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Memories of holiday-making in the 1960s

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Memories of holiday-making in the 1960s

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Old 10th Nov 2017, 22:35
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First flight ever was on one of Lizzie's VC10s out to Cyprus in 69. Can’t remember the route but we did stop somewhere.

Next would have been some kind of SCT trip in a Brit, BZN to BZN 73/74ish.

First ‘family’ flying holiday was on an Air Malta B720 in 80/81. Memories of Butlins Phwelli and Minehead and several camping trips prior to then though. I think we’d have clocked up a few ‘air-miles’ with Townsend Thoresen had such a scheme existed.

Over the years several BY 737 troopers into GIB and RAFG, but probably the rarest /least common was a BIA 1-11 to Athens - again 80/81 ish. G-AXMU out and AXBB back - don’t know why I remember that piece of useless information.
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Old 10th Nov 2017, 22:52
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Originally Posted by Mr Oleo Strut
an outfit called Lord Bros .... boarded our BUA? Viscount to Perpignan.
Quite likely it was BUA. Their MD at the time, Freddie Laker, was a pioneer in negotiating such holiday flight contracts. In 1966 Fred fell out with BUA's owners, stuffy old shipping companies, mainly because they wouldn't invest in more One-Elevens for the holiday market and just expected it to be served by marginal time and overnights from the scheduled (and quite a lot of military charters BUA did then) fleet. He went into business for himself, of course, and quite soon got the finance and bought up Lord Brothers. They were the principal user of Laker's holiday flight capacity from Gatwick. Likewise he bought Arrowsmith holidays in the North-West, which gave coverage from Manchester and (slightly surprisingly) Liverpool. The bulk of Laker's five One-Elevens, and some 707 time as well, was spent on operations for these two.

I'm developing a documentary about Club 18-30s and looking for some original fun seekers from the late 1960s.
Of relevance to this thread, Club Med didn't do much in the way of holiday flights from the UK at all, but put their (limited) number of such passengers on scheduled flights, often with a change or two along the way. Must have taken a while. I'm not aware of any special flights they chartered, maybe others can comment.
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Old 30th Nov 2017, 16:48
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First flight, can't remember though personally.. BOAC 707 to KL via Abu Dhabi, and return I believe on a Joint BOAC/MAS livery 707 also via Abu Dhabi (have an old Polaroid snap taken by my grandfather)... Late 1973... was I believe BOAC crewed.

Interesting that the livery was mostly BOAC, with the MAS decal and the BOAC Speedbird tail.

Can't find the polaroid but this seems the only image on the internet that verifies it (taken Sept 1972, so a year before) with what looks like a BOAC Cargo 707 in the background.



Wasn't born until 1970... hence can't comment on the 60's unfortunately!
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Old 30th Nov 2017, 18:48
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We did a lot of that. I remember flying Gulf Air 007 which was a BOAC VC10 with a sticker on it.
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Old 1st Dec 2017, 16:06
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BOAC during the 1960/70's assisted in the start up of a few national carriers from the former colonies including MSA and later MAS, Nigerian Airlines, Gulf Air with leased aircraft such as the VC10 and the Boeing 707 as seen in the photo.

BEA did the same with their aircraft and certain airlines including Air Malta and Cyprus Airways.
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Old 1st Dec 2017, 16:44
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BEA were also very close to Olympic as I recall and occasionally borrowed each others Comets, not many airlines had 4Bs
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Old 1st Dec 2017, 17:33
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An earlier post by WHBM,

I think you're probably out, maybe by just a year. Eagle went bankrupt in November 1968.
I flew back from my honeymoon in Tunisia on the last return trip by a British Eagle Britannia on November 2nd. The holidaymakers who came out on that flight were stranded. I wonder if they were the first victims of a bankrupt airline. I didn't fly on holiday again until 2001, just after 9/11. This time, most holidaymakers stayed at home and the Greek resort was deserted.
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Old 1st Dec 2017, 18:26
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1968, first foreign holiday by air (had been to Paris with the school by ferry/train) was to Rimini (with a girl!!!) except we didn't fly to Rimini. It was in a Britannia from LTN operated (I think) by Monarch and we flew to Turin with a long coach journey to get to the resort.

Second foreign holiday in 1969 (with the same girl) was to Majorca flying to Palma, again in a Britannia this time from LGW but I can't remember the carrier. I do remember sitting on the ramp at PMI casting envious glances at the Channel Airways Trident on the adjacent stand! It was the height of modernity compared with our Britannia.
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Old 1st Dec 2017, 21:51
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Originally Posted by olympus
Second foreign holiday in 1969 (with the same girl) was to Majorca flying to Palma, again in a Britannia this time from LGW but I can't remember the carrier. I do remember sitting on the ramp at PMI casting envious glances at the Channel Airways Trident on the adjacent stand! It was the height of modernity compared with our Britannia.
Caledonian (most likely), Donaldson and Lloyd were basing Britannias at Gatwick in 1969. They lasted just a year or two longer - the same as Channel Airways did !

