[canucklad]

I’m sure we’ve done this topic before, but I notice that here’s quite a few new and welcome posters on the forum so thought it an opportune time to revive this subject , especially since I assume most of us are stuck at home wishing and hoping the day arrives when we can travel again.

In light of Stansted’s 30th birthday it got me thinking about my favourite and most memorable airports, and thought I’d share my top 5 to relive some of the Covid boredom .

1) Schiphol : The old clicker departure board at pier B fascinated me as child , waiting to see what airline and destination would finally appear at the bottom.
2) Galway : Imagine the atmosphere / craich of a Irish village pub and you’ve got it
3) Honolulu : The tropical flowers / palm trees and back in the day lei girls welcoming you to the islands
4) T2 @ LHR : Many lasting memories made in the Diamond lounge , including the day I finally got to ascend the “Gold” stairs
5) YVR : From being a childhood friend cycling along the runway with my pals waving at , and occasionally get a wave back from the nearby pilots to returning as an adult to see the tower draped in the colours of the team all Vancouverites adore as they tried to win the Stanley Cup

As for Stansted , sadly just bad memories of an airport that reflects its primary users

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Montysaurus, Dumpy, RobertBLondon, FormerBA, PeterCoultas, AMcWhirter

[AMcWhirter]

Great topic canucklad.

Here are a few of mine:

1. Edinburgh Turnhouse at the time when BUA broke BEA’s domestic monopoly on the London route with BAC 1-11 jets. Back then BEA deployed vibration-ridden Vanguards on the route from LHR and it located first class at the back and away from the cacophony in the main cabin. At that time BUA brought a breath of fresh air to Turnhouse. Back then the terminal had a temporary feel. And often there would only be a single aircraft on the tarmac.
2. Berlin Tempelhof. Arguably the world’s finest “close-in” city airport. Pure 1930s nostalgia. Around 1970 I was fortunate to take one of PA’s German domestic B727 flights FRA-THF-FRA.
3. Same with Hong Kong’s Kai Tak in the 1970s/1980s. What I have never forgotten, besides the famous landing approach when everyone stared out of the window, was the “chop chop” of the ground staff once through passport and customs. Passengers were immediately taken away by taxis, hotel transfers and so on. Indeed the airport was so close to downtown that once I knew the ropes I would walk outside and take the public bus into Kowloon or across to Causeway Bay (via the Harbour tunnel).
4. Riyadh airport. Back in 1995 / 2005 I was in awe of its architecture. Unfortunately I never had enough time to explore owing to “minders.”
5. Dubai airport in 1973. I was taking a BEAirtours B707 charter from LGW to BKK which because of lack of range (this B707 was one of BOAC’s early ones) called at DXB and CMB. At that time I had never heard of a place called Dubai. The terminal was small (probably smaller than LCY) but it had style. My memory was of the duty-free shop. Prices were the lowest I had ever seen. No self service … just counter service. Very limited range. Purchases were wrapped in brown paper. Years later I discovered that the supply shortage was a result of duty-free firms’ restrictions because of DXB’s low prices.

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Dumpy, MarkCymru, alainboy56, Bullfrog, Montysaurus

[DavidSmith2]

Now then let’s see….

Heathrow T2 was my second home in the mid/late 1990s, combined with Ljubljana airport in Slovenia. Both became firm friends, as did the Strauss bar at Vienna airport which I visited twice a week on average. They all came as a package of familiarity and contentment, in the main.

Tirana airport, back in those days, was a real experience. Just a hut in a field really. The man who brought the bags from the plane and put them through the hole in the wall for the waiting passengers was also a taxi driver so if you got your bags first and bagged him, I am not sure anyone else ever got their bags. All changed now of course, but still very friendly and convenient.

Riga airport, of a similar vintage was also fun. If you arrived more than an hour before an early morning departure, there was every chance you would pick up the milk bottles and bring them in with you when they opened up.

The airport on St Mary’s, on the Isles of Scilly, proves that small is beautiful – as are the planes. 8-seater Islanders are always fun! They also do/did the best cream teas of any airport (hoping to visit again the autumn)

And finally my current favourite – Banjul in The Gambia. Entirely due to the friendly outdoor area/bar run by an Italian-owned (I think) outfit where beers are cheap, smoking is compulsory and the people-watching is entertaining.

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Bullfrog

[traveldoc]

Great link. Memories (though not necessarily favourites) include:
1. Belfast Nutts Corner – apart from the name (!!) it was oh-so-fascinating in the late 50s/early 60s for a young lad to see Viscounts and Vanguards offering the romance of travel to new places.
2. Koh Samui – still such a beautiful airport to travel to and from
3. Donegal (Carrickfinn) – the most scenic takeoff and approach views imaginable.
4. Hong Kong Kai Tak – such an exciting approach and chaotic terminal
5. Singapore Changi – my first major overseas international airport and so mind boggling and stimulating. So many flights to so many wonderful destinations.

