1-11s,707s and DC-10s

[atuk]

Yes, believe it or not, these were standard aircraft of the UK charter airlines way back in the early 1970s.

The BAC 1-11 300/400/500 was the darling of any UK charter airlines: British Caledonian,Court Line, Dan Air London, Laker Airways. Monarch and Dan Air added their series 500s early 1975 following the collapse of Court Line Aviation. The 1-11 was popular in Germany too with Bavaria and Germanair, Pan International and the short lived Phoenix Aviation of Basel. BCal, Court Line, Dan Air and Bavaria Flug were all regular Glasgow visitors with Laker operating a winter series to Tenerife on behalf of Wings.

While1-11s ruled for short haul services to Europe the 707s were the long haul queens of the skies before 747s eclipsed them. Tenerife was a popular route however Athens, Las Palmas and Corfu all saw Laker services from Gatwick and Dan Air operated Friday, Saturday, Sunday 707 services on Friday, Saturday, Sunday to Gerona, Palma and Alicante operating W pattern services on a Manchester aircraft on behalf of Lunn Poly and Thomson Skytours.

Although not a 707 Monarch operated Boeing 720s. Those hot rod machines operated ad hoc flights from Glasgow but during the mid 1970s one was Edinburgh based operating for Cosmos Holidays. The 720s also operated from Luton to St Lucia on behalf of Pegasus Holidays albeit with a fuel stop in Gander. 720s also operated from Prestwick to Calgary as part of a BHX-PIK-YYC series in behalf of a Solihull based travel agency. Monarch 1-11s also operated Lakes and Mountains flights from EDI and GLA to Milan Malpensa and Verona.

Colourful Court Line operated from Glasgow to AHO,ALC, GRO, PMI and PSA with lilac, orange,pink and turquoise 1-11s for Clarksons, then later Horizon Holidays. Much more conservative and staid British Caledonian operated 1-11s from Glasgow and 707s from Prestwick: the former to Alicante, Bergen, Basel, Genoa,Gerona, Ibiza, Palma, Rimini, Rome and Venice for Brighter Holidays, Blue Sly and Horizon Holidays; Toronto and New York from the latter.

Laker, like Britannia, another trendsetter, introduced the DC10 on routes to New York and Toronto from Prestwick but had little or no involved in the Scottish market for European IT flights. Their long haul destinations fro both LGW and MAN included Colombo and Mombasa. Monarch also operated a single DC-10, ex Zambia Airways,from its Manchester base but it did visit Glasgow on high season flights to Orlando on behalf of Thomas Cook/Sunworld.

So despite today’s EZY, FR, LS and TOM operations the roots stretch back over the decades. It would be interesting to surmise what these carriers would have been operating today had they survived.

[Clive]

For those too young to remember, in the 1980’s Iberia operated a Tuesday weekly 747 to Tenerife ( for Volta Dixon?) and an Saturday A300 to Palma. I think they also did an A300 to IBZ at some point. Their 727’s also appeared, I think in conjunction with Aviaco who were very regular visitors with their DC8’s and DC9’s. And who could forget the Spantax DC8’s and Coronado’s? With the IT industry covered by many individual tour operators the variety life visitors back then was much more than it is now with only a small handful of big operators and those having their own airlines.

Memories too of regular Portuguese 707’s and 727’s, Russian, East German, Bulgarian, Romanian and Yugoslav Tupolev TU134 and 154’s and even Il-18’s in the case of Tarom who also sent their Boeing 707 at times.

I could go on all night but those certainly were the days for variety.

[egpffqtv]

Shame we only have 15 airlines operating from GLA nowadays.

Aer Lingus
BA
Emirates
KLM
Ryanair
Air Transat
Corendon
Icelandair
Loganair
TUI
Balkan Bulgarian
easyJet
Jet2
Lufthansa
Wizzair

I think that’s it - pretty poor show IMHO

[atuk]

For those too young to remember, in the 1980’s Iberia operated a Tuesday weekly 747 to Tenerife ( for Volta Dixon?) and an Saturday A300 to Palma. I think they also did an A300 to IBZ at some point. Their 727’s also appeared, I think in conjunction with Aviaco who were very regular visitors with their DC8’s and DC9’s. And who could forget the Spantax DC8’s and Coronado’s? With the IT industry covered by many individual tour operators the variety life visitors back then was much more than it is now with only a small handful of big operators and those having their own airlines.

