JETLINER C A BINS
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intercontinental flights to destinations
such as Tokyo and Dharan, explains, “The
B747SP was the only Pan Am ‘plane that
had bunk rooms. When the SP was
launched there were standard rest-seats
for flight attendants at the back of the
aircraft. But after about a year of
operations, the company and the flightattendant
union negotiated a designated
compartment containing four bunks,
located behind the last row of first-class
seats in B zone. It made a world of
difference to be able to sleep for two hours
and then wake up refreshed, ready to go
back to work.”
Linda Freire, co-chair of the Pan Am
Museum Foundation, also a former Pan
Am flight attendant, recalls crew rest
arrangements on other B747 variants,
“Break-time was mandatory and, usually,
we had reserved first class or Clipper
business-class seats. But the crew rest
was never easy, private or really restful.
Since we were in full view of the
passengers in the cabin, it was the norm
to find someone tapping on our shoulders
to ask for something. The bunk
compartment on the B747SP eliminated
these interruptions and kept the revenue
seats for paying passengers.”
The B-zone LOPA also shows a
longitudinal galley, which contained
refrigerated compartments and capacious
storage areas. As Blumensaadt recalls,
“This galley was shared by first class and
Clipper class. It’s the only galley I ever
worked on that had windows: about halfa
dozen of them. I loved that! Pan Am had
its own catering department in those days
and the meals we served were wonderful.”
In the economy class cabin the galley
was located at the rear of the aircraft. As
Freire says, “This installation provided
ample space and ease of accessibility for
crew members. And there was a galley at
the rear of the upper deck, with a cart lift
connecting to the main deck. First-class
passengers really enjoyed being on the
upper deck, and they found they could
sleep more easily than on the main deck.
Tokyo flights were well-known for the star
names and fashion industry celebrities
that were onboard. Passengers to Dharan
were most often oil men, flying from Texas
to Saudi Arabia to work on the rigs: they
were very affluent and thought nothing of
flashing wads of US$100 bills and showing
off the many large gold rings they wore.
On the main deck there was plenty of
space for passengers to take a stroll
Jennifer Coutts Clay has worked on the refurbishment
and upgrade of several Boeing 747 fleets, across all
classes of service: at British Airways as controller of
corporate identity; at Pan Am as general manager of
product design and development; and as consultant
to South African Airways. Jennifer is the author of
the e-book Jetliner Cabins: Evolution & Innovation,
available on Amazon, Apple iTunes and Google Play
(more information at www.jetlinercabins.com).
during the flight. More than just a
technologically great aircraft, the SP
was a dream for flight crews to work!”
How many first- and business-class
airline passengers today realise that
they are the inheritors of the splendid
standards pioneered by this gamechanging
aircraft? Across the world of
intercontinental air travel the B747SP
certainly proved it could provide a very
special performance.
“ The only comprehensive survey of the aircraft cabin
environment from the 1970s to the present day.
Airliner World
”
JETLINERCABINS:Evolution& Innovation
E-BOOK APP by Jennifer Coutts Clay
Available on Amazon, Apple iTunes®, and Google Play™
More information available on www.jetlinercabins.com
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