One memory I recall from BOAC VC10 days in the mid 1970s.
The crew I was on was positioning back from HKG as passenger (they did that sort of thing in those days) on a VC10. There was also a British Airtours crew doing likewise as their Company was extending their routes to more exotic destinations.
The flight had a scheduled stop at Kuwait where the aircraft went unserviceable which meant it was AOG until engineers and spares arrived from LHR. All the fare paying passengers were put on a Kuwaiti Airways B707 to continue to LHR but the operating crew and positioning crews had to night stop in Kuwait. Having bought bottles of duty free in HKG we were a bit concerned that Kuwait was a dry state but we were waived through customs and despatched on our way to the Hilton Hotel.
The largest crew party I have ever witnessed then took place in one of the palatial rooms and I will never forget the look on the room service waiter's face when he arrived with ice that we had ordered to go with our hooch.
Engineers eventually arrive and fix the a/c. We then all flew as passenger back to LHR on our own private VC10 in First Class with full cabin service. It was like an airborne night club down the back with people quite merry dancing to the pop music playing on the PA.
A happy end to a very memorable trip away - the halcyon days of airline flying when we all got the job done without lots of bureaucratic nonsense.
Last edited by fireflybob; 26th Sep 2013 at 09:33.