Fascinating read! I was a teenager in 1970 when we flew in a Channel Comet from Stansted to Milan Malpensa. Stansted was a long journey from our home and arrival was late afternoon. I vividly recall the noisy and smoky departure of an Overseas National DC-8. The Channel flight was an evening flight and I don't think it was much delayed. We were sat in the back of the plane and the acceleration was impressive but I had nothing to compare it with anyway. My previous flights had been in DC-3 Dakotas! Arrival in Malpensa was late evening parking alongside a BEA Airtours Comet
The trip was a Lyons Holidays tour of Italy which lasted for about 11 days. The return flight was in the same plane, probably G-APYD, with arrival back at Stansted in the early hours. Again I don't think we were seriously delayed. The drive back was lengthy as the road network to/from Stansted had not been improved.