[EdTraveller]

For me…

Air France Concorde one way from Paris to JFK, three months before the crash
Landing at Narita in the cockpit as a guest of the Pilot on BA First in 1996, with amazing views of Mount Fuji !

[alistairNicoll]

1. Qatar for the quality of service in Business in 2011 from Doha to London
2. Numerous invites to cockpit (prior to 9/11)
3. Air Lanka who provided me with a authentic Sri Lankan curry on my return flight after I had commented when reconfirming that it was a shame they did not provide the option of a curry (1983)
4. My first upgrade

[StewartKidd]

First flight – DC3 Southend/Ajaccio
First trip on a jet – BOAC Comet IV LHR/CAI
First trip on Concorde BAH/LHR
First solo in a Cessna 150
Virgin clubhouse LHR
All EOS flights STN/JFK – RIP, sadly missed
First flight in Emirates First Cabin in a 777
First flight on a 380
Sitting in the jump seat of a 767 HER/LGW – the approach and finals were amazing

[ImissConcorde]

Flying JFKLHR on BA002 – last commercial Concorde flight – and seeing another Concorde landing on the northern runway at the same time!

[IanFromHKG]

Every flight into and out of Gibraltar. The runway is pretty short, and runs into the sea at both ends (and the main road into and out of Gibraltar/Spain goes straight across the middle of the runway, so you can see the cars waiting at the level crossing gates!). Landing – get the bird down as early as possible, then slam on the brakes, full reverse thrust, throw the anchors out, you name it. Take-off – taxi to the very very end of the runway so the tailplane is hanging over the sea, get it lined up, pray you aren’t off by a couple of degrees, full thrust with the brakes full on, and when the plane is about to shake itself apart, let off the handbrake. Wow!

[Charles-P]

Talking of using all the runway…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O20fo-WqRmc

[MarcusUK]

Great Thread!
1. Landing at Kai Tak airport in HKG, on KLM, then watching other planes turn 90 degrees over the top, on leaving.

2. Always the Virgin Clubhouse LHR, and private drive check in area.

3. Thai Airways First Class spa centre and lounge in BKK, as well as the LHR-BKK-AKL in First.

4. SQ’s A380, Upper level forward J Class cabin from CDG-SIN.

5. Etihad as a new Airline, their Pearl class seats and cabins,as u wish food menu’s a real unique and fresh approach, with sparkling new aircraft.

6. Etihad sending a chauffeur car to collect me from my Dubai hotel to AUH, when i was redeeming a J class single to Sydney, using miles only!

[TerryMcManus24]

Concorde from Bahrain to London

Iraq Airways “shuttle” flights between Basra and Baghdad…mind yer head.

Gave Prince Abdullah a lift in an ARAMCO helicoper I was using one day while doing surveys for the National Guard in Saudi….nice guy.

TG First Class Lounge in Suwanna-Bangers.

and all those years ago..

Flying Chipmunks as an Air Cadet

[Travelcruiser]

1. Concorde. But was hoping to see stars and glamerous people only to find the plane was full of corporate types and people that looked like Bill Gates.
2.The first time I flew Emirates first in the mid ninties on new 777 and was served soup from a silver tureen off a trolley with white linen.
3. My first upgrade to first ever with SAA in what was then called Diamond First Class.
3. Being special serviced at ORD recently by a lady who’s been with BA for 20 years. Was escorted from check-in to lounge to aircraft and personlly introduced to CSD and sat in 1A. Wow!
4. First time sitting at Virgin’s on board bar with a glass of champagne and found the lady next to me was Richard Branson’s sister on her way to Necker Island!

[FlyingChinaman]

I totally agree with HongKongIan that the landing approach in Gilbraltar is a A-list WOW factor. Loved it each time as I used it regularly for going to London when I lived in Tangier in my teens. More important for me now as we have lost Kai Tak airport!

The other landing approach with WOW factor for me was in La Reunion when coming in with on a twin engine propeller plane!

[julmops]

1. My first flight with Tunisair from GVA to TUN in 1984 (I was 10)
2. A Swissair special flight in DC9, flying over my region in Switzerland to commemorate the 100th anniversary of my school in the 80’s. ( I was in the plane !)
3. My first time in J with EK from LHR to BLR via DXB and return
4. My first (and only yet) time in Concorde Room in T5
5. Flying over Siberia in winter with Air China in 1992

[travelgirl]

My Wows
1. Landing at Kai Tak airport in HKG on Cathay Pacific in the jump seat
2. Ten of us doing the conga around BA club cabin to Perth during early 80’s – seat belt sign was swiftly illuminated!
3.. Sitting in the cockpit of a Wardair (folded 1989) flight to Toronto, seeing the curvature of the earth.
4. Emergency landing on BA into Bangkok – scary and reminded you of what a miracle flying is
5. Concorde
6. Small 7 seater charter aircraft from Antigua to Anguilla, sitting in the front with the crazy pilot
7. Flying on the inaugural to Barbados in Upper Class with Richard Branson
8. And the best – sitting across the aisle from Pierce Brosnan on a Hkg-Sin flt – be still my beating heart! Spent most of the flight fluttering eye lashes to no avail!

[toonfan62]

Agree with Gib and Kai Tak – and would add landing in Orlando from the south with Uncle Walt’s fireworks filling the sky to the left. Also loved the Jersey Guernsey flights with the pilot balancing weights and alloting seats on the runway before boarding!

As for service, KLM calling me here in the US, May 21, to tell me they’d canceled my Son’s flight from NCL in 12 hours (ash!), but that they’d rebooked him same day Flybe and VS – and upgraded him to PE – all on a $650 heavily discounted fare! No K Hell M this time!

[FrequentTraveller]

In no particular order:

a) The first ever commercial flight of the A380. On Singapore airlines from Singapore to Sydney. Upper deck business class. I was still hype excited four hours after landing.
b) For trip a) being collected at my hotel by taxi which had been prearranged by Singapore Airlines. When the taxi pulled up at Singapore airport the cab door was opened by Singapore Airlines staff and I was greeted by name.
c) BA Concorde JFK to LHR in the last year of operation.
d) Flying into and out of Madeira before the runway was extended. For the same reasons HongKongIan gave for Gibraltar.
e) When flying into and out of LGW on BA Club Europe and regularly meeting the same stewardess who now remembers me by name.
f) Flying on Aurigny Trilanders in the Channel Islands It’s a short hoop flight, but so much fun.
g) Being upgraded the very first time from BA Club to First, and the gate staff asking first if I minded!
h) Travelling as an unaccompanied minor on British Caledonian. Being spoilt rot by the cabin crew. Then personally escorted from Gatwick to Victoria railway station by one of the Aunties team.

[lloydah]

Again, Gib, flying round and watching as they closed the barriers to stop the traffic (early 70’s) and simply watching that deep blue Med get closer as you seem to land in it just before touching down at Nice.

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