Memories too of regular Portuguese 707’s and 727’s, Russian, East German, Bulgarian, Romanian and Yugoslav Tupolev TU134 and 154’s and even Il-18’s in the case of Tarom who also sent their Boeing 707 at times.

I could go on all night but those certainly were the days for variety.

Indeed. The Iberia 747 flight was Aviaco AO1725/1726 on Tuesdays for Volta Dixon, Global, Enterprise among others and the PMI Airbus was Volta Dixon, Spantax 8s were Intasun and Global charters. Lisbon Promotions chartered the TAP 707s to LIS and FAO.

I can’t believe I forgot to mention the BCal Chater DC10 flights to PMI and IBZ.

The market just became too polarised leading to today’s standardisation and mass market offerings.

Happy days back then.

[bill]

Shame we only have 15 airlines operating from GLA nowadays.

Aer Lingus
BA
Emirates
KLM
Ryanair
Air Transat
Corendon
Icelandair
Loganair
TUI
Balkan Bulgarian
easyJet
Jet2
Lufthansa
Wizzair

I think that’s it - pretty poor show IMHO

Wow! Pretty brutal when you see it in black and white. You know there's not too many airlines at GLA but you don't think of it as so few.
Only 6 bases too?

[Speedbird Julie]

For those too young to remember, in the 1980’s Iberia operated a Tuesday weekly 747 to Tenerife ( for Volta Dixon?) and an Saturday A300 to Palma. I think they also did an A300 to IBZ at some point. Their 727’s also appeared, I think in conjunction with Aviaco who were very regular visitors with their DC8’s and DC9’s. And who could forget the Spantax DC8’s and Coronado’s? With the IT industry covered by many individual tour operators the variety life visitors back then was much more than it is now with only a small handful of big operators and those having their own airlines.

Memories too of regular Portuguese 707’s and 727’s, Russian, East German, Bulgarian, Romanian and Yugoslav Tupolev TU134 and 154’s and even Il-18’s in the case of Tarom who also sent their Boeing 707 at times.

I could go on all night but those certainly were the days for variety.

Yeah, the variety back then was great. Even going back to the early 90s we had 767, DC-10, L1011 and the 747 from AC. Much more fun than the A320/737 and daily A380 now!

[FlyGLA]

Shame we only have 15 airlines operating from GLA nowadays.

Aer Lingus
BA
Emirates
KLM
Ryanair
Air Transat
Corendon
Icelandair
Loganair
TUI
Balkan Bulgarian
easyJet
Jet2
Lufthansa
Wizzair

I think that’s it - pretty poor show IMHO

Wow! Pretty brutal when you see it in black and white. You know there's not too many airlines at GLA but you don't think of it as so few.
Only 6 bases too?

All the worse when you consider 10 years ago GLA was served by 25+ airlines.

By comparison, even Newcastle with 16 has more airlines than GLA. Manchester has over 50. Aberdeen has 13, just two behind GLA.

[Clive]

Shame we only have 15 airlines operating from GLA nowadays.

Aer Lingus
BA
Emirates
KLM
Ryanair
Air Transat
Corendon
Icelandair
Loganair
TUI
Balkan Bulgarian
easyJet
Jet2
Lufthansa
Wizzair

I think that’s it - pretty poor show IMHO

Wow! Pretty brutal when you see it in black and white. You know there's not too many airlines at GLA but you don't think of it as so few.
Only 6 bases too?

All the worse when you consider 10 years ago GLA was served by 25+ airlines.

By comparison, even Newcastle with 16 has more airlines than GLA. Manchester has over 50. Aberdeen has 13, just two behind GLA.

Given that “it’s aw wan market BTW” it’s not really comparable as we have 3 airports splitting the prize.

[FlyGLA]

Given that “it’s aw wan market BTW” it’s not really comparable as we have 3 airports splitting the prize.

It was "aw wan market BTW” as you so eloquently put it, 10 years ago when GLA had 25+ airlines. It was "aw wan market BTW” when GLA was Scotland's busiest airport.

Furthermore, GLA isn't the only airport in the world that has to compete with neighbouring airports. MAN shares a market with LPL and LBA to name just two. BRS shares a market with EXT and CWL. It's a shame that we apparently have more excuses for AGS than GLA has airlines.

[bill]

Right, we're off on a thread drift but while we are I'm taking full advantage. . I wan't to know the answer to the upcoming question and if folks start throwing toys out the pram they'll be on a wee holiday until the Euro's are over, at least.
So, my question,(because I'm genuinely interested), how many airlines fly into EDI as a comparison to GLA?