When I was posted to RAF Germany in 1962, I was flown to Geilenkirchen in a British United Hermes from Gatwick.
I was sent to the Falklands in 1996 as a civvie to carry out an inspection of the Bristow operation, we took off from Brize in a Tristar and after an hour or so we had to return to Brize, we were accomodated at 4am in the barracks, obviously prepared for a big influx. We flew out the next night without problems.
Nothing new under the sun!