BEA Trident Seating Arrangements circa 1970
Thread Starter
BEA Trident Seating Arrangements circa 1970
So, was viewing this here.... (the woman and little girl are seated at approx 06.55).
And was surprised to see the facing seating arrangements, as I never thought this was the case (outside early heavy jet first class configurations where anything seemed possible), so the early BEA Trident seating configuration had some seats facing each other?
This was rather a surprise to me, thought it might also be of interest to some (the footage is also historically interesting).
I have seen this also on some other Trident footage (viewed after this) that confirms it seemed standard around the time, just one pair towards the front of the a/c.
Was this carried forward later with Trident services or did they take these out?
And was surprised to see the facing seating arrangements, as I never thought this was the case (outside early heavy jet first class configurations where anything seemed possible), so the early BEA Trident seating configuration had some seats facing each other?
This was rather a surprise to me, thought it might also be of interest to some (the footage is also historically interesting).
I have seen this also on some other Trident footage (viewed after this) that confirms it seemed standard around the time, just one pair towards the front of the a/c.
Was this carried forward later with Trident services or did they take these out?
Yes they had some reversed seating - it was a lot more comfortable I used it several times
My earliest memory of travelling with my parents is flying BEA London to Germany facing two of my brothers in a club seating arrangement with a table in the middle. I remember it well because I fought with my older brother because I didn't want to fly backwards. Not a Trident, earlier than that, an Airspeed Ambassador. Was this a BEA thing? Seems very British in that very English civilised way.
Note the 7-abreast seating in the forward cabin when operated by Channel - ouch!
I remember travelling on a BA Trident 2 MAN-LHR (Shuttle backup) in the mid 80's which had a rear-facing row at the front.
I also used to fly in RAF VC10's quite a bit at the time, where all pax seats were rear-facing, so it was nothing that unusual to me.
I also used to fly in RAF VC10's quite a bit at the time, where all pax seats were rear-facing, so it was nothing that unusual to me.
The BEA Trident 1 had face-to-face seats at the escape hatch and the seats from there to the front of the Economy Class were rear-facing. Somewhere there's a seating layout drawing, but I can't find it for the moment. The 2E had two escape hatches per side but I can't recall how they affected the seating as it's all rather long ago.
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Denmark
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I don’t recall the Trident 3 having this arrangement.
rgds Viv (former BA staff ( 1970s) in Copenhagen, where we mainly saw the Tridents 2/3 and later the Tristar)
Really long time ago but I seem to recall, on NE T1E, starboard side, three seats facing forward at the front bulkhead, just aft of the forward stbd galley ( blimey, work that out). Great during turnrounds where Capt, F/O & FE would occupy, facing three popsies (didn't have Stewards) tucking into our crew meals.. Hawker S (forget how to spell Sydley) must have thought of us crew in the design spec.
The BEA Trident 1 had face-to-face seats at the escape hatch and the seats from there to the front of the Economy Class were rear-facing. Somewhere there's a seating layout drawing, but I can't find it for the moment. The 2E had two escape hatches per side but I can't recall how they affected the seating as it's all rather long ago.
https://www.airliners.net/photo/BEA-...ent-2E/1375962
I think most BEA Tridents had pullman seats at the front row with a wood veneer table between them - The Northeast 1E's had this too.
When new, Trident One's had first class seating but was this convertibles?
1968 T1C configs were -
16F 64Y > 16/70
8F 76Y > 8/82
88Y > 93Y (shuttle 100 Y)
The BEA Trident 1C (84 seats 2 class) had a few rows of rearward - facing passenger seats at
the front of the rear Y cabin, rows 9 10 and 11. A facing table seating arrangement in exit rows 12
and 13. In row 12 and 13, the Pax sat up "over the table". In the first class the passengers sat "all across the table "
The front first class had "table seating only" and pax sat face to face.
The Vickers Vanguard and later Trident versions had rearward seating arrangements as well.
T3
14F and 119 Y
or all Y 140 pax (convertible F/Y seats)
T1E 123 Y
T2E not sure of configs
I recall the 2E's and early 1C rear cabin were rear facing rows to the exits then changed to forward facing.
T3's had a rear facing row at the front of the rear cabin
BEA comet with first class sovereign service (10 F + 79 Y)
BEA Vanguard 951 18 F 109 Y
or 953 all Y 132 then 135
Re Channel Airways 1E-140's
I actually flew on that thing. STN-RMI and also to PMI. I was a tad smaller than I am now. We even sat in one of the 4 seaters along with Mum & Dad plus one of my school pals.
It was fine and noticeably much better leg room than an Air Spain DC-8 a few years later. (Worst ever for me was sitting on a Monarch 757 and Virgin Express 737)
When new, Trident One's had first class seating but was this convertibles?
1968 T1C configs were -
16F 64Y > 16/70
8F 76Y > 8/82
88Y > 93Y (shuttle 100 Y)
The BEA Trident 1C (84 seats 2 class) had a few rows of rearward - facing passenger seats at
the front of the rear Y cabin, rows 9 10 and 11. A facing table seating arrangement in exit rows 12
and 13. In row 12 and 13, the Pax sat up "over the table". In the first class the passengers sat "all across the table "
The front first class had "table seating only" and pax sat face to face.
The Vickers Vanguard and later Trident versions had rearward seating arrangements as well.
T3
14F and 119 Y
or all Y 140 pax (convertible F/Y seats)
T1E 123 Y
T2E not sure of configs
I recall the 2E's and early 1C rear cabin were rear facing rows to the exits then changed to forward facing.
T3's had a rear facing row at the front of the rear cabin
BEA comet with first class sovereign service (10 F + 79 Y)
BEA Vanguard 951 18 F 109 Y
or 953 all Y 132 then 135
Re Channel Airways 1E-140's
I actually flew on that thing. STN-RMI and also to PMI. I was a tad smaller than I am now. We even sat in one of the 4 seaters along with Mum & Dad plus one of my school pals.
It was fine and noticeably much better leg room than an Air Spain DC-8 a few years later. (Worst ever for me was sitting on a Monarch 757 and Virgin Express 737)
Going back to 68-69, I seem to remember flying in BEA Vanguards which also had face to face seating in some rows with a table between them (a la British Rail) - a good place to play cards with the other guys in the detail.
Here's the Trident 1 F8Y82 configuration from an old timetable:
28 out of the 90 seats were rearward-facing - note also the fold-up tables in the forward two cabins.
https://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/be/be6806/
28 out of the 90 seats were rearward-facing - note also the fold-up tables in the forward two cabins.
https://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/be/be6806/
I only flew on a Trident twice, there and back to Athens on a Trident 2. On the way home we flew facing backwards, I seem to remember it was a weird experience, especially taking off!