[Bullfrog]

Early 90s I remember STN being empty as the likes of EasyJet, Buzz, GO and Ryanair had not been born. AirUK was the carrier I remember, and I was taking flights to Paris and Amsterdam.

In the late 70s I recall National Airlines, the sunshine airline, operating DC10s to Miami. My family had a home in Miami, and in the early 80s the route was taken over by Pan Am. They introduced their frequent flier program called Worldpass. In those days, the fares were APEX or PEX fares. I recall how we would use 10,000 Worldpass miles & get a confirmed seat in Clipper Class. Through contacts, as we became regular passengers, some of the staff in the Clipper Lounge would change our boarding passes to First Class .. oh how I used to love the roast beef being carved on the trolley.

I have fond memories of when Heathrow was just T1, T2 and T3, with no M25 & just the A4 / M4 to get to the airport.
T4 had not been thought of, let alone T5.

On our flights to Cape Town in the winter, to see family, we would book about 10 months ahead, as there was only one direct flight a week, which happened to be non stop, on a Saturday night, a 747SP with SAA. Otherwise it was a long trek via Johannesburg, which with BA involved a stop in Nairobi.

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alainboy56

[SimonS1]

Small is beautiful.

The old Gaborone airport. It wasn’t much bigger than your front room.
Gibraltar, when there was 1 flight a day
Harare original airport, now the domestic terminal and something from a museum
Antwerp, my fastest from plane to taxi was less than 2 mins
Sharjah in the early 1990s when you could partkfor free outside the door
Fujairah, when they had flights…..
Even the original London City

Architecturally Montevideo is quite pleasant.

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alainboy56

[esselle]

I think it was probably 1969 or 1970, going on a “package” holiday with my best friend from school, from LTN, on Dan Air to Majorca. It was the first time either of us had been on holiday without our parents, and the journey involved a Green Line bus (725?) from Kingston to Luton. At the airport, my recollection is that the terminal building was no more than a large marquee.

My goodness we did have fun on that holiday!

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Bullfrog

[superchris]

Great thread.

Berlin Tegel- arrived as a student early nineties and thought id arrived in a Bond set
Bangkok Don Muang – golf course in the middle of the two runways – just a brilliant idea and what could go wrong!
Kai Tak – obviously
Birmingham airport, in my youth sitting on a sunny bank watching planes take off. Ruined by the building of the ‘eurohub’ terminal
London city before expansion. So small, in and out in ten minutes!

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Bullfrog

[ffidrac]

Nostalgia indeed:
Kai Tak – landing during an approaching typhoon – a true roller coaster ride and then being stuck in the terminal for hours with the windows rattling as the typhoon hit, before being able to continue onwards

LHR – when it was the Queens Building, Europa and Britannia building (later formed the basis for T2), and Oceana building (later to be T3)

BKK – watching the golfers between the runways as taxiing for take off

Honolulu – the warm tropical breeze in the open terminal building

Key West – sitting (as a passenger) in the copilot seat of an Air Florida commuter flight to Miami

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Bullfrog

[alainboy56]

So as started by @canucklad lets start with the title airport

A) Stanstead – I remember visiting maybe in the late 70’s or 80’s before this Norman Foster designed (was it really designed) Terminal?
In some maintenance areas, there were dozens and dozens of DC-8s and B.707s stored, but probably for scrapping.
B) Barbados in the late 60s by BOAC VC-10s and B707s/B747s in the 70’s, like someone said above, a bit like Hawaii and with the fresh welcome that the Islanders gave.
C) LHR and for me the old Oceana Building (T3). What an exhilarating place with flights to all these exotic places. Upstairs there was a steak restaurant on the left towards the gates and if you kept walking straight, you could, all the way to those gates — there was ZERO security in those days.
As someone above said I also remember in the 70s NATIONAL AIRLINES from/to Miami, but they were flying DC-8s then. LHR in those days was full of B707s, VC-10s, Vanguards, Viscounts, BAC1-11s, Caravelles, B727s, Britannias of British Eagle, various Ilyushins and Tupolevs from the ‘Ëastern Block’ countries.
D) Southampton – as a young boy I remember many times taking or collecting relatives and seeing all those Bristol B132 Freighters (with cars) going to the Channel Isles. Also Viscounts, BAC1-11s and Heralds with BUA and BEA well represented.
E) Luton – first flew, as someone says from a grand marquee terminal in the mid seventies with AVIACO to Ibiza via Palma
F) Muscat in early 80’s stayed more or less the same until just a few years ago.
G) Dubai in early-mid 80’s – yes it was a small terminal building with just 4 gates downstairs – that building is still there facing T1, but towards the carparks its clearly visible. I also recall seeing the 1st three aircraft that EK received in 1985 – an A300 and a B737-300 from PIA on loan, and a B727 given from the Dubai Ameri Wing.
H) Paris CDG when there was only the old round T1 Buiding with criss crossing escalators – before T2 ABCDEF and G.
I) The old DOH in the very first Terminal building with one Duty Free Shop/Stall at the top of the stairs next to the coffee shop. How things have changed.
More recently Sana’a in Yemen, Tashkent in Uzbekistan and Chymkent in Kazakhstan deserve a mention. However, I will not say here, why they do merit that accolade.

