ffay005

I've been under the impression that during the 1980s and 1990s, AY used MD82 (mostly) for scheduled flights and MD83 (mostly) for charter flights. Could anyone tell me if this impression is right or wrong? And was there a difference in seat pitch on these two aircraft types?

OH-LGG

Timetable from 1988 shows that M83's were dedicated to charter operations.

https://airline-memorabilia.blogspot...nair-1988.html

many interesting things in that timetable. @:-)

ffay005

Thanks! Another thing that I've understood only very recently was how the DC10s were actually heavily used for charters, too. AY got two DC10s in 1975, and the only longhauls were JFK and BKK.

In 1981, they started flying to LAX via SEA, once a week. The third DC10 entered service in 1983, flying once a week to NRT (via the North Pole), with a second weekly added later. So there were a lot of LPA/TFS/AGA/RHO etc runs for the DC10s to operate. Also, one flight could carry several touroperators' pax so it wasn't that hard to fill a widebody.

The first time I remember being on an airplane was in February 1983, flying the DC10 to TFS. I remember the configuration being 2-5-2 unlike on the 1988 seat map. We were sitting on the right hand side, and definitely in a two-seater, with my mum, in the aft smoking section. Either we were in the last few rows, or they actually had an all-Y 2-5-2 configuration in 1983. This makes sense because in the early DC10 years at least, configurations were changed from all-Y to three-class overnight if need be. And replacing C&F seats with Y is one thing, but replacing all Y 2-5-2 seats with 3-4-3 is probably not done overnight. IFE had a children's channel with a Pupu Tupuna story that was repeated several times during the 6-hour flight, and on the big screen showed some Spede film with Hannele Lauri...

ffay005

Hey, HEL-PEK 7 hours 55 minutes in 1988. I would have expected the flying time to be longer in 2017, what with the lazier A330 and more congested airspace and all. But no, AY makes it to PEK 5 minutes faster than 29 years ago!

OH-LGG

My first contact with AY widebody was in 1996 when we had A300 to RHO and then next contact was Aurinkomatkat chartered MD-11 to BKK in 1999. ^ Oh, that was heavy stuff. My longest flight I ever had and it was pain.

This 403 seater MD-11s previous flight was charter from Beirut (IIRC) and it was a service flight for Finland's UN -operation in Lebanon. Our peacekeepers had stylish way to fly in 1999!

And departure gate to BKK was 24.

R2

My first ever LH trip was to Australia in 1987. I flew back SYD-NRT-HEL. AY had a great little trick giving out certificates to all pax that they had been to the North Pole! Wish I could still find it.

miamiflyer8

When did AY ban smoking? Wasn't it ca. 2000 or something?

OH-LGG

March 1999 when KIX and NRT turned to smoke free.

cistavoda

Cigarettes and those hipstery e-cigs should be banned, but proper Cuban cigars should be included in J...

miamiflyer8

I find the vapes actually make a worse odor than cigarettes. While cigarette smoke is unpleasant it's tolerable. Vapes make a candy-like odor and gives me a headache.

Courmisch

My first L/H flight was on OY-KBM in 2007

seldomrfly

First real flight, MD-11 HEL-LPA December 97". I was in my early teens.
I can still remember the full throttle take off from HEL, roaring engines, great stuff. Landing in LPA, steep spiral descend with a lot off pain in my ears. Why did they do those steep descends back then?
The MD-11 seat config was 3-4-3, IF I remember correctly. Can't remind me of smoking being allowed on board.
Did the MD11 have a high operating alt? I remember the blue screens telling 13000m and above, and with speeds above 1000km/h.
After all a memorable trip. I think the MD-11 made me gay with big birds, and still 20 years later I'm hanging out on avgeek forum.

Hartsa

My first L/H flight was in December 2012. AY69 in an A340 (OH-LQD or -LQE) and the departure was of course delayed by 8 hours. Those were the days!

TTL

First SH: KUO-HEL in 1971 onboard DC9/10, "Tumppiysi". Instead of railway station, father drove to airport and I was very worried about missing the train!

First LH: HEL-DTW charter in 1979 onboard PanAm B707. On way to Ohio for one year as an exchange student. While there, experienced also Delta DC9:s and Lockheed Tristar 1011:s on a trip to MCO via ATL - a huge airport by standards of those days. Returned DTW-EWR/JFK-AMS-HEL onboard AA B727 and AY DC10.

Courmisch

First S/H was NCE-LIL as UM on IT (or maybe AF?) A320, I think. The One and Only flight in my first 20 years.