Coach seats in the first configurations retained by the vast majority of airlines, for the 747s, L-1011s and DC-10s were 21.5'' total width at a pitch of 34''. Compared to today's 19'' total width at 30'' pitch !!!
@@kencopeland3471 Actually there was 61 survivors from the Pan Am flight including both pilots and several flight attendants. The KLM flight had no survivors.
Wow, the food for the coach passengers back then was so much better than the food for first class passengers today---and the food for first class then was simply scrumptious, and magnifique!
If you are referring to the disgrace which passes for US domestic so-called First Class today then I agree, but in the sense of international travel where a real First Class is provided then economy food from the 70's is not in any way better than the food currently provided in First Class.
I am still fascinated and enthralled by air travel, from traveling 200mph on a concrete runway to venturing up where the sky fades to a dark blue, far above any level that could sustain life. Then finding that tiny airstrip, dwarfed by the plains and mountains around it, to land lightly and precisely upon it. To see Greenland, with its red granite beaches and 2-mile thick ice sheet, exactly like the description in the book I'm reading. To spend the night flying, but the sun never goes down. To see the Alps and finally understand the glaciers. I personally don't care about anyone else's behavior, for it's a marvelous adventure every flight.
"Back then, seats were larger and people were smaller. Now, it’s just the opposite" - That's it. People complaining about small seats. Uhh, perhaps lose some weight. I've never had an issue with airplane seats, oh, except when I have a fat person sitting next to me that 'spreads' across to my seat.
It's striking how individuals actually interacted with one another and socialized during the flight rather than staring down at a phone or laptop. My how we have devolved. These folks genuinely seem excited to be there.
If they had smartphones in the 70s they'd be staring at them. Instead those who wanted to tune out would read a book, magazine or newspaper. Everything ebbs and flows my friend. I'm sure someone in the early 70s was complaining that everything moves so fast that no one has time to really experience something anymore. I can imagine someone who may have remembered the era before flight was the most popular way to travel that traveling by Ocean Liner or by Train was the best way because you got to know your fellow passengers over several days if not a week, you got to see and experience the great distances. It's all relative, we all want things to be like the way they were when we were young.
Very good point and well said we have lost the ability to express joy at simple things and special things such as flying at 36,000 feet and enjoying a cocktail and a meal everyone wants to look as though they are stone faced I’ll take those days the 60s 70s any day over today
Clipper Victor was a Boeing 747-121 in Pan American with registration of N736PA. it was admitted to the Pan American fleet in January 20th, 1970. It was the first Boeing 747 to operate a scheduled commercial service and is notable for its brief but significant history. It was renamed "Clipper Young America". In its first year of service, N736PA also became the first 747 to be hijacked, when it was flown to Cuba on August 2, 1970. Following this incident, the aircraft's name was changed back to "Clipper Victor". On March 27th, 1977, Clipper Victor made history in the Tenerife disaster. It road down a runway taxiing, saying they weren't clear to move off the runway, but the transmissions overlapped with the towers so another KLM 747, "The Rhine", didn't know this. The KLM sped down the runway unaware Victor was still there. The KLM sees Clipper Victor and tries to leapfrog the takeoff, almost makes it, but chops off Victor's entire top deck lounge and parts of the lower decks (2nd and 3rd class).The KLM plane skids to the end of the runway and burns in a fiery blaze killing all people on board. One third of the Pan American passengers got out including the cockpit crew, but many died and burned. 335 of the 396 people were killed on the Clipper. The aircraft was written off after that.
The original 747 that was supposed to fly the first revenue flight was actually N735PA Clipper Young America. It was however substituted by N736PA Clipper Victor at the last moment due to engine issues. This resulted in the first passenger flight getting off late.
Yyyup! Been there done that! Good old days of travel where coach class was actually tolerable. No riff raff no skimpy anything Meals, blankets, pillows, 18.5 wide seats 36 inch pitch …..once upon a time………
@ they sure as heck never put the feed in my address cause I would say something, never saw it never experienced that. And I don’t know of anybody type writing on an airplane.
Crazy how well-dressed and well-mannered people were back then. Nowadays, you can find countless vids on YT of passengers who are the farthest thing from.
My very first plane ride was on Pan Am's daily 747 service from LAX to GUA back in 1976, what a wonderful and unforgetable experience for a first timer, this was PA 515 which originated in SFO, from GUA it continued to PTY ending at GIG, then 2 weeks later I returned on PA516 from GUA to LAX, economy seats were wide and comfortable, choice of hot meals. Flew several times on the 747, L1011, DC10 and lastly the A300 on this same route LAX-GUA-LAX
This is pre-deregulation and even tourist class seats cost a small fortune in the early 70s. In 1972 an average tourist class seat cost $200 which is $1,500 in today's money OR roughly what a very expensive first class seat from JFK to LAX would cost. You can easily find coach seats (not even deeply discounted) for $200 in 2024 and where you lack in service/comfort, you regain in convenience. We're just spoiled is all. If we spent the money we'd get most of the same service coach had in the early 70s and flying international Business and 1st? I'll take today over the 70s please and thanks!
@@SSN515 Cool, you have your loud Douglas turboprop with the 1st class in the tail, I'll be over on a Singapore A380 1st class suite, or At the bar in Emirates or in my personal 3 room Residence on Etihad.
@@wizardmix You say 'In 1972 an average tourist class seat cost $200'. From where to where? New York to Buffalo or New York to Bombay? One way or round trip? How did you arrive at this figure?
