I first flew from Stansted to Girona on Channel Airways - a BAC 1-11 on 8 May 1971 - Flight No. LY 637 - Lyons Tours holiday booked through Tom Hill Travel of Romford - two week full board - at the Hotel Sol Mar, Calella de la costa - at an adult cost £37.50 - my parents and my three older sisters and I. It was the first flight out of the season and the stewardesess remarked that they would be able to relax on the flight back as there would be no passengers - though seats had been randomly allocated on our channel airways tickets, all over the aircraft, the stewardess said we could sit anywhere - we sat in row 5 and 6 A-C - there was no door on the cockpit and and thick curtain pulled across for take over.
We departed at 8.30am - the check in seemingly chaotic in a rather modern but quite small check in area at the far left of the terminal - I was sharply told to wait with my sisters while my dad and mum checked us in - to an 8 year old it was awesome and exceedingly exciting - the extended departure area was made up of a large prefab hut with wooden floors and also a seating area outside. I remember the flight being called and we walked out to the waiting aircraft and boarded - i had the window seat. We departed at 8.30am and went across to the west then over east central London and then turned again across southern England - going out across the Needles of the Isle of White and I then later recall seeing Paris on the left in broken cloud far below and then an hour or more later the snow of the Pyrenees and the turbulence - we were served breakfast and my parents were given a small bottle of cava champagne with theirs - it was complimentary as a 'champagne flight'.
the arrival into Girona was exciting and we landed in brilliant sunshine - i don't recall the airport but were then on a coach which must have taken an hour to the hotel.
It was an amazing two weeks holiday - too many things to recall here - we flew home on 22 May at about 1pm on a Comet 4b of Channel Airways - former BEA aircraft as you could see BEA under the coverings of the fuselage - we boarded at the back and all sat at the front in a two facing set and on the other side - cloud all the way back and rain at Stansted - we were home !
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