TWA First Class DEN-JFK 1972 - The Good Old Days
Nov 30, 2009, 5:00 pm
#62
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Dec 1, 2009, 4:56 pm
#64
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Referring to the original menu: Do people really eat their apple pie with a wedge of sharp cheddar cheese? Is this a regional habit? Or is it a culinary taste from another time and a practice now extinct?
Dec 1, 2009, 5:24 pm
#65
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I was born in 1980, so I definately missed the glory days of travel, but since my dad used to work at ORD, I used to love going to the airport just to watch the airplanes. One thing i do remember i loved doing was to go to the flight attendants and ask for the "wings", or the plastic wings that they used to give out. I had a pretty good collection from TWA, KLM, Continental, United, etc. I just look at the pics posted here and wish I'd had the privalege to fly in those times when flying was exotic and most of the people who flew had a distinguished look about them, and not like nowadays with people with shorts, torn jeans, "goth" types, etc.
Dec 2, 2009, 9:56 am
#66
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Awesome thread
This has to be my favorite FT thread that I've ever read.
It brought back memories of FC in JAL when I was 11 years old - I still recall the most unbelievable Crab/Shrimp appetizer that I've ever had.
Thanks Seat2A!
It brought back memories of FC in JAL when I was 11 years old - I still recall the most unbelievable Crab/Shrimp appetizer that I've ever had.
Thanks Seat2A!
Dec 2, 2009, 3:04 pm
#67
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Dec 2, 2009, 3:34 pm
#68
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Almost like this:
Even though it's a non-glamorous scene in the hospital after that British dude got his foot cut off by the out-of-control John Deere in the office.
It would have been awesome if Don had taken Joan to Rome instead of Betty. I was disappointed that we didn't get to see the two of them on Pan Am or TWA (circa 1963) in that episode, but we did get Sal and Don heading to Baltimore early in the season, which was pretty cool. And from what I've read, the producers of the show are quite accurate in their renderings of aircraft interiors.
Even though it's a non-glamorous scene in the hospital after that British dude got his foot cut off by the out-of-control John Deere in the office.
It would have been awesome if Don had taken Joan to Rome instead of Betty. I was disappointed that we didn't get to see the two of them on Pan Am or TWA (circa 1963) in that episode, but we did get Sal and Don heading to Baltimore early in the season, which was pretty cool. And from what I've read, the producers of the show are quite accurate in their renderings of aircraft interiors.
Dec 2, 2009, 6:44 pm
#69
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What a great thread started by Seat 2A – it certainly brings back some memories for me.
Alas, no photos, and although I used to acidulously collect them, no menus, but some highlights:
My very earliest flights were done in Vickers Viscounts travelling between Melbourne (Essendon then) and Canberra while I was a post graduate student, on I think the then TAA.
Also included were flights from Melbourne to Broken Hill via Mildura in DC3s.
This then proceeded to Electras, which had a small lounge in the back of the plane – not sure whether they were owned by ANA or TAA or whether ANA had morphed into Ansett – I think they were flown by Ansett.
I still remember a very alcoholic trip, again when I was a post graduate student, spent in the Electra’s lounge drinking copious beers with some mining luminaries at the end of a mining conference in Western Australia flying home from Perth to Melbourne, the drinkers including a slightly mad Finn (as only Finns can be – they can really give Australians a run for their money in terms of drinking ) - he happened to be a geochemist who was the author of a standard textbook on the subject.
I thought the Electra was a marvellous plane in terms of passenger comfort, it was far quieter than the Viscount, and from memory, significantly faster.
On the same trip (I think), on a post conference tour to the Pilbara flying from Perth to some of the then developing mining centres of the Pilbara in a DC3 in summer (in the late sixties), the thermals were so bad that the plane had to make an unscheduled stop to unload one of the passengers ( he happened to be a classmate of mine) who was so badly air sick that he had to be transferred to a later Friendship flight.
Western Australia in the late sixties/early seventies was the place to be working for a resource company – it was driven by the huge demand for resources by the then newly industrialising Japan, and we are seeing a rerun of that now in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland, except that it is about 10 times as big with the drivers being India and China.
