Dad’s vintage collection of airline spoons.
Paxing All Over The World
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Dad’s vintage collection of airline spoons.
This is dated last september:
A Mini-History of Modern International Aviation as Told in Stolen Spoons ? Skift
A Mini-History of Modern International Aviation as Told in Stolen Spoons ? Skift
For a journalist covering the travel industry, this was the ultimate scoop: I recently inherited my Dad’s vintage collection of airline spoons. And forks. More than 80 stainless steel beauties, in all.
I have a 'collection' stashed away somewhere in a packing crate, knife/fork/spoon from various airlines that seemed to find their way into my possession and became talking pieces at dinner parties where each guest had a different airline. At least it took the attention away from my culinary offerings 
If I remember correctly the cutlery was always 2/3's size or thereabouts ?
SHJ
If I remember correctly the cutlery was always 2/3's size or thereabouts ?SHJ
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I have a few that I liberated, including a couple of airlines that are no longer with us, Air UK and Royal Airlines (of Canada)
I also have a British Airways tea pot that my dad managed to get hold of somehow!
I also have a British Airways tea pot that my dad managed to get hold of somehow!
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Just pointed my wife to this thread. She's been on at me for years to chuck our kitchen drawer full of assorted airline teaspoons, plus the odd knives! We (correction, I) use ours on a daily basis though.
Paxing All Over The World
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Last night, just before I saw this article, I had eaten my evening meal with my Swiss Air biz cutlery from 1997. 
I did a contract in GVA and was shuttling for a few months and the items were/are so beautifully shaped and made despite their smaller size, that I just had to collect a small set. It was particularly appropriate to use them for this meal, as I was in a hurry and it was a microwaved salmon and veg (from one of the best suppliers of these things, I'll have you know
) and I ate straight from the plastic dish. And I was watching TV - so it was just like being on board! I have a couple of LH teaspoons but no other cutlery - just the Swiss.
Of course, I've never taken anything else from an aircraft such as those lovely VS blankets. Although, if I did, I might consider collecting one from each class. I might even have the PE one (with the scooped neck) on the sofa for us to snuggle under. But, naturally, I'm a very respectful Pax.
I did a contract in GVA and was shuttling for a few months and the items were/are so beautifully shaped and made despite their smaller size, that I just had to collect a small set. It was particularly appropriate to use them for this meal, as I was in a hurry and it was a microwaved salmon and veg (from one of the best suppliers of these things, I'll have you know
) and I ate straight from the plastic dish. And I was watching TV - so it was just like being on board! I have a couple of LH teaspoons but no other cutlery - just the Swiss.Of course, I've never taken anything else from an aircraft such as those lovely VS blankets. Although, if I did, I might consider collecting one from each class. I might even have the PE one (with the scooped neck) on the sofa for us to snuggle under. But, naturally, I'm a very respectful Pax.
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I've got a selection of Concorde knives that I may need to dispose of, and also 12 original corgi die cast model airliners, all limited edition, first edition, complete and with the original corgi inside. Also original Timetables and memorabilia from the 80's and 90's.
I'm planning for a move to the Philippines so need to make sure all old airline stuff gets a good home.
I'm planning for a move to the Philippines so need to make sure all old airline stuff gets a good home.
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There I was thinking that the plastic implements nowadays are due to security concerns.
But seriously, when flying was for the rich, it was all budgeted for, together with their nicely inscribed minature glasses. The same went for hotels and their ashtrays (my father's weakness on his business travels around the world). And how many of you haven't accidentally gone home with a pint/wine glass from the pub?
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And how many of you haven't accidentally gone home with a pint/wine glass from the pub?
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I've got a few sets of Virgin cutlery from when a friend was doing regular flights with them.
In the 90s I went on a charter flight from Stansted to Sweden; can't quite remember the actual airline now, but it was a BAC 1-11. Somehow we'd chartered the whole flight, so the a/c spent the whole day in Sweden and the cabin-crew and flight-crew went shopping for the day. I remember that the tea and coffee pots were both marked BIA (British Island Airways) and somebody managed to barter with the cabin-crew to buy the tea-pot at the end of the flight ... somebody else was in serious negotiations to buy the whole catering trolley - good luck in wheeling that back through Customs at Stansted!
In the 90s I went on a charter flight from Stansted to Sweden; can't quite remember the actual airline now, but it was a BAC 1-11. Somehow we'd chartered the whole flight, so the a/c spent the whole day in Sweden and the cabin-crew and flight-crew went shopping for the day. I remember that the tea and coffee pots were both marked BIA (British Island Airways) and somebody managed to barter with the cabin-crew to buy the tea-pot at the end of the flight ... somebody else was in serious negotiations to buy the whole catering trolley - good luck in wheeling that back through Customs at Stansted!
Back in the late 1970's out of Los Angeles the duty manager came on to advise me of a very important, very rich, very famous passenger also a peer of The Realm travelling to London with us.
As a final note to me he said keep and eye on the cutlery as he had watched him pinching the teaspoons from the First Class lounge!
As a final note to me he said keep and eye on the cutlery as he had watched him pinching the teaspoons from the First Class lounge!
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As a final note to me he said keep and eye on the cutlery as he had watched him pinching the teaspoons from the First Class lounge!
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Around 1968 a flatmate of mine flew Air-India from LHR to Prague and back. He came back with a little booklet handed out to passengers, of very funny cartoons on what to expect in the booking and travelling process. One example was something like ‘during the flight the Captain may pass through the cabin to chat to passengers. When you see him coming, move your wife and your wallet to the other side’. Another was ‘as you leave the aircraft, the hostess will embrace you. This is not a traditional Indian salutation, she is removing the airline cutlery from your pockets’.
The airline’s CEO at the time (it might have been Mr Tata) was well known for his sense of humour. I have a feeling it might even have been he who made the drawings for the book.
Anybody else recall seeing one?
The airline’s CEO at the time (it might have been Mr Tata) was well known for his sense of humour. I have a feeling it might even have been he who made the drawings for the book.
Anybody else recall seeing one?
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A rather unusual but much apreciated wedding present was a set of various airline spoons copied in silver by a friend who graduated from the royal college of art. They look great but need more polishing than the originals!
