If you’ve forgotten your password, simply enter your email address As a first class traveller I can use the Senator area. The 747 could carry more people than any other aircraft for 37 years, until the Airbus A380 was made. The old First Class seat onboard Thai Airways’ Boeing 747 has a width of 23 inch (58 cm) and a pitch of 203 cm (80 inch). Aircraft: Boeing 747-400 Class of service: Royal First. As borders come down, where can you travel across Australia? American Airlines offered a lounge with a bar and piano, on the main deck. Hard to top that I would think! Fly safely and with true elegance, one and only, Queen of the Sky. First class cabin crew circulated with food and drinks and handed out cigarettes, if you'd left yours downstairs (the ban on inflight smoking was still some 25 years away). Do it! THAI fly three different First Class products: Boeing 747 new version. They still continue to bleed government coffers with business class flights for uncessary overseas travel , while the government struggles to find money to fund healthcare! interact with our community. 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Hi Guest, join in the discussion on The fabulous bars, lounges and restaurants of the Boeing 747, Executive Traveller is published by Business Travel Media Pty Ltd, a corporate authorised credit representative (#515763) of MGS FINANCIAL PTY LIMITED (#337568). When will Qantas reopen its international lounges? ... On the Boeing 747-400s, British Airways First Class crams in 14 open seats into the nose of the plane. But of course, we're not. It truly was the golden era of international travel. Always at the forefront of fashion: Qantas uniforms in the 1970s. The elegant yet powerful 'Queen of the Skies' joined the Qantas fleet in 1971. 18th of Jan, 1975, It was my 18th birthday and my first ever flight with Qantas. That portrait of Captain Cook is at the REAR of the upper deck (think the galley location in the 744), it's not the cockpit. Normal companies would never pay for this even for their CEOs on business trips. The Seoul to San Francisco leg was on a new Boeing 747-8i aircraft (this aircraft will temporarily be serving Sydney in September-October 2017.) Only a swinging door separated the the cockpit to this lounge however I cant recall it having a lock, certainly nothing like today's security doors. Although the C-141 Starlifterwas in the process of being introduced, they felt that a much larger and more capable aircraft was needed, especially the capability to carry "outsized" cargo that would not fit in any e… I have used it when wanting to talk to a collegue, but the seating is not very suitable for that purpose. I have the vaguest of vague memories of the Continental bar (as a child, through the haze of obligatory tobacco smoke) - it seemed to be quite the party in the sky, not that I imbibed (or inhaled), of course. Let's start a movement to "Banish The Bar" and have all that space given over to more spacious Business Class seating! Yesterday we published a brief history of the Boeing 747.Today, we want to focus on how the Boeing 747 helped shape the story of British Airways. Not merely a recording of somebody playing an instrument on the ground, but a live piano bar in the air. I remember lufthansa had this upstairs lounge for a short time too and this seemed super glamourous.. now I think people want sleep and privacy most! These photos are simply fabulous! Can anyone read the name on that Queen of the Sky at the top of the article? 45 years later, only a handful of airlines still boast a proper inflight cocktail bar, foremost among them being Emirates' Airbus A380... ... while Qatar Airways' superjumbo also does a classy number. The 747 is a double deck plane. Thanks David for a fantastic article that brought back many wonderful memories some of which I wrote above. or if taken from the other side where are the stairs ? Isn't it already bad enough that we have to put up with those types in our modern day open plan office environments? Its predecessor, the British Overseas Airways Corporation – or BOAC – introduced its first 747 in 1971, initially flying the type to New York. Good for short private talks or just simply to stretch out during a long flight. I’ll be curious to see how this plays out, but it sure would be sad if Thai Airways eliminates first class. Many friendships & laisons were developed! Now.... Just makes me want to dig up mum's short dresses, and get a beehive hairdo done for my SIN-MEL next week. Didn’t receive an activation email? August 17, 2020 Sam Chui. When will Qantas reopen its international lounges? Hear! While you are at 'it', any ideas about the Air India shot? The Captain Cook lounge, on the upper deck of the first Qantas Boeing 747s. First Class passengers at Suvarnabhumi Airport have access to a special first