gkbiiii

Durring my boyhood in CA in the 1980s I remember seeing America West 747s that went to Hawaii and Japan. My question is did anyone here go on them and what was the service like. I believe it was a three class aircraft, how good was their First/business? I had been told years ago that this was there best service and included fresh flowers in the prem cabins.

Second, did any of you fly AW when they gave slippers in first for their PHX to PHL transcon run. This was in the very beginning I remember seeing adds for this. It was truly a different time. Believe it or not, USAir briefly served full hot meals on its PSA runs from LAX to OAK/SFO and a full dinner in FC for the under 2 hour trip. At one time both were quality carriers.

flight62

The LAX-SFO meals were short lived as it could not be done with out a big mess. USAir management put meals on those flights without realizing how short those flights were. They actually told the PSA f/a's they just couldn't cut the mustard...SOOOO...the USAir f/a's tried it and guess what? Yup, a big mess and it went to snack.

I can't speak for AWA transcon flights, but I can tell you we use to do ALOT on TC flights

Coach:
Pre departure w wine/oj
full bev
bev/meal w/ 3 choices of meals (FREE)
coffee/liquers
One and a half hours before landing
ice cream or snack
beverages
coffee
hot towels (YES COACH)
mints

Wow, I miss those days!

IADCAflyer

Please dont start mentioning PSA and their service. If you do, I'm going to have to spend $25 to reup my prescription for my Zoloft.

PSA was 'da bomb. USAirways today is akin to Greyhound with wings.

Bob'sYourUncle

At one time all US-based carriers where quality carrieris. They even set standards... hard to imagine these days.

MrDave

It also cost more in 1978 dollars to fly JFK - LAX in coach then it costs in 2007 dollars to do it in first.

You gets what you pays for.

-Dave

mlsrar

As a young lad, in 1989 and 1990, we flew via an America West Vacations trip to HNL (ultimately to OGG...we still have the canvas bag they gave us as gifts) ORD-PHX-HNL.

ORD-PHX was on an ex-EA 757, movie, full hot breakfast.

PHX-HNL, ex-KL 747. I had ordered a special meal, low-fat I believe and was served a shrimp cocktail, grilled chicken breast with wild rice. Being nine at the time, prior to boarding we were allowed up to see the upper deck and cockpit. I still have the 4x4 photos of my sister and I in our traveling garb, and the canvas bags given out, standing up there.

On the return trip, we flew HNL-LAS-PHX on the same a/c.

If I remember correctly, my dad was impressed there was free alcohol in Y on a domestic leg. I don't remember if this was HP policy, or if this was because the flight was continuing to NGO. Either way, it was memorable.

formeraa

MrDave --

THANK YOU for pointing this out!!! I thought that I was the only one old enough to remember exactly this. I paid $339 roundtrip (the lowest sale fare available) in Y for SEA-BOS in 1980 (holiday trip during freshman year in college). In today's dollars, that would be approx. $850 for the LOWEST sale fare.

If airlines did raise fares, that would solve the airport overcrowding problem because most people would have to severely cut back on trips!!!

Tanic

There were four of the ex KL 742s. A bit underpowered for PHX and LAS summer days - climbouts seemed to take until the shoreline. But very nice service - I had Mahi-Mahi on the way to HNL.

For the first several years of HP, free cocktails and WSJ were standard on ALL flights. You even paid the FA for your ticket after boarding.

DesertRat

the best thing about the HNL flights was the Passport to Paradise, which made them free if you flew enough segments during the promo period. Sigh. I'm getting depressed, too.

alanh

Here's some old America West ads. In particular, note the first class ad from 1989.This site also has the famous "When's the next plane to Phoenix?" PSA commercial.

*Sigh*

Nicksta

I remember the 747 "Bird of Paradise". In the lat 1980's, to stave off bankruptcy I think, HP offered $50? flights to anywhere and people lined up around the airport to buy them. It was a one day only sale and you could fly anywhere. My father bought 4 tickets to HNL. We flew Y of course, but I recall macadamia nuts, chicken breast, free alcohol, and menus!

Centurion

We used the America West 747 from PHX TO HNL in First Class. Beutiful music played as you boarded the plane. Your full name was pinned to the top of your your asssigned seat in first class before you boarded the plane and was in this silver name tag holder. You were served by two attendants with lays. One female attendant was not allowed to speak to the customer and was known as the "silent server" and she assisted the flight attendant by helping carve the meat on a rolling serving station, getting the wine etc. It was great. My only regret was not flying all the way to Japan.

The plane was taken out service for a while and used to ferry our US troops somewhere before it was permanately retired.

gkbiiii

I had wondered for a long time what the service was on those flights. My American First Class flight OAK-HNL was much the same thing. Shrimp Scampe down to the sunday. Those were the times!!

FlyHigh74

What is the point of doing this? I can imagine all the posts if this was still going on, "The F/A pretended like I wasnt even their! How many miles should I get?"

olympicnut

I have friends that have worked at HP (still work for them, obviously not as HP employees anymore ) since 1988. It was such a huge deal when the 742's came on. But man were they maintenance nightmares.

Back when they only had 2, their nicknames were Damien and Christine.