@@Ben-xe8ps I did some cursory research on the subject to determine what an average cross-country NY to LA ticket would cost on a major airline pre-deregulation. After that I ran the numbers through several inflation calculators to determine what 1972 $200 was worth in 2024. Not that hard to do in this modern day/age really. I'm also old enough to remember what flying cost from the 1980s on. What's at odds with just about everything else we buy is the ticket costs remain the same. I clearly remember an advance purchase round trip discount coach ticket from PIT to SAN by way of ATL costing about 450USD in 2001, 24 years ago. That's about $800 in 2024 money. I bet you on the right day and time of year I can find that flight for less than $450 in 2024. Wanna know why? Subsidies. Airlines are subsidized a bunch of different ways but a lot of them by credit card companies. Other sources of revenue are cargo and the government, i.e. taxpayers. We are spoiled with cheap flights but complain like babies about it because we don't want to pay for the better seats but we still want those domestic flights to feel like first class. You don't really miss the water until the well runs dry my friend so enjoy it while it lasts.
My first flight on a Pan Am 747 was around 1971 or 1973. It was from JFK to LHR, followed by a transfer to either a PA 707 or 727 to FRA, and then our destination at BEG.
This is gold. Caught the high tech items of the day - a portable typewriter, flight deck, lounge area as well as proper roast meals. Takes me back to the amusement of analog pursuits like card games and reading. Seeing them smoke without a care is so funny and reminds me of the headaches I used to get stuck in non smoking section behind the business class smoking section 😂
@horseathalt7308 AlSO in many parts of the world 🌍, from the Rusian Federation to Western Europe,all of the a/c were wery well constructed & were all very well known, & of course all of them were quite beautiful & very enjoyable to see & to be in them ❤😊
@@crabbymilton390 Deregulation no doubt played a role. As soon as it ended, the airlines quickly put in more seats. Also, it seems that in the early 70s the big planes rarely filled up.
People today are the problem, all decency and dignity has long since disappeared from the public spaces. I remember flying a Continental DC-10 in 1974 to LAX from ORD as a child, it was incredible to experience back then.
nowadays passengers are garbage. In the 70 most got dressed up to travel and were well mannered. Today most look & smell homeless and make no effort to hide their disgusting habits. I would rather fly with livestock than people.
@@horseathalt7308 In the video you can see someone putting their feet on the headrest. I was actually negatively surprised by it. People's behavior is worse today, but back then it was probably only slightly better due to fewer people flying.
@@Bellasie1 I don't doubt there were a few bad passengers back then, but I can tell you from personal experience it was nowhere near as bad as it has become in the past 25 years.
Many trips on 747 and L1011 all great experiences from 1970-80s..a fellow pilot friend was a long term 747 captain and told me that when flying over the long ocean trips he was thankful for 4 engines turning.
@@resolute1306 You were flying not just to arrive at a destination, but also for an experience. People have no appreciation for the MIRACLE of flight today.
Southwest airlines started as a small regional carrier in Texas in the early 70's - looking to expand their routes to other regions & cities - back then the flight attendants were called 'stewardesses' - and at SW their uniforms were similar to the famous Dallas Cowboy cheerleader outfits - I'd bet those girls got grabbed on the backside a few times going up the aisle ..
Watching this reminds me when life was simple and you did what you wanted but not offend no one. Smoking on the plane now that was the leisure laid back days. I miss them. Today is way different, and it sucks. How did planes go from being so roomy and spacious and comfortable seats to feeling like you're in a tiny cramped tube.
I miss PanAm. For the longest time they were the de facto flag carrier of the United States because their planes showed up at every exciting corner of the globe. They ended due to unfortunate circumstances and tragedies not of their making. The Lockerbie disaster was the final nail.
They were a legend for sure. But every legend has its dark side. I don't think safety was nearly the priority it should have been. Deferred maintenance was the name of the game.This was especially true on the south pacific division with an unprecedented 3 major crashes in a 10 month period. They treated the families of the Pago Pago victims like garbage. When UA took over their pacific fleet, they spent millions getting the planes up to their standards.
IN MEMORIAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE THE BOEING 747!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY FIRST FLIGHT, OVER HALF A CENTURY AGO WAS ON ONE, ON APRIL 8TH, 1974!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THESE SHIPS SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN TAKEN OUT OF SERVICE AND SHOULD STILL BE IN PRODUCTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I SEE YOU CALL THEM SHIPS TOO, BECAUSE THEY ARE, TRUE SHIPS OF THE SKIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO SHIP SHIP, HURRAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND LONG LIVE THOSE BOEING 747 MEMORIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My mother and father flew Clipper Victor NYC to LHR on October 1970. Many don’t know Clipper Victor flew the first revenue 747 flight. It was substituted and had it name changed for that first flight..
Geez STBD76, it’s an unsettled, tough crowd you posted to…I’d love to see their attempts at posting something interesting without a typo or error. Great vid!
@@denkbrein "I disagree, life was often extremely boring without content on digital screens!" - I grew up in the 80's. I was NEVER bored. Every day, bike riding, playing cricket in the street with all the kids, playing frisbee, going down to the creek catching yabbies and exploring, going on 'day adventures' with our friends to places we'd never been. You know, all that stuff that kids don't do these days, and not only don't do, simply refuse to do (don't want to get off their ass or leave the 'safety' of their own bedroom). Pathetic.
@denkbrein boring? Week after week we witnessed the released of the BEST music albums EVER! The best Hollywood actors were in their prime! Every month news of new inventions, specially Japanese electronics, convinced us kids that by the year 2000 we would have spaceships and timemachines. There was optimism and excitement!
@@johnz4860 Absolutely. And in relation to Hollywood actors, these days it's all just special effects. No acting required. I can't believe the other day someone tried to convince me that Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) is a great actor. It's like .... NO.
