I did like TWA...
Mar 8, 2003, 7:22 pm
#16
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Las Vegas, NV, USA
Programs: AAdvantage EXP/1mm/Admirals,United Silver+Club (life),Marriott Titanium,Hilton & Accor Gold
Posts: 5,061
Mar 11, 2003, 7:51 am
#17
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: AA EXP & Life Plat; AA 4MM; TWA Life Plat; HH Diamond
Posts: 1,107
So many memories...
I started flying TWA regularly in 1990 when my job began requiring me to travel about 20 weeks a year. I remember so many things...flight 845 the +/- 5:30pm JFK departure to STL - typically in an L1011. The times I took the one stop to STL from JFK via PHL. The flight, a 767, would actually take off from JFK and fly about 17 minutes to PHL!!! There were the Transcons...I can't tell you how many satisfying flights I had on 841 JFK-LAX in the 747 after they went to two class service. The upper deck was like flying your own private plane coast to coast. There were of course the trips to Europe...JFK-CDG, LGA-STL-LGW, JFK-AMS-VIE, JFK-FRA and others.
Of course there's all of the special events/vacations where TWA would deliver me to my destination. Honeymoons, taking my grandmother back to her motherland, childern's first air trips, visiting old friends, etc. TWA was always there to get us where we wanted to go...even if it often meant a stop in STL to get us there.
Then there was the trip 'of a lifetime.' Cashing in those 300,000 miles for two first class tickets around the world (on TWA and Philipine Airlines). A great 36 days of seeing the world...that I can thank TWA and the FFB program for.
But through all of that there were the people of TWA...the folks that made the engines turn, the meals warm and the flights on-time. These folks are what made traveling TWA safe and enjoyable.
I always thought TWA was just about the 'right size.' Large enough to get you were you were going, but small enough that if you flew them as often as I did, you could get to know the people. Enough cannot be said or written about the TWA folks. They struggled through tremendous adversity and personal sacrifice to keep the place running, but throughout they demonstrated absolute professionalism and a personal touch that kept you coming back. It's funny, although TWA lacked many of the higher end amenities of an AA or UA at the time, TWA cabin attendants always worked to turn coal into gold and strived to provide high class service. They typically hit the mark.
It was a cold morning in January 2001 when I was sitting in the JFK Ambassadors Club when the news was broadcast that TWA was to declare bankruptcy and be purchased by AA. My heart sunk. I sensed the end was near...and indeed it was. Later that month, I passed the 1,000,000 flight mile threshold in flying with TWA. That made me a 'lifetime' Platinum member in TWA's flyger program. This of course was short lived. I did receive a nice shiny new card for hitting this mark. It serves now as a happy reminder of the kinder days of air travel when Red and White planes were the Queens of the Skies (or Red, Gold, Blue and White if you prefer) and travel was fun.
I miss TWA, her planes, the service and most importantly the spirit embodied in the people of TWA.
I started flying TWA regularly in 1990 when my job began requiring me to travel about 20 weeks a year. I remember so many things...flight 845 the +/- 5:30pm JFK departure to STL - typically in an L1011. The times I took the one stop to STL from JFK via PHL. The flight, a 767, would actually take off from JFK and fly about 17 minutes to PHL!!! There were the Transcons...I can't tell you how many satisfying flights I had on 841 JFK-LAX in the 747 after they went to two class service. The upper deck was like flying your own private plane coast to coast. There were of course the trips to Europe...JFK-CDG, LGA-STL-LGW, JFK-AMS-VIE, JFK-FRA and others.
Of course there's all of the special events/vacations where TWA would deliver me to my destination. Honeymoons, taking my grandmother back to her motherland, childern's first air trips, visiting old friends, etc. TWA was always there to get us where we wanted to go...even if it often meant a stop in STL to get us there.
Then there was the trip 'of a lifetime.' Cashing in those 300,000 miles for two first class tickets around the world (on TWA and Philipine Airlines). A great 36 days of seeing the world...that I can thank TWA and the FFB program for.
But through all of that there were the people of TWA...the folks that made the engines turn, the meals warm and the flights on-time. These folks are what made traveling TWA safe and enjoyable.
I always thought TWA was just about the 'right size.' Large enough to get you were you were going, but small enough that if you flew them as often as I did, you could get to know the people. Enough cannot be said or written about the TWA folks. They struggled through tremendous adversity and personal sacrifice to keep the place running, but throughout they demonstrated absolute professionalism and a personal touch that kept you coming back. It's funny, although TWA lacked many of the higher end amenities of an AA or UA at the time, TWA cabin attendants always worked to turn coal into gold and strived to provide high class service. They typically hit the mark.