My home town is Melbourne, and my then company ( BHP then, BHP-Billiton now) was based in Melbourne so I used to commute to the West every four or five weeks.
By then the 727 had been introduced into Australia, followed by the DC9 for the shorter routes. Melbourne – Perth was about 3½ hours and TAA up front served a good lunch, and in my youth it was considered to be the height of sophistication to have Houghton’s White Burgundy as the accompanying wine.
BHP in those days was very old fashioned, and we used to overnight in Perth in the Esplanade Hotel - WA oldies will remember the Esplanade Hotel with considerable fondness. We were woken up in the morning by an ancient old lady complete with black dress and white pinafore with a knock on the door and a cup of tea, so that we could catch the 6.00am flight to Kalgoorlie flying MMA (affectionately known as Mickey Mouse Airlines) – flown initially in a DC3, and then in Friendships.
My first international flight was in F flying in a QF 747 – 200 to London From memory Seat 2A, it may well have been City of Canberra. In those days it used to go MEL – SIN – BAH – LHR. Between SIN and BAH I spent an hour or so in the cockpit talking to the pilots (and the flight engineer in those days) and watching flares from the various oil wells along the Gulf. For my first long haul flight ever, being wet behind the ears internationally and in a fairly new QF 747, I was enormously impressed. Much later on, I was to be in the cockpit in an NZ 767 for a landing into MEL, which was a marvelous experience.
I was to have a number of flights on QF following that first flight, and found that the best way to travel was to immediately head for the Captain’s Club lounge and get one of the lounge seats so that later on I could stretch out to sleep – the F seats in those days didn’t fully recline.
Apart from domestic flying, over the next few years, (middle/late seventies, early/middle eighties) I did a very large amount of up front long haul travel. A number of flights early on were in QF 707s and JL DC8s with one on a BA VC10 (on board, up front, an enormously quiet and comfortable plane), and later a BA Concord between LHR and JFK ( not exactly comfortable seating)
Then on to a diet of 747s, DC10s and TriStars mostly on QF, UA JL, KE, CX, and a little on CO (in DC10s LAX – SYD, which used to have a stand up bar), and NW, with a lot of travel in the US on TWA, with St Louis as the hub.
I did a number of flights on PanAm before they went under – either SYD or MEL to LAX, and they used to have a food and wine club in the upper deck which was excellent – although towards the end the state of the planes was appalling.
I regularly used to fly LAX – TYO via ANC in Seat2A’s territory, and had some great flights on JL. At one stage, JL had the 747 upper deck converted into sleeperettes, and these could be booked for a small surcharge for the SYD – TYO flights.
And at one stage, QF used to fly a 747 SP MEL – WLG which I used regularly.
In later years, all of my travel has been *A, mostly on NZ and a little on SQ and UA.
Comparing travel then with now, then was hassle free, and Seat 2A’s photos show that probably the catering was better and more elaborate. I would say though that a great innovation in both F and J has been the fully flat bed – I just can’t sleep unless I am fully stretched out - and there have been major advances with IFE, so I think that in terms of travelling comfort, now is far superior.
Another innovation which for Australians and Kiwis in particular is a major plus is the increase in range and the resulting direct flights/less stops between Australia/New Zealand and wherever.
However no visits to the cockpit for the FF desperates, which is a great shame.
Over the years flying I have had some marvelous experiences and met some fascinating travelling companions, although I must be getting old as now I much prefer to travel by myself.
KiwiFlyer has mentioned that he has got some of his very brightest ideas when on medium/long haul flights, and I have found exactly the same.
And even at my advanced age, I still love flying, and have a large amount of anticipation when I am about to set forth on a long haul trip (or even a TransTasman journey, for that matter) .
BTW Seat 2A, my next trip in the middle of next year is planned for your part of the world - now that I have more time, I am planning to travel to parts of the world I haven’t seen before, and Alaska is one of them – it sure will be different to the outback of Australia that I am used to!
Again a marvelous thread Seat 2A, and it sure brings back memories for me.
Alas, no photos, and although I used to acidulously collect them, no menus, but some highlights:
My very earliest flights were done in Vickers Viscounts travelling between Melbourne (Essendon then) and Canberra while I was a post graduate student, on I think the then TAA.
