Icecat

Thanks for the feedback. I have another idea for a "concept' bouncing in the area between my ears.

Ah, WHBM.....as you well know, sometimes over here in the colonies, it is a tangled web we weave.

Someday I hope to understand cricket, but I think I figured out football (soccer here in the states) people run around trying to kick the ball in the net, and if someone comes near, the player falls to the ground and pretends to be injured. (I know that was bad)

jrl767

that was so far past bad that it deserves a yellow card for overacting

Icecat

I'll will go stand in the corner..

Icecat

This should be a easy one. Based on the following story we need the airline, and the arrival airport in England.

Sue is what is known as a dizzy blonde, and is a recent graduate from the University of New Mexico with a degree in journalism. She is currently working for the Daily Breeze in Torrance, California as a lifestyle reporter. Most of her time is spent working with obituaries, wedding announcements, covering PTA meetings, and quilting groups. It’s about noontime on a Saturday in February 1981, when the editor walks in. Sue is the only one in the newsroom. The editor, known as LG spots Sue, I got information something big is going to happen in London this week regarding the royal family. I want a local angle on this story, and since you’re the only one here, do you want to go to London? Sue replies, “You mean as in England”. “Where else?” replied LG shaking his head. Then he asked Sue if she had a current passport, which she stated of course I went to school in New Mexico. LG is muttering something like “why me?” Get on a plane tonight was the order LG gave to Sue. After some quick research, Sue discovers there are four flights from LAX to London, but only one with a reasonable last minute fare. She calls for a taxi. Upon arrival, the taxi driver (who looks like someone from the “A team TV series” asked Sue where she wants to go. The airport she replies. Which one. Sue responds is there more than one? Yes, darling LAX, Burbank, Orange County or Long Beach stated the driver. Sue is now really confused, I guess I’m not in New Mexico anymore, Take me to the airport that has international flights. Sue walks up to the ticket counter and purchases a ticket to London, and then she was asked if she wanted a meal, it would be $15 more. What??? Sue made it to London and on Tuesday she is very cold standing in front of Buckingham Palace. She hears the announcement and calls LG and ask what was the big deal, the queen announced someone named Chuck and Di are getting married. LG was last seen heading to the nearest bar, saying, “I need to retire”.

jrl767

don't take it so seriously ... I should have put a after my comment

I was a walk-on equipment manager for my college soccer team for four years (one trip to the Final Four, one Ivy League title); also played on various coed recreational teams in SoCal (the first in Torrance), the Seattle area, and the DC area for 30+ years ... tore an ACL in Jan 08; even tho I have a big honkin' anti-rotation brace for that knee, and even tho it doesn't impede my mobility too much, I've only played six or seven times since ... part of me (mostly the extra 20-some pounds) really misses it ... :-/

Icecat

No problems..I admit I had to call my rabid soccer fan, son to ask him what was a yellow card.

jrl767

timing is everything ... had you watched some of the World Cup matches in Jun/Jul ... :-D

my son started running up and down the sidelines at my matches when he was about 2; some of my best memories are from our summer trips back to Seattle when he was 16/17/18, and we were able to play together with my former team ... he scored a couple times, and had a phenomenal assist on the tying goal against the division champions ... there were two other guys (both older than me) whose offspring (both older than Ben) were also playing, and there was one match where our "senior class" had a very good day: Roger and Paul each tallied a goal; I assisted on Paul's, and netted two of my own plus another assist

WHBM

That's a bit too straightforward for me, so combining recent posts together, a supplementary :

2. ...... also, which sport was the chairman of the airline in question significantly into, and how was this actually reflected in the livery of the aircraft ?

Seat 2A

I'm thinking the arrival airport was not Heathrow and that the aircraft utilized was in an all-economy class configuration. The chairman was probably passionate about football (the kind the rest of the world plays) and if I were to hazard a wild guess, his favorite club's colors were reflected in the two-tone cheat line that ran along the fuselage of his aircraft...

Now as to the airline... Ach! The heat down here in Colorado has got me more addled than usual. I'm gonna have to get back with you on that, but I'm thinking the airline's owner passed away a few years ago in Florida...

