Bay, Alaska, but not until 1979. This was a different airline and route...
14. You want to fly nonstop from New York to Manchester, New Hampshire. Which airline would you call?
Once again, Delta would seem a reasonable call these days, but this was 42 years ago and a different airline offered the service with large, twin engined props.
15. Which three airlines offered daily nonstop jet service on the 8 mile flight between Oakland and San Francisco?
Good job,
jlemon! American, TWA and United offered nonstop service on this very short route. San Francisco and Oakland Helicopter Airlines scheduled its Sikorski S-61s over the route in just 8 minutes while the jets were scheduled for anywhere from 16-20 minutes. American's First Class "In-State Only Travel" First Class fare was $6.48. Oh Stewardess, may I have a refill on that drink, please?
