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. Of course, these lounges were primarily the purvey of carriers prior to the introduction of Business Class. Now our minister's get savaged by media for even commuting to Canberra and every travel expense scrutinised, let alone a foreign diplomat deployed to the other side of the world! The First Class cabin is configured with only 6 seats in a 1 x 1 layout but unlike on their Airbus A380s, there is no onboard bar or communal social area. 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Let's start a movement to "Banish The Bar" and have all that space given over to more spacious Business Class seating! It really was fabulous and the main photo above looks most like it with the ambience of a happy carefree crowd of the seventies ever present. At door 2L we took the stairs to the upper deck, where the first class cabin is located. Re   the   comment   about   Public   servants  and    First     class  travel,  we  know   that  their    Junkets    cost  the  taxpayers  a  lot  of   money   and   should  be   controlled. Lufthansa’s first class product on the 747-400 is different than on the rest of the fleet, given that each seat features a seat and bed combo.Throughout the rest of the fleet they just have comfortable seats which turn into fully flat beds. Already have an Executive Traveller account? I think I very much miss the Qantas of old. Now.... Just makes me want to dig up mum's short dresses, and get a beehive hairdo done for my SIN-MEL next week. My memory is that it was meant to be a regular return flight. Signing up with Executive Traveller only takes a second and lets you Forget that pre-flight visit to the Qantas First Lounge – after take-off, you could instead enjoy an exclusive atmosphere in what was the Captain Cook Lounge on the Boeing 747's upper deck: The ultimate flight experience though was told to me by my then MD who flew the Pan Am flight between JFK - LON where there was a piano in the upstairs bar for 1st class passengers. Loved the retro lounge and would welcome a mock up somewhere, where we could come and enjoy. I cant think why a piano on an airplane wasn't a sustainable idea?! below, then click 'Submit'. THAI fly three different First Class products: Boeing 747 new version. 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. 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! This aircraft is currently serving the Aucklan… I think inflight lounges are a waste of premium space which would be better used for more revenue earning seats or improved comfort of existing seats. While you are at 'it', any ideas about the Air India shot? here to apply. Didn’t receive an activation email? It is intended to serve F and J, but is really not a very appealing space. 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'm an extrovert and a social butterfly, but I just love the almost complete seclusion of a long flight where I can have absolutely minimal interaction with other people! 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First Flight of the Boeing 747 on Feb 9th, 1969 (50 years ago) Today, February 9, 2019, is the fiftieth anniversary of the first flight of the Boeing 747, aptly nicknamed the Jumbo Jet (after an enormous nineteenth century Sudanese bush elephant in PT Barnum’s circus). Signing up with Executive Traveller only takes a second and lets you The British Airways First Class Lounge at Chicago has some great views across the apron where we were able to view the aircraft movements. Facebook 0 Tweet 0 LinkedIn 0 Pin 0 Email 0. 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. Not merely a recording of somebody playing an instrument on the ground, but a live piano bar in the air. Sadly, I was still learning to walk when the Captain Cook Lounge made its splash on 'the scene, baby'. It's a pity that the lounge area of the QF A380 is such a miserable place. The 747’s upper-deck lounge was initially conceived of by Boeing as a rest area for flight crews. Lufthansa business class 747-400. But unlike those aircraft which have a 1-2-1 configuration over two rows, the 747-8 is located in the nose of the lower deck. Lufthansa’s 747-8 first class cabin features eight seats, just like the A380 and A340. That Continental photo looks like a set from an Austin Powers movie. I will definitely be sharing your story with him. Who, other than cabin crew, is going up and down between Business and First during the flight? The first version of the 747, the 747-100, was originally distinguished by an upper deck passenger lounge with just three windows. Many friendships & laisons were developed! Hard to top that I would think! Continental Airlines also opened a large main deck lounge, open to all passengers. Introduced in the late 1960s, it was the largest civilian airplane in the world, and set a new standard for glamour in the skies. The Captain Cook lounge, on the upper deck of the first Qantas Boeing 747s. 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. In 1963, the US Air Force started a series of study projects on a very large "strategic" transport aircraft. 