Pre-deregulation flying was a different world but it was an expensive and privileged world at that. Those wide seats are priced in 1972 what business class would be today.
A B-747-200 series aircraft that was the new kid on the block, monster sized, which is now dwarfed by almost everything else with wings. It was still the days when you dressed in your Sunday best to fly, albeit more people could now afford the luxury of air travel.
@@RobMiami787 Yes until circa 1980 depending on airline Y class seating on 747's was generally 2 X 4 X 3 which resulted in a slightly wider aisle, armrest and seat. However if you look closely the seats are not really that much wider, nothing approaching for example the width of a US domestic First Class class seat today.
Pan Am renamed the 747-100s around the beginning of the 80s I think. For example, 739, Clipper Maid of the Seas was originally Clipper Morning Light. I wonder what Clipper Victor would have changed to?
"Is it clear, the Pan Am ?" "Yeeaaaaaah..." [emphatically] Last words from the KLM 747 before it destroyed the 747 in that video. 583 poor souls incinerated.
Eonomy Class back then was like Business Class is today. Business Class was liek First Class today -- on those few remaining airlines that do in fact have actual First Class accomodations left. First Class back then -- well, nothing compares with it today. As for the upper deck lounge -- these days, you have to contend with the "action" provided by the occassional Russian stowaway who gets onboard without a ticket, then locks herself in the plane's bahroom and does not get discovered by the alert cabin crew until the 7th hour of the flight.
Back then Business Class DID NOT EXIST. This is very late 60's or early 70's. Business class was not introduced until circa 1980. Back then there were two classes of service, F First and Y Economy. This video shows a transatlantic flight from London to New York and my comments are made in that context. You say nothing today compares with First Class back then. What exactly do you imagine First Class offered back then? The airport lounges didn't offer food, only drinks and some snacks. First Class passengers did not usually receive any priority or special services on the ground beyond a dedicated check-in desk and lounge access. On board, even in the 747, the 70's seating was 2 X 2 with a seat pitch of around 40 inches, same seat width as US domestic First Class today with a bit more legroom and a bit more padding on the seats. 6 rows in the nose of a 747 100 or 200. IFE where available consisted of a single movie projected (yes, projected like in a cinema) onto a small pull down screen in the front of the F class cabin. Stethoscope type hollow tube earphones were provided. In addition to the movie soundtrack there were a maximum of 9 audio channels offered. I would agree that First Class meals were more elaborate with more courses but this has to be weighed against the total lack of any pre-flight dining in the lounge or any dine as you please or snacks menu. If you flew on a 747, but ONLY on the 747, then yes there was the upstairs lounge to go to sit in. How is this better than the First Class products offered by carriers such as Emirates, Singapore Airlines etc etc today. Economy Class back then was not like Business Class is today. While it is correct that Economy Class seating in the original 747 launch configurations was 9 abreast rather than 10 abreast, resulting in a slightly wider seat and aisle, economy class seating on narrow body aircraft such as the 707, DC8, VC10 was 3 X 3 the same as on a narrow body aircraft such as the 737 or A320 today. The seat was better padded and the seat pitch was better, usually 34 inches on long haul. However, it is not even remotely comparable to a full flat business class seat today. Alcoholic drinks were charged for in Economy in the 60's and 70's. There was a headset rental charge of $2.50 for those stethoscope type hollow tube earphones to watch the single projected movie. Hot towels and amenity kits were rare in economy. There was no lounge access for economy passengers. Catering was of course better than economy class today.
Also I see that many of of the girls waiting on the px are quite beautiful &attractive , & I really do wish that I could have been in the a/c just to be able to see them ❤😊
Oh, the Dutch.... Need we say any more? Re. the Tenerife, Grand Canary Island, Spain fiasco, it was certainly big news. I was working at the Las Vegas Holtton Hotel where the 1500 employees had a huge dining room/cafeteria with TVs, and I was there when the news on the disaster broke. KLM and the Dutch pilot will never be cleared of the shame.
The KLM will never be cleared of the shame? Well, it is almost half a century ago, and KLM is still present and the oldest airline in the world... PanAm is gone after it (sadly enough) went bankrupt in 1991.
While the KLM captain bears most of the blame there were other circumstances contributing to this horrible event. There are plenty of documentaries available on the internet. Only recently I watched Mentour Pilot with his take on this accident. Very interesting.
@@peterremkes9376 He is the best overall. But in his Tenerife video he fails to go even as far as you do. The KLM was by far the biggest error in the chain of errors.
Well the seat configuration looks like the same to today 3-4-3 or is it3-3-3 ? But my impression is that seating pitch is way more generous in the old days, are there any numbers? Economy today in cm 79 to 84 in Economy for most airlines. The old seats look wilder too, only my impression from watching the video but i could be totally wrong.
The original 747 configuration in the first few years of service was 9-abreast in economy class, 3-4-2, as shown in this video. Changed by mid-1970s to 10-abreast, 3-4-3. Still better than today's cramped 10-abreast on the 777 which is about a foot narrower than the 747. The early 9-abreast seats were significantly wider. DC-10s and L-1011s changed from their early, mainly 8-abreast, 2-4-2, to 9-abreast, 2-5-2, about the same time. Airlines needed to offset the big increase in fuel prices due to the OPEC oil embargo by adding more seats and increasing fares.
I definitely adore the more spacious seats. While I love IFE, I certainly can live without it, assuming if I have other means to entertain myself. But, the smoking? Yeah, I would hate that.
