I bunked off school on Feb 8th 1983 to go down to GLA to see the arrival of the first 757, G-BIKB. I had intended going back in afterwards, but it was so late in departing, thanks in part to the media frenzy surrounding it's visit, that I ended up bunking off in the afternoon too, to see it leave.
It made the local Reporting Scotland news that night, and little did I know that my to be future BBC Scotland camera dept colleague John McNeill was there that day filming it's movements and then in the cockpit. Years later I'd film the final BA 757 movement myself, also painted in the livery of the first one. More on that later...
ITV also had a film crew that day in '83, Their 'Wish you Were Here' crew along with Judith Chalmers in a nifty fur coat went along for the occasion. too. I don't recall them ever doing a feature piece on the aircraft taking you on holiday ? Normally it was about the holiday itself.
Skytrance wrote: ↑Sun Mar 13, 2022 11:22 pm
My first ever flight in 1993 was on a Britannia 757 from Glasgow to Alicante, My last was back in 2010 with Delta from JFK - LAX.
Other operators 757's I flew Monarch, British Airways and Thomas Cook.
Hopefully I'll get one more flight before they are retired at some point.
Not too many options left. Icelandair and Condor in Europe, Delta and United in US.
Mr Boeing really created a marvel with the 757/767 aircraft. No other aircraft changed the face of inclusive tour flying. Entering service with Monarch Airlines in March 83/the 757 introduced destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico, Florida, Calgary for Canadian winter sports with fuel stops at Bangor Maine. Turning eastwards Kenya, India plus round the world trips for US tour operators TCS/Renaissance taking in Australia, South America and Easter Island.
Following on from Monarch’s lead air Europe, Airtours, Ambassador, Air 2000, Britannia, Caledonian, Flying Colours, Thomas Cook in the UK; in Europe air europa, LTE, LTU, Condor, Transavia, Sterling; the aircraft was truly the darling of the IT market place with unmatchable seat mile costs in it’s day.
I well remember the Monarch winter 96 flying programme: LGW departures were GVA followed by GOI ( GOA), Tenerife followed by AGR (Agra) Luxor, Aswan, Damascus, Trivandrum, Mombasa, amongst Salzburg, Innsbruck, Verona, Las Palmas, Arrecife, Malaga, Faro, Banjul truly a fantastic spread of destinations rarely repeated since by a single company. The utilisation rates were incredible with a mix of short to long haul or inbound long haul followed by a rotation to the Canaries then another long haul.
The 757 hasn’t disappeared yet but it’s like the 727 in it’s day becoming rarer and it’s successor looks like the A321 neo or 321XLR. But that’s progress for you and the life blood of charter flying is new destinations with aircraft capable of operating to them with the cheapest seat mile costs.
Skytrance wrote: ↑Sun Mar 13, 2022 11:22 pm
My first ever flight in 1993 was on a Britannia 757 from Glasgow to Alicante, My last was back in 2010 with Delta from JFK - LAX.
Other operators 757's I flew Monarch, British Airways and Thomas Cook.
Hopefully I'll get one more flight before they are retired at some point.
Not too many options left. Icelandair and Condor in Europe, Delta and United in US.
Skytrance wrote: ↑Sun Mar 13, 2022 11:22 pm
My first ever flight in 1993 was on a Britannia 757 from Glasgow to Alicante, My last was back in 2010 with Delta from JFK - LAX.
Other operators 757's I flew Monarch, British Airways and Thomas Cook.
Hopefully I'll get one more flight before they are retired at some point.
Not too many options left. Icelandair and Condor in Europe, Delta and United in US.
Jet2 in the UK as well (all MAN based).
Lest we forget the private charters and ad-hoc operators carrying sports teams around etc. But yes, essentially at GLA in terms of everyday operations they've all but disappeared. If Delta or United return next year, we'll see them again. Icelandair are more likely to send in 737max upon their return, with the odd 757 on busier days. To think how common they once were too, and not so long ago either.
Skytrance wrote: ↑Sun Mar 13, 2022 11:22 pm
My first ever flight in 1993 was on a Britannia 757 from Glasgow to Alicante, My last was back in 2010 with Delta from JFK - LAX.
Other operators 757's I flew Monarch, British Airways and Thomas Cook.
Hopefully I'll get one more flight before they are retired at some point.
Not too many options left. Icelandair and Condor in Europe, Delta and United in US.
Jet2 in the UK as well (all MAN based).
I wasn’t sure if the Jet 2 757’s were still in operation as the Jethros site seemed to suggest they had been WFU.
McG wrote: ↑Mon Mar 14, 2022 4:16 pm
[quote=GKirk post_id=6050 time=<a href="tel:1647271910">1647271910</a> user_id=86]
[quote=McG post_id=6048 time=<a href="tel:1647216310">1647216310</a> user_id=97]
[quote=Skytrance post_id=6045 time=<a href="tel:1647213758">1647213758</a> user_id=84]
My first ever flight in 1993 was on a Britannia 757 from Glasgow to Alicante, My last was back in 2010 with Delta from JFK - LAX.
Other operators 757's I flew Monarch, British Airways and Thomas Cook.
Hopefully I'll get one more flight before they are retired at some point.
Not too many options left. Icelandair and Condor in Europe, Delta and United in US.
[/quote]
Jet2 in the UK as well (all MAN based).
[/quote]
I wasn’t sure if the Jet 2 757’s were still in operation as the Jethros site seemed to suggest they had been WFU.
[/quote]
I was working in MAN from Thu-Sat last week and at that point two 752 were flying AC and AI the others seen were parked up, not flying.
I wasn’t sure if the Jet 2 757’s were still in operation as the Jethros site seemed to suggest they had been WFU.
There’s one flying ALC-MAN as we speak.
I think they got another stay of execution when Covid arrived and the deal to purchase a number of ex Thomas Cook A321's got scrapped. I guess they'll soldier on a bit longer until their new A321 Neo order starts shipping out of the factory.
Icelandair are hoping to continue to about 2026 I gather, but reducing numbers all the way. Delta similarly and not sure about United.
BIKB at GLA by Peter Chick, on Flickr