Some questions about airline flying in 70's/80's

[thnarg]

Originally Posted by meleagertoo

Whenever humanly possible I made it a point to stand up in front of the pax to explain big delays in person, it was always well recieved and saved the cc from a lot of flak which was half the point. On occasion it saved what could easily have turned into a riot. imho more should do this.

Agreed, and could be useful in the terminal too. However the few individuals that did it on every flight tended to be less capable captains.

As for the other points, 1980s UK 737-200 charter operator:

1. With maximum 4h 30m capability nearly always two sectors out and back. Occasionally three to refuel from limiting runways, eg Funchal and Skiathos.
2. 45 busy minutes supervising refuelling, walkround, programming Omega, manual loadsheet and, being British, tea with the cabin crew.
3. Random rosters so usually no, but sometimes a couple of successive flights together due to common rest requirements. Occasional multi-day pairings with a crew touring through out-stations.