Originally Posted by
brakedwell
I was in Bangor with my LGW crew when the 757 fleet manager phoned me in the early hours to tell me AE was finished and to tell me to get my crew back to Gatwick any way I could. My good friend was the Virgin Ops Director, who said we could have free seats back to LGW if we got ourselves to Newark. Unfortunately it started to snow heavily, so driving in hire cars was out. Eventually I managed to get very cheap seats on the Northwest DC10 from Boston to Gatwick for my crew plus a Manchester Crew. I sat next to an ex Laker flight attendant from the Man crew who had a very similar experience when Laker went bust! She was crying on my shoulder when we landed at Gatwick.
We must have met at LGW as I was always out at the 757 departures especially the Long haulers...
I too had a similar 'gone-bust' moment.
Arrived LAX for a 5 day jolly on a £15 staff ticket Laker DC-10 30 in Feb 82.
Woke up at hotel next morning 4am (like you do) put TV on and boom - Laker has gone under.
I was in LA with my BA 747 FD pal who was on a 4 day trip staying with him in his hotel, I said blimey how do I get back>?
Had a fabulous 4 days in sunny California driving a hired Mustang, with visits to the Queen Mary and shown around the Douglas Aircraft factory both at LB.
Went to LAX with the BA crew going back on their rostered flight to LHR and the kindly older gentile BA Duty Officer guy there said Don't worry dear, just stay there I'll be back...
20 minutes later flight closed and he swanned back with a Super Club boarding card in his hand - Here you are duckie!
Awww he was lovely.
Many years later I was again at LAX with Virgin pals going back home after 2 hot weeks in Palm Springs and had just checked in for the second (and last of the day) VS A340 LHR flight and the check in guy said ''Shhh dont say anything the inbound aircraft from LHR has just landed and its TECH and will be AOG'' - just as our bags were disappearing down the belt....
He snatched back our J class boarding cards and lounge invite (sigh) and said go to the other desk to get Hotac and try again tomorrow night...
I said to the others lets try BA they have a 21.30 flight (it was now after 20.30) We had no ZED fare tickets only the VS staff freebies (worthless)
Clive went down to the baggage area to get our bags back as they were all coming up to collect...
The other VS pax had no yet been told of the cancellation...
Virgin's terminal at LAX is down one end of the road and BA was in Tom Bradley terminal up at the top - about a 10 minute walk or more...
So got to BA there and who was at the BA desk was the old chap from 1982, now very senior - We told him our debacle and he looked at our bits of worthless paper, and his face was a picture...
He said Virgin were starting to send him over their J pax to put on BA so we waited and waited then he came back about 6 times looking at the growing lines...Clive arrived sweating like a munshi with a trolley of bags......
Hopeless we thought we ain't gonna get on - Then out he flounced back again and said to the check in girls right Darlings that's it I'm closing it now...
Our hearts dropped - 2 minutes later he came back with our Boarding Cards for whole empty front row in Y but with loads of leg room - Sorry dears there's no movie - enjoy though!
Bless him xxxxx
He was a star - The days when we all helped each other out...
If any of you live down my way Dorset/SW and want to meet up for lunch etc then do Holla!
Might be some fun to reminisce lol