Pan Am flights to London Gatwick
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Pan Am flights to London Gatwick
Pan Am flights to London Gatwick.
Can any of you chaps enlighten me as to the routes/dates that PAA flew to Gatwick?
I recall seeing B707, DC-10, TriStar, B727, A310 and A300 used over a number of years.
Would the A300 in 1985 have been from Germany?
I was told that PAA brought the first ever 707 into Gatwick in 1959 on a diversion (Heathrow?)
Can any of you chaps enlighten me as to the routes/dates that PAA flew to Gatwick?
I recall seeing B707, DC-10, TriStar, B727, A310 and A300 used over a number of years.
Would the A300 in 1985 have been from Germany?
I was told that PAA brought the first ever 707 into Gatwick in 1959 on a diversion (Heathrow?)
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Pan Am flights to London Gatwick.
Can any of you chaps enlighten me as to the routes/dates that PAA flew to Gatwick?
I recall seeing B707, DC-10, TriStar, B727, A310 and A300 used over a number of years.
Would the A300 in 1985 have been from Germany?
I was told that PAA brought the first ever 707 into Gatwick in 1959 on a diversion (Heathrow?)
Can any of you chaps enlighten me as to the routes/dates that PAA flew to Gatwick?
I recall seeing B707, DC-10, TriStar, B727, A310 and A300 used over a number of years.
Would the A300 in 1985 have been from Germany?
I was told that PAA brought the first ever 707 into Gatwick in 1959 on a diversion (Heathrow?)
Spose this thread should be in H & N
Pan American at LGW saw 707 on regular affinity charters there from as early as the late 1960's (TWA too) along with the likes of World, TIA. Saturn, Universal, ONA, AFA and Capitol.
Any very early flights were likely diversions.
German IGS Jet feeder flights were into LHR with 727's usually based at Tegel but Pan Am had a German presence from early 1950's starting at TempelHof
Boeing 727-200, Airbus A-310 and A-300 operated in and out of Tegel until 1991.
Pan Am scheduled flights into LGW came along many years later (Bermuda 11?) and infact LGW was their last ditch London base until their sad and sorry demise.
Delta had begun operating Pan Am's transatlantic routes on November 1, 1991, becoming overnight a major carrier across the Atlantic. Acquisitions included Pan Am's New York to Europe routes, hub operations at Frankfurt and New York-JFK, and Pan Am's Miami—London and Detroit—London routes.
London operations were from Gatwick airport only; Pan Am had earlier sold its London-Heathrow access and transpacific routes to United Airlines in 1985.
Pan American at LGW saw 707 on regular affinity charters there from as early as the late 1960's (TWA too) along with the likes of World, TIA. Saturn, Universal, ONA, AFA and Capitol.
Any very early flights were likely diversions.
German IGS Jet feeder flights were into LHR with 727's usually based at Tegel but Pan Am had a German presence from early 1950's starting at TempelHof
Boeing 727-200, Airbus A-310 and A-300 operated in and out of Tegel until 1991.
Pan Am scheduled flights into LGW came along many years later (Bermuda 11?) and infact LGW was their last ditch London base until their sad and sorry demise.
Delta had begun operating Pan Am's transatlantic routes on November 1, 1991, becoming overnight a major carrier across the Atlantic. Acquisitions included Pan Am's New York to Europe routes, hub operations at Frankfurt and New York-JFK, and Pan Am's Miami—London and Detroit—London routes.
London operations were from Gatwick airport only; Pan Am had earlier sold its London-Heathrow access and transpacific routes to United Airlines in 1985.
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But that story was still corporate legend when I wore a white hat three decades later. One version said that the plane was emptied and the crew ferried to LHR where they were then sacked. After some research on another online forum it appears that the captain years later flew his retirement flight in the left seat of a B-747SP HNL-SFO.
The Captain of the Pan Am B707 which landed at Northolt instead of Heathrow was (allegedly) asked by ATC for his intentions. "I guess I'll take up Chicken Farming" was the reply.
Last edited by Airbubba; 4th Mar 2020 at 16:12.
Pan Am earlier in the 1980s did a LGW-Houston flight, with an L1011-500, which the Bermuda Agreement did not allow at Heathrow as it was outside the geographical US boundary. Later, when they sold their Heathrow operation to United in 1990, they continued to run Miami and Detroit flights from Gatwick with the A310, as only two US carriers were allowed at Heathrow.
The Miami flights worked through a notable range of carriers around 1990, almost a different one every year, several US carriers had a shot at it - United, Continental, and others.
The German flights didn't operate nonstop to Berlin but went through other German points. They were part of the sale of Pan Am London routes to United, separate from the rest of Europe which went to Delta. United positioned a few 727s over to Europe to run these and other European connecting flights for a while, which all came together each late morning at Heathrow where the 727s parked on the remote stands between T3 and the northern runway.