Also included were flights from Melbourne to Broken Hill via Mildura in DC3s.
This then proceeded to Electras, which had a small lounge in the back of the plane – not sure whether they were owned by ANA or TAA or whether ANA had morphed into Ansett – I think they were flown by Ansett.
I still remember a very alcoholic trip, again when I was a post graduate student, spent in the Electra’s lounge drinking copious beers with some mining luminaries at the end of a mining conference in Western Australia flying home from Perth to Melbourne, the drinkers including a slightly mad Finn (as only Finns can be – they can really give Australians a run for their money in terms of drinking ) - he happened to be a geochemist who was the author of a standard textbook on the subject.
I thought the Electra was a marvellous plane in terms of passenger comfort, it was far quieter than the Viscount, and from memory, significantly faster.
On the same trip (I think), on a post conference tour to the Pilbara flying from Perth to some of the then developing mining centres of the Pilbara in a DC3 in summer (in the late sixties), the thermals were so bad that the plane had to make an unscheduled stop to unload one of the passengers ( he happened to be a classmate of mine) who was so badly air sick that he had to be transferred to a later Friendship flight.
Western Australia in the late sixties/early seventies was the place to be working for a resource company – it was driven by the huge demand for resources by the then newly industrialising Japan, and we are seeing a rerun of that now in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland, except that it is about 10 times as big with the drivers being India and China.
My home town is Melbourne, and my then company ( BHP then, BHP-Billiton now) was based in Melbourne so I used to commute to the West every four or five weeks.
By then the 727 had been introduced into Australia, followed by the DC9 for the shorter routes. Melbourne – Perth was about 3½ hours and TAA up front served a good lunch, and in my youth it was considered to be the height of sophistication to have Houghton’s White Burgundy as the accompanying wine.
BHP in those days was very old fashioned, and we used to overnight in Perth in the Esplanade Hotel - WA oldies will remember the Esplanade Hotel with considerable fondness. We were woken up in the morning by an ancient old lady complete with black dress and white pinafore with a knock on the door and a cup of tea, so that we could catch the 6.00am flight to Kalgoorlie flying MMA (affectionately known as Mickey Mouse Airlines) – flown initially in a DC3, and then in Friendships.
My first international flight was in F flying in a QF 747 – 200 to London From memory Seat 2A, it may well have been City of Canberra. In those days it used to go MEL – SIN – BAH – LHR. Between SIN and BAH I spent an hour or so in the cockpit talking to the pilots (and the flight engineer in those days) and watching flares from the various oil wells along the Gulf. For my first long haul flight ever, being wet behind the ears internationally and in a fairly new QF 747, I was enormously impressed. Much later on, I was to be in the cockpit in an NZ 767 for a landing into MEL, which was a marvelous experience.
I was to have a number of flights on QF following that first flight, and found that the best way to travel was to immediately head for the Captain’s Club lounge and get one of the lounge seats so that later on I could stretch out to sleep – the F seats in those days didn’t fully recline.
Apart from domestic flying, over the next few years, (middle/late seventies, early/middle eighties) I did a very large amount of up front long haul travel. A number of flights early on were in QF 707s and JL DC8s with one on a BA VC10 (on board, up front, an enormously quiet and comfortable plane), and later a BA Concord between LHR and JFK ( not exactly comfortable seating)
Then on to a diet of 747s, DC10s and TriStars mostly on QF, UA JL, KE, CX, and a little on CO (in DC10s LAX – SYD, which used to have a stand up bar), and NW, with a lot of travel in the US on TWA, with St Louis as the hub.
I did a number of flights on PanAm before they went under – either SYD or MEL to LAX, and they used to have a food and wine club in the upper deck which was excellent – although towards the end the state of the planes was appalling.
I regularly used to fly LAX – TYO via ANC in Seat2A’s territory, and had some great flights on JL. At one stage, JL had the 747 upper deck converted into sleeperettes, and these could be booked for a small surcharge for the SYD – TYO flights.
And at one stage, QF used to fly a 747 SP MEL – WLG which I used regularly.
In later years, all of my travel has been *A, mostly on NZ and a little on SQ and UA.
