Originally Posted by
vintage ATCO
G-AVYE was a Trident 1E. We had to complete a return (a handwritten form) for each commercial departure. The CAA rang one day to say we had made a mistake as it was impossible to get 144/146 (I forget the exact number) on a Trident. Channel Airways could by taking out one set of toilets! It was the only departure I've seen kick dust up at the upwind end of the runway.
The reason Channel managed to get in more passengers was 7 abreast seating in the forward section, see http://www.hs121.org/. The maximum load was 149.