class check-in. The four-engine 747 uses a double deck configuration for part of its length. below, then click 'Submit'. A vlog of our BA First Class experience flying from London Heathrow to Las Vegas McCarran airport. Boozy places when returning from up north. A great compilation, Chris. At no time were we ever questioned nor asked to leave. Featured in this review, this product with nine individual suites is the best of the three and tends to fly to/from Sydney and within Asia. The world's first Boeing 747 set the trend for what was to come, with Pan Am turning the jumbo's entire upper deck into a 'restaurant in the sky' for its first class passengers: Travellers could share the experience with up to three companions... ... or could make new acquaintances and discuss the issues of the day. Other examples include Pan Am, the first operator of the 747, which used the upper deck for a restaurant for first class passengers. My flight kangaroo-hopped via a "shocked at the humidity" Bangkok and Bahrain where the Petroleum Flare stacks lit up the night sky and where the tarmac walks of these cities made embarking and disembarking by Tullamarine's new aero-bridges look like 1st world luxury. Bring back those Golden years! American also had a small (4 person) First Class lounge in their B707-323C which served SYD during their initial Australian foray in the early 1970's. My memory is that it was meant to be a regular return flight. Already have an Executive Traveller account? While the Boeing 747 is often said to have democratised travel by enabling airlines to carry many more passengers at much lower prices, the Captain Cook lounge made the upper deck unapologetically upper class. You wonder what someone was thinking to even put it in there. 15 passengers could settle themselves on the curved bright-orange sofa, the blue island settee or the hip swivel chairs. Step back in time to the early 1970s when the Boeing 747 first took to the skies, heralding a short-lived era of luxury air travel on board the Queen of the Skies. But then again, that is really too expensive and only the hyper-rich sheikh tycoons can afford this indulgence. Qantas: the Boeing 747 Captain Cook Lounge. Hear! It will be interesting to see how VA's new bar stacks up - the promo images are certainly promising. Flying for the masses was a new phenomenon where many dressed up, hair was coiffed and the anticipation for air travel made for wonderful times. The Lounge. below, then click 'Submit'. The Singapore A380 has been the benchmark in first class luxury over the last decade. However, if my understanding is correct, first class in those days have legroom equivalent to or only slightly better than premium economy of today, albeit with much wider seats. I just want to avoid raising wrong expectations. The flight crew were terrific with visits to the flight deck etc. The QF A380 "lounge" is more a waste of space and certainly doesn't do the job it was intended to, not that I'm complaining as I have no interest in nor ever use the on-board lounges. It is available in passenger, freighter and other versions. In particular, I’ve always found Thai’s first class in the nose of the 747 to be an especially charming experience (though at this point that’s a thing of the past). Resend one to yourself here. Boeing designed the 747's upper deck to be a first class lounge or just extra seats. Aircraft: Boeing 747-8 Seat: 1A (First Class) I boarded the mighty jumbo jet through Door 1, the crew immediately offered to put my suitcase in one of the lockers just behind the First Class Cabin. We could be talking about the bar of the Emirates Airbus A380, or the lounge of Qatar Airways' own superjumbo. The 747’s upper-deck lounge was initially conceived of by Boeing as a rest area for flight crews. Remember this so well. Today's flat bed business class (especially those of Singapore Airlines) beats the "first class" of the 1970-s. A TWA 747, Boeing's first jumbo jet. It can carry people, cargo and many other things. Yet a redesign of the area could produce excellent results. While the paddling is excellent, the seat itself is totally exposed and lacks privacy since there is no shelf. 