Also the name of the cabin personnel is incorrect, because there is absolutely no such thing as a (flight attendant) , & if the person is a male , then he is a STEWARD 👨✈️,but if a woman then she is a Stewardess, and that is the end of the situation, period 🎉😮😮
Small overhead bins because there was no carry on luggage! Life was good. I remember as a kid the smoking sections. Your in a tube - everywhere is a smoking section.
Even the coach seats look more comfortable than today's 1st class seats on airlines!
@@newlam7958 And the passengers could actually FIT into them.
Not on March 27, 1977.
We should boycott them all by stopping to travel by plane. That will teach them
Coach seats in the first configurations retained by the vast majority of airlines, for the 747s, L-1011s and DC-10s were 21.5'' total width at a pitch of 34''. Compared to today's 19'' total width at 30'' pitch !!!
That is why the lowest-priced seats are called 'cattle class' now. The airlines want passengers to pay more for better service and facilities.
Thank you so much for this tour. It is terrible to think of what will happen to this beautiful plane in a few years.
The Pan am clipper victor was involved in the worst airplane accident in history in Tenerife. No survivors
@@kencopeland3471 Actually there was 61 survivors from the Pan Am flight including both pilots and several flight attendants. The KLM flight had no survivors.
This catasrofic had on the blane stupit captain KLM.
Wow, the food for the coach passengers back then was so much better than the food for first class passengers today---and the food for first class then was simply scrumptious, and magnifique!
If you are referring to the disgrace which passes for US domestic so-called First Class today then I agree, but in the sense of international travel where a real First Class is provided then economy food from the 70's is not in any way better than the food currently provided in First Class.
I'm glad I experienced flights like that back in the day. Getting there was ALL the fun.
I am still fascinated and enthralled by air travel, from traveling 200mph on a concrete runway to venturing up where the sky fades to a dark blue, far above any level that could sustain life. Then finding that tiny airstrip, dwarfed by the plains and mountains around it, to land lightly and precisely upon it. To see Greenland, with its red granite beaches and 2-mile thick ice sheet, exactly like the description in the book I'm reading. To spend the night flying, but the sun never goes down. To see the Alps and finally understand the glaciers. I personally don't care about anyone else's behavior, for it's a marvelous adventure every flight.
Sooooooooooo true!
Back then, seats were larger and people were smaller. Now, it’s just the opposite.
lol..no comment
Y dejaban fumar!!!
@@santiagoecheverri5743 Glad this is no more.
@@GNMi79 Fares high --> seats empty.
Seats empty --> fares high.
"Back then, seats were larger and people were smaller. Now, it’s just the opposite"
- That's it. People complaining about small seats. Uhh, perhaps lose some weight. I've never had an issue with airplane seats, oh, except when I have a fat person sitting next to me that 'spreads' across to my seat.
Great video showing the space and comfort that the "Queen of the Skies" offered.Memories.!.
Beautiful aircraft and airline. Salute 🫡 Clipper Victor. ❤🇺🇸🙏🏻
It's striking how individuals actually interacted with one another and socialized during the flight rather than staring down at a phone or laptop. My how we have devolved. These folks genuinely seem excited to be there.
If they had smartphones in the 70s they'd be staring at them. Instead those who wanted to tune out would read a book, magazine or newspaper. Everything ebbs and flows my friend. I'm sure someone in the early 70s was complaining that everything moves so fast that no one has time to really experience something anymore. I can imagine someone who may have remembered the era before flight was the most popular way to travel that traveling by Ocean Liner or by Train was the best way because you got to know your fellow passengers over several days if not a week, you got to see and experience the great distances. It's all relative, we all want things to be like the way they were when we were young.
You could smoke in there too XD devolution isn't always bad.
Very good point and well said we have lost the ability to express joy at simple things and special things such as flying at 36,000 feet and enjoying a cocktail and a meal everyone wants to look as though they are stone faced I’ll take those days the 60s 70s any day over today
The evolution of society! (sarcasm)
I remember those times FONDLY.
Clipper Victor was a Boeing 747-121 in Pan American with registration of N736PA. it was admitted to the Pan American fleet in January 20th, 1970. It was the first Boeing 747 to operate a scheduled commercial service and is notable for its brief but significant history. It was renamed "Clipper Young America". In its first year of service, N736PA also became the first 747 to be hijacked, when it was flown to Cuba on August 2, 1970. Following this incident, the aircraft's name was changed back to "Clipper Victor". On March 27th, 1977, Clipper Victor made history in the Tenerife disaster. It road down a runway taxiing, saying they weren't clear to move off the runway, but the transmissions overlapped with the towers so another KLM 747, "The Rhine", didn't know this. The KLM sped down the runway unaware Victor was still there. The KLM sees Clipper Victor and tries to leapfrog the takeoff, almost makes it, but chops off Victor's entire top deck lounge and parts of the lower decks (2nd and 3rd class).The KLM plane skids to the end of the runway and burns in a fiery blaze killing all people on board. One third of the Pan American passengers got out including the cockpit crew, but many died and burned. 335 of the 396 people were killed on the Clipper. The aircraft was written off after that.
The original 747 that was supposed to fly the first revenue flight was actually N735PA Clipper Young America. It was however substituted by N736PA Clipper Victor at the last moment due to engine issues. This resulted in the first passenger flight getting off late.
Wow you copied that word for word from pan am clipper wikia at least use quotation marks " "
@@BrianF-re4uf Yep, word for word. If I don't want to use quotation marks what are you going to do about it?
@PeterStaniforth I can do nothing, but I know you are taking credit for something you didn't write it's called plagiarism.
Wish the headline was correct. It say N739PA....which was Clipper Maid of the Seas which was blown up over Lockerbie. Damned typos!
