jlemon

This flight originated at HNL and headed east. The first stop, being LAX, has already been identified. The second stop was not IAH or DEN.

YVR Cockroach

Since the 2nd stop wasn't any of the western hubs., I'd have to guess ORD after LAX.

jlemon

ORD is incorrect. However, you might want to head a bit farther east.....

Seat 2A

A bit farther east... Well, CLE would be "a bit" farther east, but somehow I just can't wrap my head around CO operating LAX-CLE with a 747. Let's go with EWR followed by somewhere distant like LGW as nowhere else in the US makes sense.

JoeDTW

It's time to close out my earlier survey based on the AA 1973 system timetable.

The unidentified city served nonstop from DAL with a DC-10 Luxury Liner was....MEM!

AA 264 left SFO 4:30 PM, arrived DAL 9:38 PM, left DAL 10:35 PM, and arrived MEM 11:47 PM.

AA's lone DC-10 flight from TUL flew TUL-OKC-LAX.

AA 147 left TUL 9:00 AM, arrived OKC 9:35 AM, left OKC 10:05 AM, and arrived LAX 10:45 AM.

AA's other 707 Freighter flight from Detroit went to Dallas. AA 837 left JFK 1:10 PM, arrived DTW 2:50 PM, left DTW 4:15 PM, and arrived DAL 5:32 PM. A big General Motors assembly plant was built in 1954 in Arlington, Texas. In 1973, it made GM's "A Body" cars like the Monte Carlo and Chevelle, but today it makes GM's biggest SUV's, like the Escalade and Yukon.

It's interesting that in 1973, AA did not have any 707F flights to either Los Angeles or San Francisco from Detroit, despite the large number of assembly plants at that time in those cities. However, both cities were served with 747s and DC-10s, so the auto parts were shipped as belly cargo.

jlemon

Nope, I do not believe Continental ever operated Boeing 747 service into CLE.....although United was doing so back in 1974 with a routing of CLE-ORD-LAX flown with a B747-122, I think.

And as for your routing of HNL-LAX-EWR-LGW, you are correct, sir! Here's the sched.....

CO 24: HNL 10:40p - 6:00a LAX 8:45a - 5:00p EWR 9:05p - 8:45a LGW
Op: Daily
Equip: 747

Note the long layover interval at Newark before CO 24 departed for London Gatwick. The Continental timetable indicates this was a through flight but I wonder if there was actually an equipment swap at EWR.....

Meantime, the return flight operated LGW-EWR-LAX with a 747. And if one wanted to continue on to HNL on CO, you would have had to spend the night in Los Angeles before catching Continental's next flight to Honolulu which did not depart until early afternoon the next day and was also operated with a 747.

* * * * *

So how about three more bonus quiz items concerning good old Continental?

1. In early 1966, Continental was operating two different aircraft types into Colorado Springs (COS). Identify both. ANSWERED

2. Also in early 1966, Continental was only operating one round trip flight a day in its system with a Douglas DC-6B. This daily flight originated in Tulsa every morning and then terminated back in TUL every night. Identify the round trip routing flown by this aircraft along with the final destination served by the morning departure from Tulsa with the understanding the same five en route stops were made in each direction. And there was also something unique about this flight besides the fact it was CO's only DC-6B service. What was it? ANSWERED

3. In 1959, Continental was operating through plane service twice a day between Houston (HOU) and Los Angeles (LAX), and once a day between Houston and San Francisco (SFO) in conjunction with another airline. Two different aircraft types were flown on this service. Name the other airline and identify both aircraft types as well as the interchange airport where each airline handed off the flights to one another. Also identify the three different routings used by these flights. And for bonus points, what was the marketing name used by both airlines to describe this through plane service? ANSWERED

Seat 2A

1. In early 1966, Continental was operating two different aircraft types into Colorado Springs (COS). Identify both.

Let's go with the Viscount and the DC-3. I might be a year late on the DC-3 but I believe the DEN-COS route was the last DC-3 route operated by CO, so let's hope it was in 1966.

