Originally Posted by
WHBM
Interesting notes above. I think the first US scheduled carrier at Gatwick was Braniff in 1971. Passing through this period with a wide range of US operators as documented, we are back today with none. Sure there are the UK-based operations to some US leisure destinations, but the previous tradition has gone and these flights take few American travellers. I can't recall who were the last US carrier to depart. The old Gatwick Express train, with the British traditional doors where you had to slide down the window and reach for the outside handle on arrival, was always a particular challenge for them, and I, and doubtless others here as well, over time released quite a number of stuck US travellers from the train
There was however a considerable US presence before 1971, as it was the major UK point for affinity charter operators, or "Supplementals" as the US described them, principally in the summertime. Names such as World, Capitol, Transamerica, Universal, American Flyers, and even some new names towards the end in the 1980s like Arista, with the stretched DC-8 becoming their aircraft of choice. These carriers had as their all-year work flights for the US military when they had a major presence in Europe, with Frankfurt as a principal node but also other points as well, even Mildenhall, and they, doubtless with some scheduling dexterity, managed to link this work, a lot of which was required one way, with the commercial operations on the return leg. You might find various morning positioning flights from Gatwick to Frankfurt or vice-versa, and other combinations, tying it all together. Actually not always that dexterous, there were plenty of accounts of long-arranged summer affinity charters being pushed by one or two days either way to suit later US military requirements, or departures 8 hours late which, few were told, was actually prearranged, to suit crew overnighting times.
Braniff International was indeed the first US scheduled carrier at LGW but that occurred in February 1978 not in 1971.
Deregulation happened in the USA in 1977 the same year that Bermuda II was rubber stamped by the UK Department of Transport and the US equivalent.
Bermuda II allowed additional airlines and routes between the United States of America and the United Kingdom and was signed on the 23 July 1977.
Two airline's from each country the United Kingdom and the United States of America were initially awarded route authority to open up new routes between the USA and London. With Bermuda II in place the London airport would be London Gatwick.
No new entrants were allowed into London Heathrow Airport from the start of 1977 with all new entrants to the London market but not including UK domestic being forced to use London Gatwick Airport instead. Under Bermuda II that also meant that any new entrants from the USA wishing to fly to London would have to use LGW and also any incumbent airline wishing to launch new destinations not listed under the previous arrangement would have to use LGW as their London gateway hence Pan Am an incumbent airline at LHR having to use LGW for their Houston flight and British Airways having to use LGW for their New Orleans flight. There were three reasons for this at the time.
1) The UK Government declared that London Heathrow Airport was full.
2) The UK Government via the British Airports Authority were spending millions into making London Gatwick Airport a credible second London gateway and wanted to secure more airlines.
3) Bermuda II.
Braniff International was the first US airline to be awarded scheduled route authority across the Atlantic after Bermuda II was signed and they commenced their first pre-inaugural non fare paying flight from Dallas to London Gatwick on Tuesday 28 February 1978 with their flagship aircraft Boeing 747 N601BN (Big Orange).
Regular scheduled flights were planned to operate from the 01 March 1978 but due to a dispute at the airline this did not occur.
The first scheduled fare paying flight by Braniff International on their newly awarded transatlantic flight between Dallas and London Gatwick happend on 18 March 1982, again it was flown by their flagship aircraft Boeing 747 N601BN (Big Orange)
During the early 1970's and specifically in 1973 Braniff International operated upto a total of six affinity flights into LGW during the summer months. These flights were not scheduled flights they were affinity charters similar to those seen at LGW at the time by America Flyers, Capitol Airlines, Eastern Airlines, Modern Air, ONA Overseas National Airways, Pan Am, Saturn Airways, TIA Trans International Airlines, TWA Trans World Airlines, United Airlines, Universal Airlines, World Airways.
The only major US airlines during that period that didn't fly affinity charters into LGW were Delta Air Lines and Northwest Orient whereas the majority of the others did.
Delta were the second US airline to be awarded route authority after Bermuda II was signed to fly across the Atlantic and they commenced their first flight between Atlanta and London Gatwick on Sunday 30 April 1978, flight DL10 with two L1011 leased from TWA Trans World Airlines because their fleet of Tristars didn't have the range to fly the route nonstop. Delta eventually received the L15 (TriStar 500) that we're more than capable of flying from Atlanta to LGW nonstop.
As part of Bermuda II only one airline from each country were allowed to fly the route for upto six consecutive IATA seasons, that included both summer and winter seasons combined which equated to three years before another airline from the opposite country could fly on the same route.
A few examples of this are.
BCAL were awarded route authority to fly from LGW to Houston in July 1977 which meant that Pan Am could not start Houston to LGW untill July 1980.
Delta as stated above were awarded Atlanta to LGW in April 1978 which meant that BCAL could not start LGW to Atlanta until April 1981.
Braniff International were awarded route authority to fly from Dallas to LGW in February 1978 which meant that BCAL could not start LGW to Dallas until February 1981 although they didn't actually commence Dallas until late April 1981 due to late delivery of a DC10-30.
With regards to Laker Airways and their planned no thrills low cost SkyTrain service from London to New York which was first announced at the Savoy Hotel in London on the 30 June 1971 it would take many years for Sir Freddie Laker to achieve his goal until it finally came into reality in September 1977.
It would appear that Laker's applications having been turned down by the government's on both sides of the Atlantic on numerous occasions was not initially part of Bermuda II but could well have been part of it being signed in the first place.
Laker Airways were finally awarded route authority to fly from LGW to New York JFK in 1977 and the inaugural flight was on Monday 26 September 1977. The UK Department of Transport gave Laker Airways special preference before the commencement of Bermuda II after year's of campaiging by Sir Freddie and many objections from the incumbent airlines such as British Airways. The agreement finally allowed Sir Freddie Laker to operate his no thrills low cost service to New York with Los Angeles starting a year later on Tuesday 26 September 1978 and Miami starting on 06 October 1979.
The history of aviation during that period was a beautiful thing, unlike anything that we witness today.
I'm sure that I have made some errors but obviously feel free to correct me if needed as that's what forums like this are all about but Wikipedia has a page dedicated to Bermuda II if anyone is interested.
This is probably a good topic for Aviation History and Nostalgia forum rather than Airports Airlines and Routes forum as Skipness started a similar topic regarding Pan Am at LGW only a few months ago in the Aviation History and Nostalgia forum but it didn't seem to attract as much interest as this one appears to have.
I wouldn't mind starting a dedicated "Scandinavian charters at London Stansted Airport in the 70's and 80's" in the Aviation History and Nostalgia forum if anyone is interested in participating!
Have a great Sunday 🤗