Widebody Holiday Jets
 

OK, you've twisted my arm.

Aer Lingus used to send their 747s to the Mediterranean and Canaries when not doing transatlantic schedules. Likewise their 707s.

Aviaco would pinch 747s and A300s from Mother Iberia for their busy routes.

Britannia kickstarted the 767's bucket and spade career. Braathens wasn't far behind but in the end, they preferred their trusty 737s.

British Airtours used the early TriStars transferred from the parent, plus a few 747s from time to time. Caledonian continued their operation.


Of course, there are others but someone else can pick up the baton for now.

Condor used the 747-200 for a while.

Gatwick in the 70s - Wardair and CP Air 747s, TIA and World Airways DC-10s, plus of course Freddie's DC-10s and, I never saw them, Court's TriStars.

Looking in the Thomson brochures to see if the flight was BY or BY*. The star meaning you were on a 767.

Don’t forget Peach (anagram of cheap) and their Gatwick based tristars, along with Air Atlanta.

I would guess one of the first was the second BOAC 747 route, which was from JFK to Bermuda. The same aircraft would manage LHR-JFK-BDA and return within 24 hours, so it was operated from day 1. Nobody goes to Bermuda except on holiday, do they ?

For a dedicated aircraft I expect a Laker DC-10 was the first. I think he beat Court Line's Tristars. Liveried up for Skytrain, their first were ABC charters to Toronto and some Palma/Tenerife holiday flights.

:)

How were they associated with Air Atlanta ? Same ownership, different AOC ?

The 90’s saw lots Tristar operators. Presumably they were cheap to lease at that point.

Air Ops was one but don’t know much about them.

nordic European another. Flew on a Nordic 737 in 96 worst flight/aircraft ever so picked holiday flights very carefully after that.

Dan A300B4,
Airtours/MyTravel A330-200 and -300, DC-10-10 and DC-10-30
Air Scandic A300B4 FFCC
Orion A300B4

American Trans Air (ATA) flew Tristars. Took several trips to Hawaii with them in the early to mid-90s. Loved the Tristars.

Back in the day, I flew LGW-TFS on an Iberia B747-200 which was subbed in by Monarch after some tech issues. They combined a couple of flights onto the 742.

AS BOAC crew I used to work my nuts off on the JFK - BDA -JFK 'Bermuda shuttle' route. It was hell, full of Americans going on holiday and we had to do a full meal service and duty free in such a short time, but as crew we did it and had a deservesd day off in the Lexington before going home the following night.

How about British Caledonian Charter/Cal air International/Novair? I'm sure many of the more knowable contributors will be able to fill in the details such as time line and routes operated.

LTU with L1011, MD11, B767 and A330

Air Florida DC-10 (ex ONA?). Did Miami and back on it in 1984. :)

Air Ops/ECU Air - L1011 Gatwick Malaga 1994 - all the overhead lockers had been ripped out (and I mean RIPPED) - the worst interior of any aircraft I've ever paid money to fly in............. they didn't last long

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....7e168bcabd.jpg
Sorry about the quality, but Arrecife in the 1980's.

I did some flights to Faro in the 90's trying to help my sister out a few times.
A variety of dodgy airlines seemed to materialise :)
The best flight was probably with Monarch in an A300 both ways.
The worst was outbound in an Air Belgium 737 with the tightest seating I ever saw (no legroom),the return was a 3 Holer from Air Atlanta (L1011) - nice enough aircraft but closeby travelling companions were the family from hell LOL (the lord only knows who I was actually booked with - neither of those 2 airlines).
The most interesting was in the 727 of Sabre Airways (both ways).

Anybody mention Laker's A300B4s?

My first charter wide body experience was by chance. 08.02.92, pitched up at LGW for my package ski-holiday and a BY flight to ZRH

Boarded a bus, heading to a remote stand, but no BY 737 in sight. Bus stopped by the stairs of G-BBAF, resplendent in its Caledonian colours and thus I enjoyed a unique experience of a relatively lightly loaded L1011 charter flight. Flight home was back to BY with G-AVRN providing the service

Five years later managed to ride her sisters BBAH and BBAI, LGW-DLM-LGW.

Those G-BBA....L1011's did sterling work on the bucket and spade and snow plough runs after their mainline BA days were over.

A shout for Monarch's A300-600's, A330's and of course their sole DC-10, part of which is preserved at MAN