Comparing travel then with now, then was hassle free, and Seat 2A’s photos show that probably the catering was better and more elaborate. I would say though that a great innovation in both F and J has been the fully flat bed – I just can’t sleep unless I am fully stretched out - and there have been major advances with IFE, so I think that in terms of travelling comfort, now is far superior.
Another innovation which for Australians and Kiwis in particular is a major plus is the increase in range and the resulting direct flights/less stops between Australia/New Zealand and wherever.
However no visits to the cockpit for the FF desperates, which is a great shame.
Over the years flying I have had some marvelous experiences and met some fascinating travelling companions, although I must be getting old as now I much prefer to travel by myself.
KiwiFlyer has mentioned that he has got some of his very brightest ideas when on medium/long haul flights, and I have found exactly the same.
And even at my advanced age, I still love flying, and have a large amount of anticipation when I am about to set forth on a long haul trip (or even a TransTasman journey, for that matter) .
BTW Seat 2A, my next trip in the middle of next year is planned for your part of the world - now that I have more time, I am planning to travel to parts of the world I haven’t seen before, and Alaska is one of them – it sure will be different to the outback of Australia that I am used to!
Again a marvelous thread Seat 2A, and it sure brings back memories for me.
Last edited by WellingtonFF; Dec 3, 2009 at 3:43 am Reason: Correct typo
Dec 3, 2009, 2:50 am
#70
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Almost like this:
Even though it's a non-glamorous scene in the hospital after that British dude got his foot cut off by the out-of-control John Deere in the office.
It would have been awesome if Don had taken Joan to Rome instead of Betty. I was disappointed that we didn't get to see the two of them on Pan Am or TWA (circa 1963) in that episode, but we did get Sal and Don heading to Baltimore early in the season, which was pretty cool. And from what I've read, the producers of the show are quite accurate in their renderings of aircraft interiors.
Even though it's a non-glamorous scene in the hospital after that British dude got his foot cut off by the out-of-control John Deere in the office.
It would have been awesome if Don had taken Joan to Rome instead of Betty. I was disappointed that we didn't get to see the two of them on Pan Am or TWA (circa 1963) in that episode, but we did get Sal and Don heading to Baltimore early in the season, which was pretty cool. And from what I've read, the producers of the show are quite accurate in their renderings of aircraft interiors.
Dec 3, 2009, 8:41 am
#71
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Was the "Friendship" the Fairchild F27 (or is it Fokker)? I remember going out with my family to pick up my grandfather in Santa Maria (SMX) on a flight up from LAX (about 1971 or so) and him saying that the aircraft was a "Friendship." (Ironically, the airport in Baltimore, where he lived, was called "Friendship" back then; some people there still call it that instead of "BWI.")
Dec 3, 2009, 2:07 pm
#72
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Very interesting - that "thumbnail" of Aussie/Kiwi commercial aviation is great. I try to be aware/document my travels as in 30 years it will be "Wow - you got to fly on a DC-10? What was that like?" when at the time it was commonplace and not worth noting.
Was the "Friendship" the Fairchild F27 (or is it Fokker)? I remember going out with my family to pick up my grandfather in Santa Maria (SMX) on a flight up from LAX (about 1971 or so) and him saying that the aircraft was a "Friendship." (Ironically, the airport in Baltimore, where he lived, was called "Friendship" back then; some people there still call it that instead of "BWI.")
Was the "Friendship" the Fairchild F27 (or is it Fokker)? I remember going out with my family to pick up my grandfather in Santa Maria (SMX) on a flight up from LAX (about 1971 or so) and him saying that the aircraft was a "Friendship." (Ironically, the airport in Baltimore, where he lived, was called "Friendship" back then; some people there still call it that instead of "BWI.")
Dec 6, 2009, 3:08 pm
#73
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I am not too sure where we are in Kiwiland with the series, but I would have to agree with you that it would be seriously interesting if Don went to Rome with Joan rather than Peggy - F of course, and staying at some decent hotels and eating at some decent restuarants
Dec 7, 2009, 5:02 pm
#74
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Continuing with the Mad Men-related discussions, in the episode "Seven Twenty-Three," Betty orders apple pie with a wedge of cheese while in a diner.