WHBM

Hmmm ....... I would agree about the Not Heathrow bit, but I don't believe The Chairman was particularly into football (of any kind) at all. No, different sport. As to all-economy, well, we might have a second supplementary question.

3. ........ What was the Premium Class product (which was apparently very well and elegantly done - although I never sampled it) on this transatlantic carrier's flights called ?

moondog

Laker is the airline.

Icecat

Laker is correct. I had a long weekend off, and I took the DC-10 Skytrain over to LGW just for the heck of it in February 1981, and I went to see the palace and couldn't understand why there was so many press there. For the record Laker had ten across seating, but the plane was only a third full, so it wasn't uncomfortable at all. Instead of a inflight magazine they had an inflight newspaper. The lead article was warning the English passenger that the California Highway Patrol wasn't as nice as they appeared on "Chips". I had to chuckle, since I was an officer with the CHP and they film at my office, and there were a few scenes I was in the background...

WHBM

Ah yes, I remember that day as well. Went, in a somewhat junior capacity, to see a financial client at their offices in Manchester city centre for a technical discussion. Come lunchtime and at midday the partner I was meeting said "Lunch. Lets go to The Playboy Club - it's just round the corner and we have a corporate membership". And so we went there for my one and only time. I have to tell you it was nothing like what I expected, no bunnies, no gaming tables, not even pictures of Hefner's DC9-30 painted black. Thoroughly professional business restaurant, where the waitress could have been a bunnies' mother, although service, steaks and wine were spot on. I can only presume there were also things behind locked doors. As we walked back the evening newspaper boards told of the day's events at The Palace. The Manchester Playboy closed the following year.

Skytrain's problem. The economy class market was not there in the winter and that was where all the money was lost. It was 12 months later, February 1982 that Laker went under, Skytrain having absorbed all his surplus cash from their long-established and well-regarded holiday flights and charters. That brings us to

3. ........ What was the Premium Class product (which was apparently very well and elegantly done - although I never sampled it) on this transatlantic carrier's flights called ?This was a too-late effort to try for the business travel market which kept going through the winter. It was called Pullman Class, it came along during 1981, and was still being fitted to aircraft when they went out of business.

Meanwhile, regarding

2. ...... also, which sport was the chairman of the airline in question significantly into, and how was this actually reflected in the livery of the aircraft ? Freddie Laker was very much into horse racing and had long owned a number, with a complete stables and gallops for them. Their racing colours were, as for the aircraft livery, red and black. He kept them on long after the airline went.

Seat 2A

One question from my last set remains unanswered. jlemon correctly identified Key Airlines as one of the three 727-100 operators but the destinations he provided - all of which were more than likely correct during the winter months - were not being served during the summer schedule I used to come up with this question:

25. 727-100s were well into their twilight years by 1992. Indeed, only a few scant schedules remained flown in North America. In the summer of 1992, three airlines operated 727-100s from three different Caribbean destinations into three different U.S. gateway cities. Can you identify the airlines and city pairs?

So - here's the answer, sourced from the July 1992 Pocket Flight Guide...

Key Airlines: ZN 109 Nassau to Savannah 5:20pm - 7:20pm
Frequency: Monday and Friday

Haiti Trans Air: TV 1022 Port Au Prince to Miami 3:30pm - 5:20pm
Frequency: Daily

Hispaniola Airways: ZS 400 Puerto Plata to New York-JFK 10:00am - 12:50pm
Frequency: Thursday, Saturday and Sunday

NOTE: It's worth noting that I can find no record of Hispaniola owning or operating a 727-100 in any fleet lists, all of which indicate DC-8 and 707 operations. If any of the cognoscenti out here should have further insight they'd like to contribute, we'd love to hear it. It's also worth noting that schedule listings such as "727" can occasionally be generic, opening the possibility to this aircraft perhaps being a 727-200.

