LHR to BKK 1969 route query
 

Research question (hoping someone can shed some light):

Does anyone happen to know if any airline operated an LHR to BKK route in 1969? Was it non stop or, if not, how many stops (and where) were incorporated into the service.

Regards

BOAC and JAL each with a "million million" ever changing stops

Possibly Pan Am and Qantas also with varying multiple stops

Although I joined BOAC in 1972 there weren't any non stops between LHR and BKK. Most flights went through BAH as a stopping off point. QF with their 707's certainly stopped off there. MCT AUH and DXB came online later on as a transit point to the Far East.

My first trip was LHR -THR - BOM - BKK. Great days!

In 1969, both BOAC and Qantas operated through BKK from LHR and onwards to HKG/TYO or SIN/SYD. Between LHR and BKK there were two or three transit stations, which varied according to the day of operation. THR and BAH certainly featured as crew slip stations, also CCU which didn't, apart from the Indian national stewardesses, who had a base there. There was no crew slip in BKK either, in Jan/Feb 1970 when I did a short detachment at BKK Don Muang. This was technically on detachment to the airport handling agents, the Borneo Company (Thailand) Ltd.

Aircraft types were BOAC's 707-436s and Qantas 707-338Bs. I don't recollect the VC10s coming through, although I might be wrong on this.

LHR - BKK
 

Nov '74, did a trip LHR - THR - DEL - BKK - SIN (then Paya Lebar) if I remember correctly it was with BA

It was the day after the Tehran Terminal roof collapse about 6/7 Decmber

Definitely Pan Am. Daily PA1/2 707 stopping at Frankfurt, Istanbul, Beirut and 2 or 3 out of Karachi, Calcutta, Rangoon, Tehran & Delhi so a minimum of five stops.

So how many days/hours would it typically take to get (with all the stops etc) from LHR to BKK?

Many thanks for the replies.

I can answer you in the other direction (don’t have ABC Part 2 to hand).

For the first three months of 1969 there were 22 weekly direct services BKK-LON, none of which were end to end terminators.

Pan Am (PA1) operated daily, originating in LAX and terminating in NYC. All stopped at BEY-IST-FRA but followed different routings to BEY, variously DEL/THR, CCU/KHI, RGN/CCU/KHI and DEL/KHI.

Air-India operated 4 weekly, originating TYO and terminating NYC. Intermediate stops were DEL/BOM/CAI/FRA/PAR, CCU/BOM/BEY/PRG/PAR, CCU/BOM/BEY/ROM/ZRH and DEL/BOM/BAH/BEY/GVA/PAR.

You still with me?

JAL flew twice a week originating TYO, via DEL/THR/BEY/ROM/PAR
Qantas flew four times a week, originating SYD, via BAH/CAI, CCU/BAH/IST/AMS, BAH/CAI/ROM and BAH/ROM/FRA.

BOAC flew 5 weekly, one SYD originator via DEL/THR/TLV, one TYO originator via BOM/KHI/ROM and the others HKG originators via DEL/THR/ZRH, BOM/KHI/ROM and DEL/THR/TLV.

All were 707s except the JAL DC8s

Fastest was the QF 2-stop at 19h25, slowest were the Air-Indias at 24h45

Well you did ask

45 years later, there's now about 28 direct services BKK-LON per week.
Truly an impressive growth rate ! :}

OK, so there is the minor factor of flights now being non-stop, taking half the time, having more seats per flight, and all being end-to-end terminators rather than calling at all stations...

Indeed a BOAC time table for eastabout flights was something to behold as it looked like a rail timetable listing all the stopping points and with a little table to decipher the asterisks, exclamations and those little dagger marks used to explain why the BA xxx didn't stop in Thran on May 2nd or whatever.

I am not sure of the precise year but it must have been around that time when listening to LHR ground a Thai international DC8 (basically an SAS DC8 with some decals ) got their clearance to Bangkok via a Dover 1 B squawk etc etc . After the read back a slightly incredulous Heathrow ATC asked the crew-'Are you actually going non stop to Bangkok, and on being told yes they were the ATCO said can I ask how long that will take . A very droll Thai crew member said 12 hours 2 minutes off of 28L and 12 hours 6 minutes if its 28 R.

That does seem a long haul for a DC8 even a -62 model so perhaps it was some sort of delivery flight or other non rev flight . I know SAS flew out that way stopping in Tashkent in those days

Bit of a digression I know but it also shows just how much air travel has moved on

LHR-BKK non stop did not start until BA got RR powered 747-236's in the 1980's

back in 1969 it was 'calling at all stations' with BOAC JAL PA
QF i am not sure - i think you had to change planes somewhere down route

or via AMS BRU or CPH with KL SN SK
OA and JAT also went via ATH or BEL

the Thai DC-8-62 was around 1972ish leased from SAS IIRC

Not a fair comparison: the 28 direct services are nonstop. Back in the day, aircraft couldn't do the long sectors unless virtually empty and there were not enough pax for such a sector because of comparatively higher fares and only richer people (and airline staff) travelling), so sectors were linked together as a matter of course.

Also, because of the cold war and a prohibition of overflying the Soviet Union and China mainland, it was neccessary to the go long way round via BKK and BOM.

AI, a top-notch carrier in those days, (hard to believe perhaps!) took full advantage of being half way between Europe and Asia/Australasia on this "long way round" and channelled pax through its hub at BOM, sometimes without even a change of aircraft.

Sorry, - this is only 5 years late!
First posting abroad with BOAC ; did LHR -AMS - VIE(!) - DEL - BKK early Nov '69 on QF 707 (V-HEAD). Didn't note remainder of routeing, sadly.
But had a great time !
RW