First flight with Pan Am was 1975. Still have the playing cards and the eye mask !
Yyyup! Been there done that! Good old days of travel where coach class was actually tolerable. No riff raff no skimpy anything
Meals, blankets, pillows, 18.5 wide seats 36 inch pitch …..once upon a time………
my first flight from germany to the usa on panam 747 i was 19 years old.just unforgettable great memories.sorry for my englisch.
@@Retiredtraveler1961 Of course now if they served meals, some retarded imbecile would get mad and throw food all over the plane.
With exclusion for that one hippie couple with the chick putting her socked feet up on the backrest. Damned hippies!
Smoking, typewriter clacking, feet on a headrest...
@ they sure as heck never put the feed in my address cause I would say something, never saw it never experienced that. And I don’t know of anybody type writing on an airplane.
3:09 - I don't know if that's first class or passenger class, but LOOK at all of the room that guy had to eat in.
Rest In Peace Clipper Victor...
It's sad to know what would happen to this plane in the future.
Crazy how well-dressed and well-mannered people were back then. Nowadays, you can find countless vids on YT of passengers who are the farthest thing from.
My very first plane ride was on Pan Am's daily 747 service from LAX to GUA back in 1976, what a wonderful and unforgetable experience for a first timer, this was PA 515 which originated in SFO, from GUA it continued to PTY ending at GIG, then 2 weeks later I returned on PA516 from GUA to LAX, economy seats were wide and comfortable, choice of hot meals. Flew several times on the 747, L1011, DC10 and lastly the A300 on this same route LAX-GUA-LAX
I am trying soooo hard to find footage of a Pan AM 747 at © GUA (I might even settle for a 707 there) it's not funny. I have one at PTY and SJO only. I want to do a Pan AM 747s in Central America - it's gonna be tough.
All These comfy seats even in eco..a Dream and this famous galley
This is pre-deregulation and even tourist class seats cost a small fortune in the early 70s. In 1972 an average tourist class seat cost $200 which is $1,500 in today's money OR roughly what a very expensive first class seat from JFK to LAX would cost. You can easily find coach seats (not even deeply discounted) for $200 in 2024 and where you lack in service/comfort, you regain in convenience. We're just spoiled is all. If we spent the money we'd get most of the same service coach had in the early 70s and flying international Business and 1st? I'll take today over the 70s please and thanks!
@@wizardmix I'll take a 1955 DC-7 over anything from the 1970's or today. Period.
@@SSN515 Cool, you have your loud Douglas turboprop with the 1st class in the tail, I'll be over on a Singapore A380 1st class suite, or At the bar in Emirates or in my personal 3 room Residence on Etihad.
@@wizardmix You say 'In 1972 an average tourist class seat cost $200'. From where to where? New York to Buffalo or New York to Bombay? One way or round trip? How did you arrive at this figure?
@@Ben-xe8ps I did some cursory research on the subject to determine what an average cross-country NY to LA ticket would cost on a major airline pre-deregulation. After that I ran the numbers through several inflation calculators to determine what 1972 $200 was worth in 2024. Not that hard to do in this modern day/age really.
I'm also old enough to remember what flying cost from the 1980s on. What's at odds with just about everything else we buy is the ticket costs remain the same. I clearly remember an advance purchase round trip discount coach ticket from PIT to SAN by way of ATL costing about 450USD in 2001, 24 years ago. That's about $800 in 2024 money. I bet you on the right day and time of year I can find that flight for less than $450 in 2024.
Wanna know why? Subsidies. Airlines are subsidized a bunch of different ways but a lot of them by credit card companies. Other sources of revenue are cargo and the government, i.e. taxpayers. We are spoiled with cheap flights but complain like babies about it because we don't want to pay for the better seats but we still want those domestic flights to feel like first class. You don't really miss the water until the well runs dry my friend so enjoy it while it lasts.
My first flight on a Pan Am 747 was around 1971 or 1973. It was from JFK to LHR, followed by a transfer to either a PA 707 or 727 to FRA, and then our destination at BEG.
This is gold. Caught the high tech items of the day - a portable typewriter, flight deck, lounge area as well as proper roast meals. Takes me back to the amusement of analog pursuits like card games and reading. Seeing them smoke without a care is so funny and reminds me of the headaches I used to get stuck in non smoking section behind the business class smoking section 😂
*This was nearly the end of the golden age of commercial aviation.Look how pleasant things were back then in the USA!*
@horseathalt7308 AlSO in many parts of the world 🌍, from the Rusian Federation to Western Europe,all of the a/c were wery well constructed & were all very well known, & of course all of them were quite beautiful & very enjoyable to see & to be in them ❤😊
@@horseathalt7308 If that’s the case, why did we stop being pleasant? Try not to blame technology because that’s a cheap excuse.
@@crabbymilton390 It's a result of non-white culture that infiltrated not only the USA but the entire West.
@@crabbymilton390
Deregulation no doubt played a role. As soon as it ended, the airlines quickly put in more seats. Also, it seems that in the early 70s the big planes rarely filled up.
@ Over regulation is never good either. Regardless, it still doesn’t excuse idiotic behavior.
It all looked so ordered and civilised compared to today, the people.
My first flight: April 1971, United airlines 747 friendship service Chicago to Honolulu, 8 hrs, but a wonderful experience.
Look how much room you have between seats, and how much bigger they were back then..
Marvelous work dudes!!
The whole travel experience was so exciting and fun back in the day, now its just garbage.
People today are the problem, all decency and dignity has long since disappeared from the public spaces. I remember flying a Continental DC-10 in 1974 to LAX from ORD as a child, it was incredible to experience back then.
nowadays passengers are garbage. In the 70 most got dressed up to travel and were well mannered. Today most look & smell homeless and make no effort to hide their disgusting habits. I would rather fly with livestock than people.
