My dad was based in Lahr, West Germany, from about 4 months after I was born in 1969, until 1973. I made 2 round trips on White Knuckle Airlines before my 4th birthday LOL.

My first AC flight that I know of was in 1978-ish, DC-9 from Fredericton to Toronto. Memorable in that I got to sit in the co-pilot's seat, and they actually let me beleive I turned the plane LOL.

As for the topic at hand, I know my aunt and uncle went to Cuba on a DC-8 in the late 70's/early 80's. Who knows what they used by the middle of the 80's though.