Earlier this summer, a few of us over at the Old Timer’s Airline and Airliner Quiz were discussing the introduction of 'Empire class' flying boats in 1937 which allowed British Airways predecessor Imperial Airways to offer a real through-service from Southampton to the far reaches of the British Empire.



The Imperial Airways Empire Class Flying Boat

Of particular interest to us was the journey between London, England and Sydney, Australia. The trip took eleven days and included stops in such exotic ports of call as Brindisi (Italy), Tiberias (Palestine), Rangoon (Burma) and Sourabaya (Netherlands, Indies) to name just a few.

HERE is a link to the 1939 Imperial Airways timetable detailing the eleven day journey, complete with all the stops and overnight hotels to be stayed at enroute. What a fascinating journey and epic adventure this trip must have been compared to the relatively pedestrian twenty-three hour, one-stop direct flights we enjoy today.

Being the inquisitive and imaginative types that some of us are over at the Old Timer’s Airline and Airliner Quiz thread, it wasn’t long before we got to wondering how this trip might be flown today. Since some of the places in the 1939 itinerary no longer enjoy air service or are no longer served directly from the preceeding city shown in the 1939 schedule, the challenge would be to attempt to follow the route using the nearest sensible airport to the places that were visited in 1939.

Being the “Old Timer” that I am (I grew up in the 1960s and 70s), the idea of flying along this route in a collection of everyday Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s held no great appeal. Rather, I was much more interested in seeing how this route would have been flown utilizing the classic jetliners that so enthralled me when I was growing up. We're talking about four engine jetliners such as 707s, VC10s and - that's right - Convair 990s!! Thankfully I just happened to have a complete copy of the November 1st, 1969 International Edition of the Official Airline Guide. For an “avgeek” like me, an old OAG is right up there with the bible as one of mankind’s great reads. Over the next few days I managed to put together an enviable collection of flights aboard exotic airlines and airplanes that leaves me seriously hoping someone will develop a time machine during my lifetime so that I can go back to 1969 and follow this schedule myself.

In any event, it occurred to me that this might make an interesting trip report and so I now submit it for your consideration. I understand that it’s 2014 – not 1969 – and as entertaining as it might be for me to fantasize my way down memory lane, for many of you born after 1980 a submission such as this may not hold that much appeal. The same goes for you “travelogue types” who only want to read about the destination, the hotels and the activities in any given destination. More than a few of you will probably just ignore this report as it holds no relevance to your future or potential travel plans involving premium class service on a comparatively mundane 777 or A380. Then again, you could consider this a historical review - today's nonstop flights between London and Singapore were 1969's five stop milk runs. Additionally, the frequency of service between many cities was quite limited compared to today's multiple daily flights. In many cases, if you missed a flight on Monday, you might find the next departure wouldn't be until Thursday. So if this journey back to those times holds any interest to you, read on.

I should note that in each city I am using the first and/or most convenient flights to continue along the 1939 schedule as expeditiously as possible. As such, when you see mid-afternoon departures it’s because they’re the first available flights, not because the traveler wants to sleep in or see the sights.

Also, in imagining yourself on these flights, remember that it’s 1969. Most alll of these airports were nowhere near as nice as they are today. As an example, the airport in Dubai in 1969 was little more than a filling station for airliners traveling between Europe and Asia. There was no Emirates Airlines and the only lounges in the airport were gate lounges. When it came to an enjoyable trip in First Class, that didn’t really begin until you’d boarded the airplane.

So, with no further ado, let’s head on down to Waterloo Station and get this trip underway.