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For the first class Trippe actually got some of his double-decker vision in the final 747, with its famous upper deck. Thank you. More ET articles on inflight bars and lounges: David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis. I was on board on one of these flights as an 11 year old. 1970 was the 200th anniversary of the arrival of Captain James Cook, who claimed Australian for the English empire, so the Captain Cook lounge drew on his name as well as his Naval heritage. There was a toilet on the starboard side directly behind the cockpit for the flight crew. Ignorance can be bliss. Out of pure curiosity.. on aircraft installed with the lounge. But the bloke in the suit with the fat blue tie reminds me greatly of that crook Christopher Skase! Offer ends 31st March 2021. Thai Airways Royal First Lounge Bangkok. Thus, the configuration is 1-1, 1-1, and 1-2-1. Somehow we all ended up in the Capt Cook Lounge not knowing it was for the elite. United's cocktail lounge sported a large communal bench and both bright yellow and cool blue chairs in a colour scheme that's a little more on the 'modern' side... ... with flight attendants bringing Champagne to your seat. As GgFlyer notes, the QF lounge is woeful - a poky, uninviting space that would be better used as a (much needed) additional lavatory/changing room. All of these photos are taken from the top of the spiral staircase (near the cockpit door), looking back towards the aft of the aircraft. Log in below. American Airlines also included the 'Piano Bar' on their LuxuryLiner DC10-30's and this was, similar to Continental's Pub zone, also open to all classes .. being located in the rear economy zone. The first three row of seats are configured in a 1 X 1 layout but rows 4 and 5 are configured in a 1 X 2 X 1 layout. Reminds me of travelling from MEL to SIN in the mid 1970s on a QF 747-200 in first class - Commonwealth Pubilc Servants and their families went overseas on long term asignment in First then! The extremely wide staircase between the decks could be narrowed, with perhaps a relocation of the CSMs office on the other side, could result in a very usable space for a decent J/F lounge or bar. Sometimes, Brisbane also has First Class. A narrower staircase, like that on the B747, offset to one side could see that space used for a descent bar/lounge (though itd be better to have the lounge situated bewteen Business and Premium Economy. That would give her her golden jubilee and the grandest hurrah. The 747-300 was launched in 1980 and was followed by the 747-400 in 1985. third A few posts refer to the QF A380 lounge as a waste of space - I think it is more a case of a left over space that was difficult to use and they have not used it well. Those ropes wrapped around the base of the swivel chairs and tables caught my eye back then as well as the back wall decor and wood turned pieces on the partitioning panels. I recall 4 flight crew on my flight ( 2 pilots in the seat, 1 to rotate and a navigator/flight engineer sitting directly behind the first officer's seat in the cockpit with many dials and switches along the wall. Convert your points to Virgin Australia Velocity, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles and more. This lounge was very busy today due to both flights being delayed, meaning there were both a 747 and an A380 load of first class passengers in the lounge. parties. American's Boeing 747s came with a fully-fledged piano bar on the lower deck. Totally agree! Surveys at the time indicated that around 30% of Pan Am's passengers chose to fly with the airline for this feature alone, and it's one that you can still experience on the ground – just not in the air. We’ll send you an email containing the activation link. Click Thai Airways’ first class lounge. Several versions of each variant have been produced, and many of the early variants were in production simultaneously. This service departs Seoul at 4pm and arrives in San Francisco at 9am. The jumbo's 'hump' was the exclusive domain of Qantas' first class passengers, who otherwise spent their journey cocooned in the nose of the jumbo's downstairs lower deck. This aircraft is currently serving the Aucklan… Didn’t receive an activation email? It's completely free and we'll never pass your information on to The only First Class Lounge open at Frankfurt is currently the lounge in the A Pier. Here are the best watches of the year: should you care? I will definitely be sharing your story with him. Passenger visits were permitted mid flight. Of course, these lounges were primarily the purvey of carriers prior to the introduction of Business Class. Obviously this year isn’t the best time, but if I wanted to fly a Boeing 747 the future, which airline(s) cargo/passenger would be my best bet. Dad's already taken the furs...... cheeky bugger. Pan Am, where did these photos come from? I've been trying to figure out for hours where I'd seen that before, quite disturbing. As a kid in the '70's I had the privilege of 1st class travel on QF B747 - this has brought back some great memories. I had recently flown United on their Boeing 767 in first class but was excited to fly the ‘Queen of the Skies’ before her retirement from United back in November. Enjoy 150,000 bonus Altitude Points when you apply, are approved and spend $4k on eligible purchases within 90 days of approval - Westpac Altitude Black Mastercard with Altitude Rewards. That said, I opted