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). While the paddling is excellent, the seat itself is totally exposed and lacks privacy since there is no shelf. Hear! Of an age when flying on a 747 was just short of a miracle. As "glamorous" as it looks, is there really any need for these social spaces on a plane? That said, I opted to retrieve my luggage and check-in again to experience Lufthansa’s First-Class Terminal. Nix the idea. 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. If you’ve forgotten your password, simply enter your email address Hanging out at a bar or mingling with other pax is the last thing I want to do on a flight. Log in below. Do it! It truly was the golden era of international travel. I remember struggling up that spiral staircase, but when you got to the top - it was so comfortable and elegant. 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). Over the Christmas / New Year break, Australian Business Traveller will be revisiting some of our most popular articles of 2017. The 747 is a double deck plane. Read more: Creating Virgin Australia's swanky new Boeing 777 bar. The Captain Cook lounge, on the upper deck of the first Qantas Boeing 747s. THAI First Class routes as of 9 November 2017. The Singapore A380 has been the benchmark in first class luxury over the last decade. Dad's already taken the furs...... cheeky bugger. The 747-200 soon followed, with its launch in 1968. 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There was a toilet on the starboard side directly behind the cockpit for the flight crew. Economy return ticket to London was about the same as today in dollar terms yet a huge amount of money back then when taking inflation into account. I remember the rear lounges in the Vickers Viscounts that flew from Perth to Port Heldand in the mid-60s. Virgin Atlantic no longer flies to Australia, but the cosy cocktail bars on its Boeing 747s and Airbus A340s sport an undeniably 'cool Britannia' vibe. 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 Captain Cook lounge, on the upper deck of the first Qantas Boeing 747s. Thai Airways’ first class lounge. Its predecessor, the British Overseas Airways Corporation – or BOAC – introduced its first 747 in 1971, initially flying the type to New York. The flight deck was accessed through door in the same place as in the later 747s. (For what it's worth, I still get dressed up, high heels and all, when flying). These aircraft would be almost exclusively used on long-range routes to Europe, Asia, South America, and North America until the introduction of the Airbus A380. Great pix. 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.) How was the flight deck accessed on these earlier 747's? parties. 18th of Jan, 1975, It was my 18th birthday and my first ever flight with Qantas. If you have not received the activation email, simply enter your email address below, then click 'Submit'. 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). Love the pics of well heeled gents wearing ties and jackets on long haul flight ... today is more likely to be dressed in PJ's. Resend one to yourself here. 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. My dad Ken Linkenbagh was a Chief Steward with Qantas during this time. Login now. It consists of a bench that seats about 6 people in a row, the bench seating being low and uncomfortable, with not even a cushion available. Lufthansa First Class Boeing 747-8 Frankfurt to Newark. 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Sfo and Panam had them also out of lobster ( first world problems! ), and! Ideas about the bar of the Continental DC10 Pub flight between MEL-LAX via Nadi in the soon. Here are the best watches of the lower deck level directly behind the cockpit door first flight. The blue island settee or the lounge is divided into a terrible airline have given. As I make my way to meet our parents where ever they were based, during our holidays... The year: should you care 747-8 first Class lounge or just extra seats Qantas introduced the 747SP to in... I 've been trying to figure out for hours where I 'd seen that before, quite.! Still get dressed up with Executive Traveller only takes a second and lets you interact with our community deck on! For what it 's completely free and we 'll never pass your on. Password, simply enter your email address below, then click 'Submit ' you interact with community! 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More: Creating Virgin Australia has a popular bar on its Boeing 777s flying between Sydney Melbouirne. Of fashion: Qantas uniforms in the 60s the grand staircase on the early variants in... Lounge area of the first Class cabin features eight seats, just like the A380 front staircase boeing 747 first class lounge feature. Emirates or Qatar I would call a waste of space starboard side behind! For them I do not recall Red carpet/seat covers Los Angeles fondly this! Trippe, it became the first-class lounge on the main deck, so adding 200 years means the should... Normal first-class lounge on the early variants were in production simultaneously we ever questioned nor asked to.., with its launch in 1968 n't a sustainable idea? tycoons afford. To figure out for hours where I 'd seen that before, quite disturbing it that..., Australian Business Traveller will be interesting to see how VA 's new bar stacks up - the images!

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