Seat 2A

This collection of questions are ALL based upon schedules published in the spring of 1994. They will take us all over North America including the Caribbean, Mexico, and Canada. By 1994 the U.S. airline industry will have been deregulated for almost 16 years, and for those of us who’d grown tired of flying the same old airlines over the same old routes for so many years, this excursion should prove to be a lot of fun. It will also be expensive, but don’t worry - I’m paying for all of it on my old UATP card!

The central theme of our travels will be to fly upon new and different airlines or upon airlines not typically associated with a given route. As always, these questions are geared toward those of you who actually derive enjoyment from perusing old timetables or the pages of old OAGs in search of exotic new airlines, odd routes and/or unusual equipment. If you’re anywhere near as avid as you think you are you should be able to come up with reasonably educated guesses to these questions without the need to employ any outside assistance. And if you do have to do so, then so be it – but then any old Flyertalker can go look up a schedule and where’s the challenge in that? Besides, there ain't no harm in bein' wrong once in a while. I mean - imagine if in the great game of baseball batters were able to hit every pitched ball? The game wouldn't be anywhere near as fun, would it?

Finally, for any of you who may be new to the Old Timers Airline and Aircraft Quiz, we welcome your participation and appreciate your recall of old facts and schedules. As a courtesy to other participants, please limit your responses to only two or three questions at a time in order to allow others an equal chance to participate.

Alright then – we’ll commence this journey in Anchorage, Alaska with a nonstop flight down to Seattle, Washington:



1. Everybody knows that Alaska, Delta, Northwest and United have been flying between Anchorage and Seattle for quite some time now. Three other airlines also provide flights on this route. Identify the three airlines and the aircraft they used on this route. A N S W E R E D

2. Today we’ll fly aboard the only nonstop flight offered between Seattle and Boston – a single morning departure that’ll put us into Boston at 5:37pm. The timetable indicates that luncheon and a snack will be offered on this flight. Identify the airline and the aircraft utilized. A N S W E R E D

3. Between Atlanta and Boston, Delta offers seven daily nonstop flights. Still, we want to try out Delta’s sole competitor on this route, a well-known airline not historically associated with the BOS-ATL route that currently offers three daily nonstop flights, all of them utilizing twin engine narrow bodied equipment. Identify the airline and the two types of equipment used on this route.

4. From Atlanta we’ll fly down to Miami aboard a relatively new airline offering two almost daily flights (X67) aboard an all economy configured jetliner. Which airline is this and what single type of aircraft does it operate on this route?
HINT: We know now that it wasn't ValuJet or Air South...

5. As there is no longer any jet service between Miami and Freeport, Bahamas, we’ve relocated to nearby Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport where we’ll board the only airline that does fly jets to FPO from the U.S. mainland during the non-winter months. Identify the airline and the aircraft utilized.

6. From Freeport we’ll sail down to Nassau. Per the schedules presented in the OAG, we’ve booked a seat aboard the only airline that offers meal service on its two daily 45 minute flights from Nassau over to Ft. Lauderdale. I’ve booked us a seat aboard the breakfast flight. Which airline is this and what kind of airplane will we be flying upon?

7. The Red Sox are playing the Yankees at Fenway this weekend and we’ve managed to score some great seats just a few rows above the first base line. It’s time however that we flew upon something more spacious, so our next flight will be aboard the only airline offering a nonstop wide bodied flight between Ft. Lauderdale and Boston. A N S W E R E D

8. Following a short drive down to Hartford, we’ll board one of three airlines offering nonstop service between Hartford’s Bradley International and West Palm Beach. Two of the airlines – Delta and US Air – are quite familiar to us. The third airline is not, however, and it offers a single class service with a convenient late afternoon departure. Book it, Danno! What airline? Which aircraft?

9. Six airlines offer nonstop flights between West Palm Beach and the New York metropolitan area, serviced by JFK, LGA and EWR. Having already logged numerous flights upon four of these airlines (American, Continental, Delta and US Air), our interest lies in procuring a seat aboard one of the two post deregulation carriers serving this route. Here’s an idea! You fly one of them, I’ll fly the other and we’ll compare notes later this evening at the Roosevelt Hotel, conveniently located directly above New York’s Grand Central Terminal. Please identify the two airlines we’ll be flying, along with the respective equipment each airline will be operating.
HINT: We know now that Kiwi International operating a 727-200 was one of the airlines...

