Originally Posted by
WHBM
That is indeed how it was, back to 707 days in 1979
br793-03.jpg (1582×1704) (timetableimages.com)
One thing not apparent is the extent to which the B Cal 707s were used on charter flights. Obviously at the start of the merger from the Caledonian side that was all the 707s did, with schedules meanwhile coming from BUA VC-10s. Progressively the 707s moved across to the scheduled operation, presumably with a completely different cabin fit, and ran down charter work, but past schedules of charters are very difficult to come across.
I believe that in the first B Cal year there were even charters on the VC-10, which came forward from BUA contracts; there was a weekly operation from Gatwick to JFK, and work they still did for the military.
From 1972 BCAL 707's still had a large Transatlantic ABC charter flight programme flying for the likes of Golden Lion/Jetsave etc, and yes the VC-10's still flew charters, mostly long haul but Tenerife was flown. I think East Africa and SIN/HKG was still flown too for FETC.
In summer 1976 my parents flew LGW-YYZ-LGW on a BCAL 707 ABC charter and on the flight home BCAL subbed it out to a Dan Air 707 instead of their own 707.
They had so many charters still they leased in Dan Air frequently.
The short haul IT 707 Med flying was not as busy as in Caledonian AW days but TCI were still served for some years.
I think the MAN and GLA Med IT's on 707's had ended.
Even the new DC-10's carried on the ABC charter flights when they were introduced and had a all Y charter config fitted for a few summers IIRC.