The Miami flights worked through a notable range of carriers around 1990, almost a different one every year, several US carriers had a shot at it - United, Continental, and others.
The German flights didn't operate nonstop to Berlin but went through other German points. They were part of the sale of Pan Am London routes to United, separate from the rest of Europe which went to Delta. United positioned a few 727s over to Europe to run these and other European connecting flights for a while, which all came together each late morning at Heathrow where the 727s parked on the remote stands between T3 and the northern runway.
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Pan Am flights to London Gatwick.
Can any of you chaps enlighten me as to the routes/dates that PAA flew to Gatwick?
I recall seeing B707, DC-10, TriStar, B727, A310 and A300 used over a number of years.
Would the A300 in 1985 have been from Germany?
I was told that PAA brought the first ever 707 into Gatwick in 1959 on a diversion (Heathrow?)
Can any of you chaps enlighten me as to the routes/dates that PAA flew to Gatwick?
I recall seeing B707, DC-10, TriStar, B727, A310 and A300 used over a number of years.
Would the A300 in 1985 have been from Germany?
I was told that PAA brought the first ever 707 into Gatwick in 1959 on a diversion (Heathrow?)
The flight in fact originated at Guatemala City, going via Mexico City and Houston. I remember the flight quite well as my mother-in-law got on at Guatemala and I joined her in Mexico. Landing at the "wrong" airport caused considerable panic in my wife and father who were meeting us - no moble phones in those days!
I'm sure the aircraft was a Tri-Star. I think the flight number changed at Houston-
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Just to add what has already been said, ignoring charters Pan Am had 2 stints at Gatwick, 2 July 1980 they started Gatwick to Houston, I believe this lasted until 1983 and was flown by L1011s and 747's, as has been mentioned Houston could not be served from Heathrow due to Bermuda II and by merging with National Pan Am gained quite a presence at Houston.
They returned in May 1991, having sold their Heathrow rights to United, ending service to Heathrow on 3 April 1991 however there was a gap in service as I presume they hand't been able to set up operations at Gatwick in time so United actually flew Heathrow Miami for a month. United did not buy the Miami and Detroit routes so Pan Am started these from Gatwick from 18 May 1991, Detroit was an A310, Miami a 747. Delta bought all of Pan Ams transatlantic routes and took over from 1 November 1991 ending Pan Ams presence in London.
Some of the dates might be slightly out but that is a rough idea.
They returned in May 1991, having sold their Heathrow rights to United, ending service to Heathrow on 3 April 1991 however there was a gap in service as I presume they hand't been able to set up operations at Gatwick in time so United actually flew Heathrow Miami for a month. United did not buy the Miami and Detroit routes so Pan Am started these from Gatwick from 18 May 1991, Detroit was an A310, Miami a 747. Delta bought all of Pan Ams transatlantic routes and took over from 1 November 1991 ending Pan Ams presence in London.
Some of the dates might be slightly out but that is a rough idea.
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It was difficult identifying the date in my passport, in the end I succeded.
The photo was taken at LGW on 15 May 1991.
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This is N806PA at Berlin-Tegel ( TXL ), ca. 1987. Flights operated mixed domestic/international services,
i.e. TXL-HAM-JFK, they also were workhorses on the TXL-FRA route, I am not sure about international
connections. These years were very confusing, United and TWA were operating B 727īs into London,
then widebodies to the U.S.. All under the same flight number.
Bit of a combo really - Lockerbie and fines for security issues - A way too generous frequent flyer program that meant many seats were free - old aircraft - Gulf War 1 - and of course that meant fuel costs.They were close to making a deal regarding continued operations with TWA on the 3rd December 1991. As such the airline opened for business as usual on 4th of December, however, was shut down within an hour and the airline was gone.
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Also shot on 15th May 1991 - B 747-212B N723PA at LGW. Apologies for the poor quality, photos were taken
from a hotel room. It very much looks like there is a PanAm 707 parked behind the Jumbo.
Travelled on a British Airways DC 10 from LGW to HOU the day after. Routing was MUC-LHR then by bus to Gatwick
and LGW-HOU. Travelling from Continental Europe to longhaul destinations via LGW could be a pain in the neck.
This was one of the Pan-Am Tristar flights to LGW. N510PA, Lockheed L-1011-500 Tristar, Pan Am, LGW, 1982 Oct 24. I took this photo whilst working at LGW
As I recall, when they first started the scheduled services into LGW, Pan-Am sent a representative down from LHR to oversee the handling.
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For better fuel efficiency you wanted to go high as the aircraft got lighter but the fuel temp was limited to no colder than 3 degrees C. above the fuel freeze point (or something like that on the Pratt motors, I knew it for the oral exam, I swear
). You could descend to try to warm the fuel but that ate gas as did increasing the mach.TXL had an uber-senior A310 pilot base and I think JFK was the only other A310 pilot base. The A310 aircraft went as far as Karachi to the east and west to the domestic Pan Am route system and down to South America.