@@horseathalt7308 In the video you can see someone putting their feet on the headrest. I was actually negatively surprised by it. People's behavior is worse today, but back then it was probably only slightly better due to fewer people flying.
@@Bellasie1 I don't doubt there were a few bad passengers back then, but I can tell you from personal experience it was nowhere near as bad as it has become in the past 25 years.
Like everything else 😢 I hate this world
Many trips on 747 and L1011 all great experiences from 1970-80s..a fellow pilot friend was a long term 747 captain and told me that when flying over the long ocean trips he was thankful for 4 engines turning.
Wow look at those seats 💺 in economy!
so nice to see a lot of space and empty seats - just comparing to sardines box flights of our days
That’s because tickets were significantly more expensive in those days.
@@resolute1306 You were flying not just to arrive at a destination, but also for an experience.
People have no appreciation for the MIRACLE of flight today.
@ I hate flying today. I only fly first class or business class.
@resolute1306 best option👍my company pays for economy only
On the big 3 engine birds KLM would keep the cockpit door open en route and you could say hello to the crew.
Wunderbar
I love the "laptop" @2:41!!!!!
That's a dactylo. And it's much more typewriter than any laptop ever lol.
The golden age of air travel.
I wish we could go back to that time
Southwest airlines started as a small regional carrier in Texas in the early 70's - looking to expand their routes to other regions & cities - back then the flight attendants were called 'stewardesses' - and at SW their uniforms were similar to the famous Dallas Cowboy cheerleader outfits - I'd bet those girls got grabbed on the backside a few times going up the aisle ..
@@billyz5088 Remnants of Victorian period ... where obnoxious behavior was Not tolerated.... Comparison, today? rewarded.. ;/
@@blogengeezer4507 Lynchings, spouse abuse, sexual assault of children in religious schools were tolerated in those days.
You can. There is the Pan Am experience in California. Shell of a 747, period correct, total time travel experience.
I loved the portable typewriter! Those were the days!
Look at all of those empty seats! A non-rev's dream come true! 😅
And why Pan Am made very little money through the 70s and even furloughed pilots...
You’re right
I J/sed on TWA, SJU-JFK, 747.. got to sit on first class, both upper and lower deck empty.. just the F/As and me..and tons of food and sundaes..😂
Living that dream right now with no problem.
@@GNMi79 Agreed, I just squeezed on a flight today, last seat. NR gods smiling again.
I loved watching movies on the Pan Am 747. They always played the right one. 🎥🎬🍿
I was on the first 747 flying from France to New York. Had never heard of the big plane and could hardly believe how spacious it was. What a surprise.
Crazy to see the aircraft intact full well knowing what would happen only a few years later.
Watching this reminds me when life was simple and you did what you wanted but not offend no one. Smoking on the plane now that was the leisure laid back days. I miss them. Today is way different, and it sucks. How did planes go from being so roomy and spacious and comfortable seats to feeling like you're in a tiny cramped tube.
Good to see you back on yt
I miss PanAm. For the longest time they were the de facto flag carrier of the United States because their planes showed up at every exciting corner of the globe. They ended due to unfortunate circumstances and tragedies not of their making. The Lockerbie disaster was the final nail.
They were a legend for sure. But every legend has its dark side. I don't think safety was nearly the priority it should have been. Deferred maintenance was the name of the game.This was especially true on the south pacific division with an unprecedented 3 major crashes in a 10 month period. They treated the families of the Pago Pago victims like garbage. When UA took over their pacific fleet, they spent millions getting the planes up to their standards.
IN MEMORIAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE THE BOEING 747!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY FIRST FLIGHT, OVER HALF A CENTURY AGO WAS ON ONE, ON APRIL 8TH, 1974!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THESE SHIPS SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN TAKEN OUT OF SERVICE AND SHOULD STILL BE IN PRODUCTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I SEE YOU CALL THEM SHIPS TOO, BECAUSE THEY ARE, TRUE SHIPS OF THE SKIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO SHIP SHIP, HURRAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND LONG LIVE THOSE BOEING 747 MEMORIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My mother and father flew Clipper Victor NYC to LHR on October 1970. Many don’t know Clipper Victor flew the first revenue 747 flight. It was substituted and had it name changed for that first flight..
739 was the Lockerbie jumbo
I thought so.....a horrible act of terrorism in 1988.
@@carolelinda6476 yes but they were warned months ago and did nothing about it
I remember when flying was just as this video. Nice service even in coach. Everyone dressed up to fly. Looks like that flight was very lightly booked.
02:39 there’s always one guy who’s going to take his shoes off. 😢
Back in the days when air travel was pleasant...
That was the age of Civility and respect.
Now we're in the age of The Miser and Scrooge's of this world.🤔
The dying stages of capitalism
When I used the special round the world on standby PanAm ticket deal in 1979, I took the 747 which had been the first and in service in 1970.
Geez STBD76, it’s an unsettled, tough crowd you posted to…I’d love to see their attempts at posting something interesting without a typo or error. Great vid!
0:59 "The garish 70s coat seats are right down there ma'am."
I saw a Tapanyaki stove top in the center…nice
Great footage! Thank you for sahing it with us.
"You Can't Beat the Experience".
When we lived perfectly well without stupid constant content on digital screens!
@thecomedypilot5894 because this is now, not then!
I disagree, life was often extremely boring without content on digital screens!
@@denkbrein "I disagree, life was often extremely boring without content on digital screens!"