jrl767

the interchange carrier was American, the transition point was ELP, and the aircraft were the DC-6 and DC-7

as far as routings ... the CO portion was probably HOU-SAT-ELP; the continuing portions are a bit more complicated because AA served a number of intermediate points across the southwest

I suspect one of the LAX trips was actually a nonstop, while the other served TUS and/or SAN; I'll surmise that the SFO trip stopped in PHX

jlemon

Correct! It was the Vickers Viscount II propjet and the trusty old Douglas DC-3. And here's a follow up question:

4. What kind of aircraft was Continental operating nonstop from Chicago to Colorado Springs and also nonstop from Los Angeles to Colorado Springs in 1974? ANSWERED

jlemon

AA is correct! Aircraft were actually DC-6B and DC-7B models but you are close enough so we'll call those answers correct as well. And ELP was indeed the interchange point so you are correct there, too.

You're also very close with your routings so here they are:

* HOU-SAT-ELP-LAX flown with a DC-7B

* HOU-SAT-ELP-SAN-LAX flown with a DC-7B

* HOU-SAT-ELP-PHX-SFO flown with a DC-6B

So all we are looking for now is the marketing name used by both American and Continental for these flights....

Seat 2A

4. What kind of aircraft was Continental operating nonstop from Chicago to Colorado Springs and also nonstop from Los Angeles to Colorado Springs in 1974?

I have some personal experience with this one... Actually mine was in August of 1973 but lets hope things haven't changed. I was flying from Chicago to Denver and did so aboard a comparatively pedestrian 727-224 - unaware at the time that I could have departed just an hour earlier and flown aboard a beautiful Continental 720B routing ORD-COS-DEN. The 720B was also commonly used between COS and LAX in the early 1970s.

jlemon

4. The Boeing 720B operated by Continental ORD-COS-LAX round trip is correct!

BTW, I remember several very nice flights on board CO operated 720B equipment LAX-IAH and also recall when the airline operated the 720B ("The Proud Bird With The Golden Tail") into Austin with a routing of LAX-PHX-ELP-MAF-AUS-IAH.

JoeDTW

2. Also in early 1966, Continental was only operating one round trip flight a day in its system with a Douglas DC-6B. This daily flight originated in Tulsa every morning and then terminated back in TUL every night. Identify the round trip routing flown by this aircraft along with the final destination served by the morning departure from Tulsa with the understanding the same five en route stops were made in each direction. And there was also something unique about this flight besides the fact it was CO's only DC-6B service. What was it?

This would have been the CO / UA interchange. My guess on the five intermediate stops:

TUL-OKC-ICT-DEN-BOI-PDX-SEA

This was unique because the aircraft carried both CO's and UA's logos - perhaps a precursor to the CO / AZ DC-10 operated thirty years later.

CO's annual reports from the 1960s say CO wanted to upgrade the equipment to 720s so CO could phase out the DC-6B, but UA refused, perhaps out of spite.

Non-NonRev

UA used the 720 on Fresno to San Francisco route in the 1960s. Fare was $11 one way.

jlemon

2. Correct! And I was unaware of the fact the DC-6B carried logos featuring both CO and UA (perhaps an unintentional sign of things to come?). The unique feature I was referring to was this round trip flight was the one and only interchange service operated by both airlines at the time.

Your routing is very close as well. The routing in the March 1, 1966 CO timetable was TUL-ICT-DEN-SLC-BOI-PDX-SEA round trip. However, the April 24, 1966 UA timetable listed an additional stop on the northwest bound routing of this interchange flight between Boise and Portland: Pendleton (PDT)....which was not listed in the CO timetable. PDT was not served on the southeast bound routing, according to the UA timetable.

It's also interesting to note that at this very same time United was flying Boeing 720 interchange service in conjunction with another airline: Braniff International. Two round trip flights a day were operated by UA and BN with HOU-DAL-DEN-PDX-SEA and HOU-DAL-DEN-SEA routings. Of course, UA and BN never operated the Boeing 720B fanjet version of the aircraft.