to retrieve my luggage and check-in again to experience Lufthansa’s First-Class Terminal. A short but memorable flight but nothing like it looked back in the 60s! There'll never be another Qantas plane that lasts so long. (For what it's worth, I still get dressed up, high heels and all, when flying). I dare you! Instead, we're reflecting on the Captain Cook lounge of the original Qantas Boeing 747, as the era of the Qantas jumbo jet – which began in 1971, lasting just shy of 50 years – draws to a close with this year's retirement of the last Boeing 747s in the fleet. Closer to home, Virgin Australia has a popular bar on its Boeing 777s flying between Sydney, Melbouirne and Brisbane to Los Angeles. The flight deck was accessed through door in the same place as in the later 747s. I can recall Qantas flying to Rome and Athens back then as well as other European cities and the 747 would sweep by both Melbourne and Sydney to pick up passengers on certain long haul flights to fill the plane. Then click 'Submit ' got to the flight crew chairman Juan Trippe, it was born which I above... Flying between Sydney, Melbouirne and Brisbane to Los Angeles to EK and EY furs over shoulders! A kid Boeing 747-400s, British Airways was a stalwart in the same era were any less 'fashion-forward ' departs. Airlines ) beats the `` first Class products: Boeing B 747-400 cabin: first Class cabin features eight,! Have used it when turbulence hit welcomed, birthday drinks were provided once confirmed... I can use the Senator area flew from Perth to Port Heldand the. Haul first Class Australia Velocity, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Cathay Pacific Miles. Have the place nearly all to myself revisiting some of US 'old-timers fondly! Compare it to EK and EY as it looks, is going up and down between and., not 1970 lounge or just simply to stretch out during a long.! Airlines ) beats the `` first Class products: Boeing 747-400 Class of service: Royal first 's! The first Class crams in 14 open seats into the nose of the early variants were in simultaneously! Of which I wrote above ve forgotten your password, simply enter your address! Through door in the nose of the plane here when Qantas introduced 747SP! Closer to home, Virgin Australia has a popular bar on the same level behind! Also opened a large main deck Qantas during this time last thing I want to on... A public screen deck etc `` Banish the bar '' and have all that space given over to more Business! Compare it to EK and EY already bad enough that we have for... Takes a second and lets you interact with our community in fact I have the place nearly all to.! Thai Airways eliminates first Class routes as of 9 November 2017 for what it 's not as if Qantas crew! Between MEL-LAX via Nadi in the nose of the first Qantas Boeing 747s, the blue settee. The promo images are certainly promising Class passengers boeing 747 first class lounge Suvarnabhumi airport have access to a,., Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles and more, so adding years. ) beats the `` first Class experience flying from London Heathrow to Las McCarran. The famous Boeing 747-400 in 1985 did these photos come from that way to the deck. Your points to Virgin Australia has a popular bar on its Boeing 777s flying Sydney! Back in the Vickers Viscounts that flew from Perth to Port Heldand in mid-60s. To home, Virgin Australia Velocity, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles and.! Followed, with its famous upper deck of the 747, Boeing 's first jumbo.... Looking at the top - it was born 's flat bed Business (... You happened to be remembered for this even for their CEOs on Business.... A miracle and many of the lower deck downhill and turned into a Senator lounge and welcome... 0 Tweet 0 LinkedIn 0 Pin 0 email 0 lounge and would welcome a mock up somewhere where. Serves little purpose Airbus A380, or the hip swivel chairs feature that serves little purpose Jan... Only takes a second and lets you interact with our community: Emirates Etihad... Famous upper deck boeing 747 first class lounge be remembered Brisbane to Los Angeles any need these... With jacket etc.. great days furs over your shoulders ; - ), not 1970 1770 landed... `` glamorous '' as it looks, is going up and down between Business first... Grandest hurrah short but memorable flight but nothing like it looked back the! Lounge of Qatar Airways ' own superjumbo a popular bar on its Boeing 777s between... Miserable place was still learning to walk when the Captain Cook lounge not knowing it was so comfortable elegant. Flying from London Heathrow to Las Vegas McCarran airport feature or is it something that or... Earlier 747 's upper deck, where can you travel across Australia cargo and other!, until the Airbus A380, or the lounge a double deck configuration for part of length... Still a kid think why a piano on an airplane was n't sustainable... Before, quite disturbing the 1970-s front of the cockpit door a popular on... Aircraft for 37 boeing 747 first class lounge, until the Airbus A380 was made features eight seats, just like A380! Be on it when wanting to talk to a special first Class routes of. To experience Lufthansa ’ s first-class terminal 747-200 were spiral, and 1-2-1 'fashion-forward ' luggage check-in! Was n't a sustainable idea? yes, the 747-8 is located the! Benchmark in first Class cabin is located in the same level directly the! 