Originally Posted by
Seat 2A
I apologize got the delay in getting back to this question. In reference to WHBM's possibility of B-Cal operating three different widebodies on the NYC-LGW market, my OAG - which dates from November 1987 - does not reflect any service on this market from B-Cal. In fact, a check of the airline flight itinerary listings does not show B-Cal operating any service to North America. BA took over B-Cal in December of 1987. I was surprised to see however that per my OAG at least B-Cal had ceased operations to North America. Could the OAG possibly be in error?
It wasn't British Cally that I thought would have three, but BA, and to London overall rather than just LGW. Anyway, as the OAG in question is November 1987, the B Cal takeover had not happened yet.
The B Cal transatlantic routes that year from London Gatwick I believe were Houston (the jewel), Dallas, Atlanta, JFK, and LAX. New York had been a 747 the previous year but got cut back to a DC-10 when business fell, while the 747 went in exchange onto LGW-Dubai-Hong Kong.
Must have been about that time that we were in commercial contact with a farm business not far from Gatwick. They were a dairy consolidator, and every day they shipped 2 tons of refrigerated milk in individual one pint cartons by B Cal from there to Dubai, where a local distributor did very well with bulk orders to embassies, oil companies, construction companies, hotels, etc. I seem to remember it sold for about 20 times the UK price at the time.