Own first foreign holiday with a girl (given that various here seem to be rekindling some very old memories of same) was a bit later, to San Francisco. PSA 727-200 from LAX. First I ever saw of the Boeing "new look" interior.
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Old 2nd Dec 2017, 01:11
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Britannia Airways were also using Britannias out of LGW in 1969 along with Air Spain just to add to the list.
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Old 2nd Dec 2017, 05:17
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Originally Posted by canberra97
Britannia Airways were also using Britannias out of LGW in 1969 along with Air Spain just to add to the list.
you can add Tellair too summer 1969 only
saw one at Palma both Saturdays in Aug - ex British eagle ships RKA/B?
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Old 2nd Dec 2017, 12:25
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Originally Posted by canberra97
Britannia Airways were also using Britannias out of LGW in 1969 along with Air Spain just to add to the list.
I think our 1969 operator could well have been Britannia. I have a vague recollection of the Britannia figure on the tail.
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Old 4th Dec 2017, 06:38
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Originally Posted by olympus
I think our 1969 operator could well have been Britannia. I have a vague recollection of the Britannia figure on the tail.
ah!

yes in 1969 Britannia AW started to venture into LGW whereas skytours/riviera holidays its parent (which became thomson) was really a LTN domain

Thomson decided to compete at LGW as Cosmos (Monarch) and Clarksons (Autair) its main competitors at LTN were expanding - also Dan Air had set up their LTN base with 1-11's in 1969 to cover British Eagle's loss for Lunn Poly/Everyman holidays
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Old 4th Dec 2017, 17:22
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1966,BEA,Glasgow(Renfrew )to Palma. Vanguard with Mum,Dad and younger brother. Dad worked for BEA,so I guess staff discount! I remember the Vanguard had certain rows where the seats faced another row. Went via Manchester,where we were delayed by a "technical problem". Can't remember if Manchester was a scheduled stop or not.First holiday abroad, aged 11 and still visit Palma on a regular basis!😎
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Old 4th Dec 2017, 22:59
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Originally Posted by tczulu
1966,BEA,Glasgow(Renfrew )to Palma. Vanguard ... Can't remember if Manchester was a scheduled stop or not.
Most did stop there. Here's the timetable.
http://www.timetableimages.com/ttima...67/be67-20.jpg


yes in 1969 Britannia AW started to venture into LGW whereas skytours/riviera holidays its parent (which became thomson) was really a LTN domain
The four Thomson brochure brands were these (Skytours being the big one), along woth Luxitours and Gaytours. The aircraft programme was pretty much the same across all of them.

You would never get away with the latter name nowadays !

Clarksons Holidays also had done a significant move to duplicate their destinations from Gatwick, as well as on their fellow airline Autair from Luton, but operating on Dan-Air Comets. In fact they seemed to the end to run as much Dan-Air Comet capacity as on their own Autair, later Court Line. I wonder how much Dan-Air lost when they went under. Autair/Court just did their operations from Luton (mostly), and some years from Bristol/Cardiff. Dan-Air did all Clarksons work from bases at Gatwick, Manchester, Teesside (strangely, not Newcastle) and Glasgow.
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Old 5th Dec 2017, 12:10
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tczulu
I tavelled on a BEA Trident on that route as young boy just after British Eagle went bust. My first experiance of BEA. I remember asking FO if I could take the inflight magazine, and he saying to me "I could take the seat if I could get it of the plane". Dangerouse talk to a determined sub 10 year old with no inflight movie or music to distract him !


Regards
Mr Mac
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Old 5th Dec 2017, 20:56
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Originally Posted by WHBM
Most did stop there. Here's the timetable.
http://www.timetableimages.com/ttima...67/be67-20.jpg


The four Thomson brochure brands were these (Skytours being the big one), along woth Luxitours and Gaytours. The aircraft programme was pretty much the same across all of them.

You would never get away with the latter name nowadays !

Clarksons Holidays also had done a significant move to duplicate their destinations from Gatwick, as well as on their fellow airline Autair from Luton, but operating on Dan-Air Comets. In fact they seemed to the end to run as much Dan-Air Comet capacity as on their own Autair, later Court Line. I wonder how much Dan-Air lost when they went under. Autair/Court just did their operations from Luton (mostly), and some years from Bristol/Cardiff. Dan-Air did all Clarksons work from bases at Gatwick, Manchester, Teesside (strangely, not Newcastle) and Glasgow.
You sure that Clarksons didn't use Court Line out of LGW along with Dan Air as their are lots of pictures on the internet showing BAC 1-11's and even their Tristars at LGW from 1969 up until there demise in 1974.
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Old 6th Dec 2017, 09:16
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Originally Posted by canberra97
You sure that Clarksons didn't use Court Line out of LGW along with Dan Air as their are lots of pictures on the internet showing BAC 1-11's and even their Tristars at LGW from 1969 up until there demise in 1974.
court line only went to LGW in a bigger capacity when they bought horizon holidays and 4S Travel in 1973 which did no good to assist their rapid decline

horizon was a staunch BUA/BCAL charter operator (in fact BUA bought the 1-11 501's for Horizon's work in 1969) and court had to pay them alot of dosh to cancel the contracts that horizon had with BCAL which court subsequently flew for horizon out of LGW
the tristars appeared now and again at LGW in 73 and 74 - i think on some long haul stuff to Caribbean etc

horizon midlands was not bought by the court group and subsequently they started up Orion AW some years later
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Old 6th Dec 2017, 23:44
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Thanks for that information it's appreciated.
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Old 8th Dec 2017, 16:42
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Court Line was not formed until 1st January 1970. First Court Line liveried One-Eleven 500 G-AXMF was delivered (to Autair) on 5th December 1969, the rest of the first batch of 7 by the end of April 1970.
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