Classical widebody first class
Sep 7, 2008 | 1:13 am
#16
Join Date: Jan 2005
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So, I only started flying in 1995 - so a relative newby. For others who never experienced aviation first hand, "back in the day", the Museum of flight in Seattle gives an interesting perspective:
- Inside, Concorde feels like an RJ - without the F seats at the front !
- The old 60s Airforce 1 is particularly unimpressive on the comfort front.
Sep 7, 2008 | 9:37 am
#17
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Central Mass
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That's another thing. I seem to remember that on older flights - you were always able to get up and walk around. Yeah there was occasionally a bit of turbulence, but by and large flights were quite smooth. IT seems today flying has become quite a bumpy experience. Of the last 4 or 5 flights I have taken, I would say over half of them spend a large portion of the flight with the seat belt signs on and the plane bouncing around. I am not sure this is the airlines fault, but it is something that has changed. So has, for that matter, how clear it seems to be when looking out the windows.
Sep 7, 2008 | 9:46 am
#18
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Join Date: Dec 2006
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I am thinking that the longest flights in the early 80's would have been the LAX to LHRs and similar. Even Qantas (without the SP) had to stop in HNL between Australia and the US. BA's timetable from 1990 still lists flights to NRT as being via ANC (but does show F class now as 62' sleepers on the 747-200 and -400, with the L10 and DC10 still numbering about 20 in their fleet).
Sep 7, 2008 | 3:43 pm
#19
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A bit more research last night showed Alitalia was flying 11 and 12 hour sectors in their 747-200s in 1990, including Rome to Rio. But Rome to Tokyo (6 x a week) was either via Moscow or Delhi.
regards
lme ff
Sep 8, 2008 | 8:26 am
#21
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Join Date: Dec 2006
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There was no business class before Qantas and Pan Am invented it in 1979-1980 or so. I think that SP-s appeared before this.
Sep 8, 2008 | 11:37 am
#22
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Sep 8, 2008 | 1:54 pm
#23
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Vancouver, Canada
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I have a memory as a child of flying to England with my family in the early-to-mid seventies. I distinctly recall my kid-brother sleeping on the floor on the overnight flight, at my parent's feet, in a sea of pillows. This means there was definitely enough legroom on the flight for him to pull this off.
This would have been in economy class, likely on an Air Canada Tristar.
This would have been in economy class, likely on an Air Canada Tristar.