It was a cold morning in January 2001 when I was sitting in the JFK Ambassadors Club when the news was broadcast that TWA was to declare bankruptcy and be purchased by AA. My heart sunk. I sensed the end was near...and indeed it was. Later that month, I passed the 1,000,000 flight mile threshold in flying with TWA. That made me a 'lifetime' Platinum member in TWA's flyger program. This of course was short lived. I did receive a nice shiny new card for hitting this mark. It serves now as a happy reminder of the kinder days of air travel when Red and White planes were the Queens of the Skies (or Red, Gold, Blue and White if you prefer) and travel was fun.
I miss TWA, her planes, the service and most importantly the spirit embodied in the people of TWA.
Apr 19, 2003, 3:47 pm
#18
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Programs: DL PM
Posts: 1,094
I'm a former TWA F/A and I still miss it too! During the 70's and 80's, it was great to work for and wonderful people to work with(until Icahn came along). I have many fond memories of flying out of JFK to Europe and even, briefly, Kuwait. Am happy to hear that many passengers also have good memories of what I thought was one of the best airlines ever.
Apr 20, 2003, 3:46 pm
#19
Join Date: Jul 1999
Programs: AA 1MM/Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,214
TWA was a great airline because of its people. I have many fond memories of hopping TWExpress up to JFK to board a flight to Europe, and being able to go to the Ambassador Club in T5 to wait for the flight. Almost all of our flights were in Y, but I was too young to care.
Had a FF Elite card by the time I was 12 or 13, thanks to a lot of flying to visit relatives in the Bay Area (TW had nonstops at the time between SFO-IAD, SFO-BWI, etc...) During college years, the Youth Travel Pack was a great deal, and a great way to build miles flying from coast to coast...
Even in the last few years, most of the employees went out of their way to make us, the passengers, feel appreciated. And provided great service with limited resources. My girlfriend and I will always have fond memories of a TWOne flight STL-CDG, as well as going to Hawaii in style STL-OGG. The STL-CDG flights were taken in December of 2000, less than a month before the takeover, but the food and service were still top notch.
It's terrible that so many ex-TWAers are already gone, and that all the remaining FAs could be laid off in the very near future...I fly AA now because of convenience, but will never have the loyalty to them that I had to TWA...
Had a FF Elite card by the time I was 12 or 13, thanks to a lot of flying to visit relatives in the Bay Area (TW had nonstops at the time between SFO-IAD, SFO-BWI, etc...) During college years, the Youth Travel Pack was a great deal, and a great way to build miles flying from coast to coast...
Even in the last few years, most of the employees went out of their way to make us, the passengers, feel appreciated. And provided great service with limited resources. My girlfriend and I will always have fond memories of a TWOne flight STL-CDG, as well as going to Hawaii in style STL-OGG. The STL-CDG flights were taken in December of 2000, less than a month before the takeover, but the food and service were still top notch.
It's terrible that so many ex-TWAers are already gone, and that all the remaining FAs could be laid off in the very near future...I fly AA now because of convenience, but will never have the loyalty to them that I had to TWA...
May 26, 2003, 10:34 pm
#20
Moderator: Delta SkyMiles, Luxury Hotels, TravelBuzz! and Italy
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 26,537
One of my nicest memories of TW was the way they accommodated my family when there was a seating snafu. We checked in at CDG (spouse and three children) and discovered that our family was seated all over the place. I politely asked if we could be seated together, or at least near each other for the CDG/JFK flt. What a pleasant surprise to find that our entire family was sent upstairs to Ambassador Class so we could all be together. I'll never forget that, nor will my (now grown) children. Also memorable, was the fact that the lead FA on board was the most senior FA in the fleet. She was remarkable. I only wish I could remember her name.
Jun 1, 2003, 11:29 am
#21
Join Date: Jul 1999
Programs: AA 1MM/Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,214
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by obscure2k:
One of my nicest memories of TW was the way they accommodated my family when there was a seating snafu. We checked in at CDG (spouse and three children) and discovered that our family was seated all over the place. I politely asked if we could be seated together, or at least near each other for the CDG/JFK flt. What a pleasant surprise to find that our entire family was sent upstairs to Ambassador Class so we could all be together. I'll never forget that, nor will my (now grown) children. Also memorable, was the fact that the lead FA on board was the most senior FA in the fleet. She was remarkable. I only wish I could remember her name. </font>
One of my nicest memories of TW was the way they accommodated my family when there was a seating snafu. We checked in at CDG (spouse and three children) and discovered that our family was seated all over the place. I politely asked if we could be seated together, or at least near each other for the CDG/JFK flt. What a pleasant surprise to find that our entire family was sent upstairs to Ambassador Class so we could all be together. I'll never forget that, nor will my (now grown) children. Also memorable, was the fact that the lead FA on board was the most senior FA in the fleet. She was remarkable. I only wish I could remember her name. </font>
I might be wrong, but there was a very senior F/A named Dodi?, I think, who was #1 on the seniority list in the late stages of TWA. There was a nice article on her and her crew in the LA Times when they were flying the LAX-DCA route.