- I grew up in the 80's. I was NEVER bored. Every day, bike riding, playing cricket in the street with all the kids, playing frisbee, going down to the creek catching yabbies and exploring, going on 'day adventures' with our friends to places we'd never been. You know, all that stuff that kids don't do these days, and not only don't do, simply refuse to do (don't want to get off their ass or leave the 'safety' of their own bedroom). Pathetic.
@denkbrein boring? Week after week we witnessed the released of the BEST music albums EVER! The best Hollywood actors were in their prime! Every month news of new inventions, specially Japanese electronics, convinced us kids that by the year 2000 we would have spaceships and timemachines. There was optimism and excitement!
@@johnz4860 Absolutely. And in relation to Hollywood actors, these days it's all just special effects. No acting required. I can't believe the other day someone tried to convince me that Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) is a great actor. It's like .... NO.
Look how wide the seats are!!!
Pre-deregulation flying was a different world but it was an expensive and privileged world at that. Those wide seats are priced in 1972 what business class would be today.
@@wizardmix
Interesting though that on domestic flights first class was only 20% more, and night first class was often offered at day coach rates.
Niice😍 but reg is N736PA instead of 739 (that was the Lockerbie 747 )
Yeah, I muff the youtube title but in the video title I got it right.
Look at all that room
Not only did we lose this plane (and other Pan Am 747's), we eventually lost what had been a great airline too.
The loser with his feet up on the back of the chair and the attempted upskirt filming of the stewardess. It oozes 70’s.
Do you have any footage maiden of the seas ,before it was destroyed in lockerbie?
Not certain because have not gone thru every Pan An 747 clip I have..but if a clip exist, I will find it.
A B-747-200 series aircraft that was the new kid on the block, monster sized, which is now dwarfed by almost everything else with wings. It was still the days when you dressed in your Sunday best to fly, albeit more people could now afford the luxury of air travel.
Wow, the plane looked amazing in and out
Did i see 3x4x3 economy in back? and yet seats looked so wide
The original economy layout was 3x4x2. Only a few years later on did they go ten abreast.
@brmnyc wow, did not know that!
@@RobMiami787 Yes until circa 1980 depending on airline Y class seating on 747's was generally 2 X 4 X 3 which resulted in a slightly wider aisle, armrest and seat. However if you look closely the seats are not really that much wider, nothing approaching for example the width of a US domestic First Class class seat today.
Pan Am renamed the 747-100s around the beginning of the 80s I think. For example, 739, Clipper Maid of the Seas was originally Clipper Morning Light. I wonder what Clipper Victor would have changed to?
Young America
I don’t think flying was safer back then but for sure more comfortable
It could not compare to today's safety. The airline often behaved disgracefully in that regard.
"Is it clear, the Pan Am ?" "Yeeaaaaaah..." [emphatically] Last words from the KLM 747 before it destroyed the 747 in that video. 583 poor souls incinerated.
Eonomy Class back then was like Business Class is today. Business Class was liek First Class today -- on those few remaining airlines that do in fact have actual First Class accomodations left. First Class back then -- well, nothing compares with it today. As for the upper deck lounge -- these days, you have to contend with the "action" provided by the occassional Russian stowaway who gets onboard without a ticket, then locks herself in the plane's bahroom and does not get discovered by the alert cabin crew until the 7th hour of the flight.
Boy, you got that right!
Back then Business Class DID NOT EXIST. This is very late 60's or early 70's. Business class was not introduced until circa 1980. Back then there were two classes of service, F First and Y Economy.
This video shows a transatlantic flight from London to New York and my comments are made in that context.
You say nothing today compares with First Class back then. What exactly do you imagine First Class offered back then? The airport lounges didn't offer food, only drinks and some snacks. First Class passengers did not usually receive any priority or special services on the ground beyond a dedicated check-in desk and lounge access. On board, even in the 747, the 70's seating was 2 X 2 with a seat pitch of around 40 inches, same seat width as US domestic First Class today with a bit more legroom and a bit more padding on the seats. 6 rows in the nose of a 747 100 or 200. IFE where available consisted of a single movie projected (yes, projected like in a cinema) onto a small pull down screen in the front of the F class cabin. Stethoscope type hollow tube earphones were provided. In addition to the movie soundtrack there were a maximum of 9 audio channels offered. I would agree that First Class meals were more elaborate with more courses but this has to be weighed against the total lack of any pre-flight dining in the lounge or any dine as you please or snacks menu. If you flew on a 747, but ONLY on the 747, then yes there was the upstairs lounge to go to sit in. How is this better than the First Class products offered by carriers such as Emirates, Singapore Airlines etc etc today.
Economy Class back then was not like Business Class is today. While it is correct that Economy Class seating in the original 747 launch configurations was 9 abreast rather than 10 abreast, resulting in a slightly wider seat and aisle, economy class seating on narrow body aircraft such as the 707, DC8, VC10 was 3 X 3 the same as on a narrow body aircraft such as the 737 or A320 today. The seat was better padded and the seat pitch was better, usually 34 inches on long haul. However, it is not even remotely comparable to a full flat business class seat today. Alcoholic drinks were charged for in Economy in the 60's and 70's. There was a headset rental charge of $2.50 for those stethoscope type hollow tube earphones to watch the single projected movie. Hot towels and amenity kits were rare in economy. There was no lounge access for economy passengers. Catering was of course better than economy class today.
Those seats look very wide don't they, even in 3-4-3 configuration
Seating was 3-4-2 then. Changed to 3-4-3 after first few years of service.
Those B747s were Flying Palaces of Tourism. I know, I flew one once IAH - MEX in the late '70s.
