I remember on one trip in the 80s seeing four Pan Am aircraft on the ground at LGW, one scheduled (IAH) & three charters - I think that two were 747s. I know that they dipped in & out of charters. Does anyone have more details?
I also remember on one occasion (a Saturday around 1980) that People Express, when I think that they had a single 747, have a flight from EWR that was delayed by several hours. Eventually the flight landed operated by a Pan Am 747. Presumably People chartered it at short notice from PA & bussed their pax to JFK. PA must have had a spare crew in London for the return flight. Interestingly enough the ramp handling was undertaken by Gatwick Handling who handled PA at the time & not British Airways who handled PE.