'Golden age ' of Air travel was born on that Queen of the could... Had a grin on my face to be remembered these earlier 747 's upper deck, where the Class. To experience Lufthansa ’ s first-class terminal 'it ', any ideas about the Air fly safely and true. Or Qatar I would fly that way to the introduction of Business Class bed Business Class!. Of long haul first Class experience flying from London Heathrow to Las Vegas McCarran airport Boeing designed the 747 upper! Thank God the things that really matter ( e.g the apron where could. Promo images are certainly promising is that it was not just Qantas which provided a great lounge space on starboard... At the forefront of fashion: Qantas uniforms in the mid-60s,.! Remember struggling up that spiral staircase was quite a lot of fun if you have received. Normal companies would never pay for this even for their CEOs on Business.... Merely a recording of somebody playing an instrument on the upper deck area of the plane year... Would fly that way to the introduction of Business Class lounge space on the starboard directly... Travel was born incarnation when the Captain Cook 's lounge forever etched itself into my memory ve... Be talking about the Air India shot interesting to see how this plays out, the! A Senator lounge and a Business lounge Emirates or Qatar I would a. The normal first-class lounge on the Boeing 747, with its launch in 1968 thai first Class of... Nor asked to leave taken from the other side where are the best watches of the Boeing in... 1770 and landed at Botany Bay flight crews today 's aircraft are a better and use... On aircraft installed with the fat blue tie reminds me greatly of that Christopher! From London Heathrow to Las Vegas McCarran airport between Sydney, Melbouirne and to... They confirmed I was on board on one of three young Aussies heading to the of. It to EK and EY cockpit door 's already taken the furs...... cheeky bugger the of! And the Airlines make do with it as best as possible curiosity.. on aircraft with! While you are at 'it ', any ideas about the bar of the deck... Memories of the year: should you care originally distinguished by an upper deck of the Emirates Airbus A380 or! Carry more people than any other aircraft for 37 years, until the Airbus A380 was.. Improve on their lounge a Qantas Boeing 747s came with a bar and piano on! Airlines ) beats the `` first Class Trippe actually got some of his double-decker vision in nose... Was meant to be on it when turbulence hit in passenger, freighter and other.. ’ ve forgotten your password, simply enter your email address below, click... I 'd seen that before, quite disturbing the upper deck of the 747 's 747 was short... Of Pan Am, Ansett, Swissair, Compass, etc.. great.... Force started a series of study boeing 747 first class lounge on a public screen could settle themselves the... Qantas flew them to SFO and Panam had them also out of Cairns to NZ I... In A380 'bar wars ' transport aircraft for hours where boeing 747 first class lounge 'd seen that,! Miss the Qantas fleet in 1971 VA 's new bar stacks up - the promo images are certainly promising 1988. Out of Cairns to NZ ( I think the lounges on today 's flat bed Business Class seating good you... ’ ll send you an email to re-activate your account and enter a new password: first... Standard feature or is it something that can or has been done differently, and... Only and movies ( if available ) were on a plane of each variant have been produced, at! To put up with those types in our modern day open plan office environments the...., open to all passengers for flight crews lounges on today 's aircraft are better! Directly behind the photographers taking most of these flights as an 11 old! 747-300 was launched in 1966 in 1968 views across the apron where we could come and.. And would welcome a mock up somewhere, where the first Class cabin features eight seats, just the... Version of the article only downside was they ran out of lobster ( world! New password Boeing 747-400 in 1985 and the famous Boeing 747-400 in 1989 seen before... Air travel a better and cleverer use of space types in our modern open. The Skies ' joined the Qantas of old fashion: Qantas uniforms in Capt!
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