Jun 1, 2003, 4:18 pm
#22
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: NYC&RIC-AA LT PLT w/3.9mm
Programs: Ex-BA Silver; Ex-UA Premier
Posts: 1,135
socalter. I doubt that Dodi, or the other Very Senior TWA FA's (in both # and age) who recently received a lot of ink) were then on top of the seniority list when obscure2k flew CDG-JFK with "children" who are "now grown".
I too have fond memories of my first commercial trans-Atlantic flight on TWA followed by many more. I still have the card of the receptionist in the CDG Ambassador Club, Maryannick Bizette, who in the '70s went out of her way and far beyond anything expected to help me with a problem I had encountered.
In the early days of trans-Atlantic non-stop jet (707, DC8, 880, 990 and finally 747, I used both PA and TW depending on the schedule and destination, but TW was my favorite. It was always an ego trip and treat to be in the Club in T-5 at JFK awaiting departure for overseas.
Those were also the days when both TW and PA had the 'right' to fly intra-Europe, especially from France and Germany. Each had a fleet of twin-engine metal to connect to cities not served non-stop from JFK or from ORD, LAX and SFO.
What wonderful times!!!
I too have fond memories of my first commercial trans-Atlantic flight on TWA followed by many more. I still have the card of the receptionist in the CDG Ambassador Club, Maryannick Bizette, who in the '70s went out of her way and far beyond anything expected to help me with a problem I had encountered.
In the early days of trans-Atlantic non-stop jet (707, DC8, 880, 990 and finally 747, I used both PA and TW depending on the schedule and destination, but TW was my favorite. It was always an ego trip and treat to be in the Club in T-5 at JFK awaiting departure for overseas.
Those were also the days when both TW and PA had the 'right' to fly intra-Europe, especially from France and Germany. Each had a fleet of twin-engine metal to connect to cities not served non-stop from JFK or from ORD, LAX and SFO.
What wonderful times!!!
Jun 28, 2003, 9:23 pm
#23
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Doylestown, PA, USA
Posts: 1
My very first real job was as a TWA F/A. Just out of college, I headed to New York and my dream job back in June '65. I absolutely loved every minute of my time in the sky. I was forced to stop flying after marrying and getting pregnant with child #1. I was part of the Class Action that sued for discrimination in later years. We won that case, but it was bittersweet. I would have loved to go back to flying but had another career and two growing children by the time it was all settled in 1981. Oh, how I miss it still. My heart broke when AA gobbled them up. And flying today is nothing like it was then. I still have my uniform!
Jun 30, 2003, 10:56 pm
#24
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: STL, MO-US and A , SWA A-List, Marriott LTTE, Hilton Gold, Hertz PC
Posts: 1,883
First flight as a kid was STL to LAX on a TWA L-1011. Man, that was something else.
Blows away the AA Slug-80's I fly out of STL every week.
Blows away the AA Slug-80's I fly out of STL every week.
Sep 4, 2003, 10:02 am
#25
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: S.C. US-GP;HH-G;CO-G;HP-S
Posts: 225
Oh how I miss the L-1011 memories. My wife and I traveled almost always on TWA. Miss it much.
Sep 4, 2003, 7:35 pm
#26
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Somewhere
Posts: 1,230
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Springer:
I still have my uniform! </font>
I still have my uniform! </font>
Sep 10, 2003, 1:58 am
#27
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: San Diego, CA
Programs: Delta SkyMiles Gold, Hilton HHonors Diamond, and Royal Caribbean Pinnacle Club
Posts: 1,009
I miss TWA, it was the last great airline among the major carriers. I missed the TWA Youth Travel Paks. Though I found a replacement airline, jetBlue, to meet all my travel needs, I still miss TWA because of the friendly inflight crew and also miss flying out of JFK's Terminal 5 becuase it was the coolest terminal I've ever been to. I am still mad that American bought out TWA and a few months later, turn itself into one of the worst airline ever by reducing inflight services. I also miss the meals that they served in first class on TWA, they were the best airline food I had ever ate, even the coach food was decent and good.
