Originally Posted by
SWBKCB
That all sounds very familiar - the Genex hosties knew how to shop, but it wasn't difficult to cut them some slack...
Remember that at that time Yugoslavia was the second most popular holiday destination after Spain. I think with hindsight the number of different airlines trepresented the differenat nations which came out of Yugoslavia - you certainly wouldn't guess that the Inex and the Genex crews were from the same country.
From experience of E Europe at the time, this shopping wouldn't necessarily be for frippery. They would come with lists from all the family and neighbours, and amounts of currency; I presume the Yugoslav Dinar was exchangeable at the airport currency desk by this time. Some surprising things that would be in short supply from time to time - I remember socks being scooped up from M&S. On one occasion a solitary hamburger from MacDonalds was being taken home untouched, to be divided there by the lady among her children.
Far less developed than Yugoslavia by 1970 was Albania, I believe from Dubrovnik there were actually tourist excursions by coach there, carefully routed and chaperoned to avoid the worst. Around this time Lord Brothers actually did a holiday series one year to supposedly-sealed Albania, once a fortnight on a Laker One-Eleven from Gatwick to Tirana, doubtless to a "closed" resort, which must have been a challenge. Don't think they repeated it.