10. Vamanos a Mexico! Four airlines offer nonstop service between New York City and Cancun. We’ve had plenty of experience with three of them (AeroMexico, Continental and Mexicana) but the fourth offers considerable intrigue as it is neither American nor Mexican and, as an added bonus, is an airline we’ve yet to fly over the course of our many travels together. What is this airline and what kind of airplane will we be flying upon?

11. After three days soaking up the sun in beautiful Playa del Carmen, it’s back to Cancun where we’ll board a new Mexican airline called ____________________________ for the two hour and ten minute flight over to Monterrey. Our aircraft this afternoon will be a ________________________.

12. Our Mexican adventure continues this morning aboard a vintage jetliner that has been operated by many Mexican airlines over the years. Flight time across the Sierra Madre to Guadalajara will be one hour and fifteen minutes. You know the drill by now. Gimme the lowdown on everything related to this flight. That’s right – airline and aircraft! Git to it!

13. After utilizing surface transport between Guadalajara and Mexico City, we’ve boarded a flight aboard an airline that provides the only jet transport into this U.S. gateway city. That’s right! Not even a U.S. airline provides domestic jet service to this gateway city. So – let’s see if you can identify the airline we’ll be flying upon, the equipment and the U.S. gateway city we’ll be arriving in. A N S W E R E D

14. It used to be that if you were flying from the U.S. mainland to Hawaii, your chances of doing so aboard a 747 were pretty good. These days (Spring of 1994), only United and one other airline offer 747 service from the U.S. mainland to the Aloha State. After traveling overland from our point of entry in question 13, we’ll board that 747 and relocate to Honolulu for a few days. Your challenge is to determine which city we’ll be departing from and upon which airline we’ll be flying. A N S W E R E D

15. After sailing from Honolulu over to Maui, we’ve enjoyed a relaxing few days with friends while soaking up ample quantities of both sun and pineapple wine over in Hana. The locals say “Maui no ka oi” (Maui’s the best!”) and we’ve determined that the best way to fly back to Honolulu is aboard one of three airlines that offer DC-10 service on the short 100 mile flight back to HNL. If you’ve recovered from that last bottle of pineapple wine, why not see if you can identify each of the three DC-10 operators on the OGG-HNL route? Incomplete and/or slurred answers will be politely ignored.

16. A lot of low cost, single class airlines have operated between Hawaii and the U.S. west coast since deregulation. Most of them have lasted no more than a year or two while providing an interesting and inexpensive alternative for leisure travelers who want to save a few bucks or airline geeks who want to add another airline to their collection of airlines flown. Today, two such airlines provide nonstop one-class service between Honolulu and San Francisco. Once again, why don’t you and I split up and check each one out? We’ll meet up afterwards at the Fairmont and discuss the differences. Identify each of the airlines and the respective aircraft flown by each one.

17. It’s been a few days since we last flew aboard an MD-80. Let’s reacquaint ourselves with this aircraft aboard the only airline that operates it between the Bay Area and Burbank. Since no airlines fly MD-80s between SFO or OAK and BUR, we’re gonna have to go down to San Jose where the airline we want operates three almost daily flights (One of them operates X67). Which airline are we talking about here?

18. Sticking with the MD-80 for the time being, let’s head over to LAX for a late night departure aboard the only MD-80 operating between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Which airline will we be flying upon? A N S W E R E D

19. When we last passed through Las Vegas ten years ago, Eastern Airlines was the only airline operating between Las Vegas and Reno. Stopping briefly to peruse the departures board, we note that three airlines serve the route today. We’ll fly roundtrip to Reno, visiting Harrah’s famous car museum along the way. Your challenge is to identify each of the three airlines that we could fly up to Reno and back upon. Don’t worry about the equipment, though you’re welcome to have a go at it if you so choose. A N S W E R E D

20. Flush with cash after a good night on the poker tables, we’ve elected to return to the Bay Area aboard the only airline operating with an aircraft that wasn’t built by Boeing. We’ll be flying into Oakland. Your challenge – should you decide to accept it – is to identify both the airline and the aircraft which we’ll be flying upon.