Was it Air France?
@@midcenturymoldy
No, it was Pan American. Pan Am.
Their onboard service was likewise extraordinary on a B727 flight MIA-MEX in the '80s.
@starboard76
Thanks for sharing this. It is wonderful.
2:39 And there were airline passenger a-holes back then too!
Plane looks at least half empty. What year is this? Is it during the oil crisis?
Before I would think. This is in the very early days of 747 operation. Impossible to accurately date best guess 1970 give or take.
Oh my, the Tenerife disaster.
The early three window upper deck 747 💯 series.❤
Also I see that many of of the girls waiting on the px are quite beautiful &attractive , & I really do wish that I could have been in the a/c just to be able to see them ❤😊
So this is the Tenerife Pan Am plane? Wow. So this footage is over 50 years old!
747s were fast to Europe….especially in Winter with a strong tailwind..it was hard not to be impressed!
N739PA was destroyed in the Lockerbie bombing. N736PA was the one involved in Tenerife
This is Clipper Victor. The one destroyed at Tenerife.
@@Vpmatt Correct. But it's not Pan Am N739PA !! This is Pan Am N736PA.
Two of four 747 hull losses for Pan Am. N752PA, N736PA, N738PA, N739PA.
0:41 It's the infamous Victor no doubt just the N-number is not right. Turbulence shots were cool, dude walking by like its no big deal.
Oh, the Dutch.... Need we say any more? Re. the Tenerife, Grand Canary Island, Spain fiasco, it was certainly big news. I was working at the Las Vegas Holtton Hotel where the 1500 employees had a huge dining room/cafeteria with TVs, and I was there when the news on the disaster broke. KLM and the Dutch pilot will never be cleared of the shame.
Spanish ATC also failed to resolve the dangerous accident
The KLM will never be cleared of the shame? Well, it is almost half a century ago, and KLM is still present and the oldest airline in the world... PanAm is gone after it (sadly enough) went bankrupt in 1991.
While the KLM captain bears most of the blame there were other circumstances contributing to this horrible event. There are plenty of documentaries available on the internet. Only recently I watched Mentour Pilot with his take on this accident. Very interesting.
@@peterremkes9376
He is the best overall. But in his Tenerife video he fails to go even as far as you do. The KLM was by far the biggest error in the chain of errors.
If one has to blame anyone, then yes, KLM and the Dutch pilot will have been at fault, plus miserable communication.
What year is this? The things you notice- no one with earpods and cells, people smoking and bigger seats, smaller people.
This is in the very early days of 747 operation. Impossible to accurately date best guess 1970 give or take.
Clipper Victor was N736PA. N739PA was Maid of the Seas, which crashed as PA 103 at Lockerbie. Please change your title of this video.
739 didn't crash it was destroyed by terrorism 💔😡
@@trafalgar624 Yes, it was a terrorist bomb that blew apart N739. Resulting in A CRASH.
Delightfull ! When flying economy was a true pleasure...
Well the seat configuration looks like the same to today 3-4-3 or is it3-3-3 ? But my impression is that seating pitch is way more generous in the old days, are there any numbers? Economy today in cm 79 to 84 in Economy for most airlines. The old seats look wilder too, only my impression from watching the video but i could be totally wrong.
The head rests look lower though
@@lioneldemun6033 Oh yes maybe thats the reason why seats looking wider makes sense.
The original 747 configuration in the first few years of service was 9-abreast in economy class, 3-4-2, as shown in this video. Changed by mid-1970s to 10-abreast, 3-4-3. Still better than today's cramped 10-abreast on the 777 which is about a foot narrower than the 747. The early 9-abreast seats were significantly wider. DC-10s and L-1011s changed from their early, mainly 8-abreast, 2-4-2, to 9-abreast, 2-5-2, about the same time. Airlines needed to offset the big increase in fuel prices due to the OPEC oil embargo by adding more seats and increasing fares.
@ Thank you👍
@@viscount757
And the airlines were quick to stuff in more rows at the dawn of the deregulation age.
The good old days of flying
wait was this on the day of the accident or a few days before it happened?
A few years before I'm sure.
I definitely adore the more spacious seats.
While I love IFE, I certainly can live without it, assuming if I have other means to entertain myself.
But, the smoking? Yeah, I would hate that.
So what's behind naming a couple planes "clipper". And why Victor and Young America?
Smoking, drinking and large seats. The good old days.
Yes, the title is incorrect. It should read N736PA.
Thank you Paulo, how did I muff that? I edited the intro in the video yet blew the easy 'RUclips' title...
Also the name of the cabin personnel is incorrect, because there is absolutely no such thing as a (flight attendant) , & if the person is a male , then he is a STEWARD 👨✈️,but if a woman then she is a Stewardess, and that is the end of the situation, period 🎉😮😮
So saddening when i imagine what it must have been like when it collided with the KLM 747 and killed so many people on board😢😢
What year was this flight
This is in the very early days of 747 operation. Impossible to accurately date best guess 1970 give or take.
Please put the date and year.
Ah, this was the aircraft involved in the Tenerife disaster; got it. At first I thought it was Pan Am 103 that exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland.
I miss the old-time air stairs. You get to really look at the plane you're boarding. Not so good for wheelchairs tho.
Back when people were quiet and polite in public.
Small overhead bins because there was no carry on luggage! Life was good. I remember as a kid the smoking sections. Your in a tube - everywhere is a smoking section.
The crash was two 747s ??? Canarys??
Indeed!
I wonder what year this was?
Was everyone drinking a cocktail? 😅
This is so sad to watch. Two 747's lost. I hope none of these flight attendants were on the plane in Tenerife.