My first flight was NCL-PMI on a Transeuropa caravelle in ‘79. Only 4 at the time so don’t remember much except one photograph to prove I was on it and a meal tray (with the TransEuropa “T” on it) that we had for years afterwards as it was one of the over night flights mentioned above (arrive U.K. around 11 pm depart around midnight) so I’d fallen asleep but my parents kept the meal for me.
Aviaco had a very bad reputation for service and I remember a friend flying NCL- TFS saying they never saw the crew for the whole flight as they sat behind the curtain smoking!
I kept a 1987 Flight International edition that ran an article titled “Spanish Charters go upmarket” and explained how the Spanish government had insisted that a certain % of tourists arrived on Spanish airlines (or something to that effect) which had previously been the very poor Aviaco and Spantax. The new breed of Air Europa, Hispania and CTA were setting out to change the reputation of Spanish carriers that Aviaco and Spantax had created.
I never experienced them at their worst but I only flew on one another Spanish airline Futura in 1997. Service wasn’t quiet as good as U.K. Carrier’s at the time but was ok. Perhaps though we got what we paid for a cheap teletext holiday ! It was quite an eclectic flight out, 737-400 SE-DRR with Nordic European titles, Irish flight crew and Spanish cabin crew.
Last edited by GBYAJ; 21st Oct 2021 at 07:01.