21. Following a scenic journey across the Sierra Nevadas aboard the California Zephyr, we return to the skies aboard the only airline operating MD-80s between Reno and Denver. And just what airline might that be?

22. United, Continental and American have been operating a multitude of nonstop flights between Denver and Chicago’s O’Hare for years now. With tickets to this weekend’s White Sox – Tigers game at Comiskey Park on the city’s south side, we’ll want to fly into Chicago’s Midway Airport. Two airlines each offer two daily flights between DEN and MDW, one of them with aircraft commonly seen in North American skies, the other one with an aircraft less commonly seen. Identify both airlines and their respective aircraft. If you can. HINT: We know now that Midway (JI) was one of the airlines operating a Fokker F100...

23. Amtrak’s Broadway Limited delivers us from Chicago to Pittsburgh in style. Making our way directly out to Pittsburgh International, we board a flight to Ottawa aboard a jet that outside of this flight from Pittsburgh is no longer scheduled (in spring of 1994 at least) anywhere in Canada east of Saskatchewan. Any thoughts as to its identity and operator? A N S W E R E D

24. Air Canada, Canadian Airlines International and their respective codeshare partners offer plenty of daily flights between Ottawa and Montreal. If we were satisfied with fling a mundane assortment of 737s and A320s or a slightly more entertaining BAe-146, AC or CP would be just fine. But no! We want something more eclectic and this airline provides it with its once daily flight operated by the last aircraft of its type still operating scheduled services in Canada. Airline and aircraft, please. A N S W E R E D

25. In the spring of 1994, three airlines enjoy Fifth Freedom rights allowing them to fly revenue passengers between Montreal and New York. We will fly down to New York’s JFK aboard the only one of the three to operate a twin engine jetliner. Please identify that airline and its aircraft flown on this route.
HINT: It wasn't an El Al 767-200...

26. Three airlines operate between New York’s JFK and Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. The first airline operates a twin-engine jetliner, the second a trijet and the third a four engine jetliner. Identify each airline and its respective equipment.

27. Identify each of the three airlines from the island of Hispaniola that as of spring of 1994 still operated scheduled passenger flights to the U.S. with Boeing 727-100s

28. Two airlines operate wide bodied aircraft between Santo Domingo and Miami. One of them is American checking in with an A300. Been there, done that. No, I think we want to fly on the other airline. Anyone out there know which airline I’m talking about and what kind of aircraft they flew between Santo Domingo and Miami?

29. National Airlines inaugurated 747 service between Miami and Los Angeles on October 25th, 1970. Since then Pan Am and (I think) United have also operated the big Boeing between these two cities. By spring of 1994 however, both NA and PA are gone and a different airline is operating a 747 classic against wide-bodied competition from American, Carnival and United. We’ve purchased ourselves a Business Class seat aboard it. Which airline will we be flying?

30. Continuing from Los Angeles on to Spokane, Washington, we were expecting to have little choice but to book a connection aboard either Alaska or United Airlines. Imagine then our surprise and delight to discover a single daily nonstop flight departing Los Angeles each afternoon at 1:00pm. We’ll have to bring our own lunch, though. What airline and aircraft will deliver us up to Spokane?

31. Desiring a more interesting routing back to Alaska than the standard connection through Seattle, we’ve arranged to commence our journey with a nonstop flight from Spokane to Vancouver. Back in the late 1970s, Frontier Airlines inaugurated through service from Denver to Vancouver via Spokane. These days however, a different airline plies the flight path over latitude 49. Please identify the airline and equipment that we’ll fly upon to Vancouver. A N S W E R E D

32. A Business Class seat and a hot luncheon await as we board our ___________________________ (Airline and Aircraft please) for the three hour and twenty minute flight up to Whitehorse, way up north in the Yukon Territory. Now the real fun begins because our next flight will be aboard an ___________________________ (Airline and Aircraft please) providing one stop service between Whitehorse and Fairbanks, Alaska. The intermediate stop will be in ____________________. A N S W E R E D