Originally Posted by
JW411
International Caribbean Airways started off in 1970 as a joint venture between Fred Laker and two businessmen based in Barbados. In 1973 the two businessmen sold their shares to the Government of Barbados which ended up with a 51% stake in the operation. The aircraft used were initially Laker 707s, which, as someone has already mentioned, carried Caribbean titles on the roof and the tail and also the blue - yellow - blue national flag of Barbados. I joined the DC-10 fleet and from time to time, one of them carried similar titles. I have a photograph of G-BBSZ so adorned but I can't post it (it's not mine so subject to copyright regulations, I assume). We had four Bajan F/Os who were actually only supposed to do Barbados flights but, in actual practice, they joined in with everyone else. One of them has either just retired or is just about to retire from Virgin after a long career there. In the cabin, half of the girls were Bajan (they didn't like going to Europe in the winter). In my time we stayed at the Paradise Beach (a Cunard hotel) on the west coast. Fred kindly furnished us with two Minimokes so that we could get around the island. The callsign used was "Caribbean" and the airline code was "IQ" (Laker was "GK"). A quick look at my log book produces IQ001 - LGW-BGI, IQ003 - LGW-LUX and IQ004 - BGI-LUX. Finally, I was told by one of my older colleagues that in the beginning, the flight deck used to have to swap hats between a Laker flight and a Caribbean flight!
Yes Jock, I recall, I think his name was, F/E Cliff Smithurst or Smethurst with two hats, one Laker and one Caribbean, I also recall when the 'Caribbean' B707-351's were brought out of retirement and pax complaining on a LGW/PMI how they wished they had been flying with Laker and not this Caribbean mob