Those are my airport memories from the past and yes I am ‘champing at the bit’ to get free from this worldwide lockdown.

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Montysaurus, Dumpy, Bullfrog, AMcWhirter

[alainboy56]

@AMcWhirter — you mentioned at No 4 Riyadh — 1995? — Is that now the King Salman Airbase?
This previous RUH airport was where a Saudia L10-11 burnt out whilst sat on the ground having returned with a fire on board, after take-off, and 180 + deaths.
Apparently the Captain took an age to taxi in from the arrival runway and did not give authority to open the doors and evacuate.

[AMcWhirter]

[quote quote=1094761]Bangkok Don Muang – golf course in the middle of the two runways – just a brilliant idea and what could go wrong![/quote]

@superchris – you may or may not remember the Qantas B747 (flight QF1) which skidded off the runway and came to rest in the golf course at Don Muang in 1999.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/457226.stm

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superchris

[FormerBA]

Some of my favourites from my list of 160 to date!!

Accra – shaped like an Ashanti stool – we are talking early 90’s. Saw Yasser Arafat there.

Borocay – Caticlan grass runway.

Tana – Vanuatu – also a grass runway. It was my honeymoon not sure how I remained married after that!

Manila – BA had band for departures and they sang “leaving on a jet plane.” Surreal and charming in equal measure.

Singapore – 1987. My first trip there and I still recall standing open mouthed at the wonder it was then and is even today.

AbuDhabi – early 90’s. I recall green cave like satellites.

Lungi – Freetown Sierra Leon – Accessed by a hovercraft that a swear was far more dangerous than any flying I have ever done.

Honolulu – even today it wonderful to wander through the open air terminal with tropical breezes mixing with the roar of jet engines.

Kharachi – They had the oddest x ray machines for bags and I witnessed an old man en route to Mecca stand on the belt and get himself scanned rather than his bag.

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Dumpy, Bullfrog

[John]

I’m going back a bit further that most of the previous contributors to three London airports from my aircraft spotting days back in the late 50s/early 60s.

LHR T2 – we used to sneak in the terminal to buy what were to us ‘huge’ jam donuts.
LGW – two of us walked up the main road to see if we could ‘spot’ any helicopters and discovered you could just walk onto the main airport. That went OK for a while until we got spotted and chased off. No jet traffic that I can remember in those days and on the pan by the terminal were an RCAF Argus, an Argonaut, a USAF Beaver or Otter and a DH Heron.
LTN – again the two of us wandered airside. Didn’t get caught this time, the place looked deserted but we clocked some interesting regs including a couple of Connies.

Moving forward to the early 80s, I did a lot of flying out of Southampton/Eastleigh (STN). That was before they had any security, it was all very relaxed. You walked out of the side door of the old terminal, turned right to the control tower, filed your flight plan and just walked out to the aircraft. I remember a big shed just behind the tower full of junk including what looked like a pair of HP Herald wings. That terminal was in disgusting condition. There was internal guttering under parts of the roof to control the leaks. All gone now. Not even any GA operating there judging by the last time I was down there.

In more modern times (and going back to the comment by DaveSmith2), I flew into Tirana on Malev in April 1991 on one of the first ‘independant’ travel visas they issued. I had an Albturist guide with an official car and driver meeting so no taxi hassles but my luggage didn’t make the connection at Budapest. We went back for it two days later to find the airport closed by a thunderstorm so there was another delay.

Later the same year I flew into Ljubljana on Adria and was treated to a precautionary overhead join with a Khe San approach.

But for a real experience try the island hopping flight from Pohnpei to Honolulu. At all the stops except Kwaj they de-plane half the passengers for security checks and put you in a stifling concrete lean to. My ex & I did it in 2007 while we were both recovering from a mild dose of Dengue – that was a long flight and it arrived just after midnight! In fact most of the old Continental Mic services in that area seemed to operate very odd hours, with arrivals and departures late at night or very early in the morning.

ams

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Dumpy, Bullfrog

[AMcWhirter]

[quote quote=1094943]@AMcWhirter — you mentioned at No 4 Riyadh — 1995? — Is that now the King Salman Airbase?[/quote]

@alainboys56 – I visited Riyadh twice. Once around 1995 and again in 2005.

As far as I know the airport is the same being named King Khalid International.

The first time I was a guest of Saudia for one week and I visited both Jeddah (the location of Saudia’s HQ) and Riyadh.

Second time it was a press trip covering the launch of Bmi’s new route from London to Riyadh.

Hence my time at the airport was limited although Saudia gave me a brief tour on my first visit.

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alainboy56

[Author]

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