Hounslow Heath, (London Heathrow) 100 yrs Ago, 25/8/19, 1st Int.Daily Flight

Back to Forum
Viewing 2 posts - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)
  • Just imagine what could be achieved in the next hundred years of flight….and the destinations available from the current Hounslow Heath International……one hundred years since the very first worldwide international daily flight was inaugurated on 25th August 1919 from London Hounslow Heath to Paris Le Bourget taking two and a half hours fight time with one passenger.
    The plane flown was a DH4A Bi-Plane an ex World War 1 open cockpit converted bomber made from wood and covered in linen and the operator was the century old legacy of what is now British Airways….Aircraft Transport and Travel….
    Apparently, alongside the passenger taking the 21 Guineas each way flight, around £22 on paper but with the time for inflation….around now £2000 STG…”To Paris for two grand from London”!!…the passenger was keen to get his expenses back and crammed in several brace of grouse, many jars of the best Devon Clotted Cream, headed I’m sure for the fine French Parisienne restaurants (Did They Know He Was Arriving ?) and also, according to the history books, stuffed on board probably as cabin baggage, a consignment of leather…. and not a Gold Card upgrade luggage allowance insight! Maybe he should have told the pilot if the Captain complained…..DYKWIA !
    This worlds first international fare paying passenger flight came just 16 years from the famous ‘Wright Brothers’ first ever aeroplane achievement and just 10 years from when Louis Bleriot made the great feat of just crossing the English Channel……so next time you are all at Hounslow Heath International just look at how far aircraft technology has come in 1200 months…and think what we will be flying in and where we will be flying to in probably as yet unknown technology in the next hundred years…..the Devon Clotted Cream will surely be out of this world!

    London.


    capetonianm
    Participant

    So this is how British Airways claim this to be their 100th anniversary weekend. It’s one hell of a stretch of the imagination, bordering on an untruth.

    As for the clotted cream (yum …. one of my favourite things) you can still get ‘cream tea’ on some BA flights for £5, but guess what, it doesn’t include the tea! That’s £2.50 extra, and yet people criticise Ryanair for it’s business practices.

    1 user thanked author for this post.
Viewing 2 posts - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Business Traveller March 2024 edition
Business Traveller March 2024 edition
Be up-to-date
Magazine Subscription
To see our latest subscription offers for Business Traveller editions worldwide, click on the Subscribe & Save link below
Polls