can someone tell me what class this is? old QANTAS 747 photograph

[haggiscat]

hey...

reading this Australian airliners site came up with the following photo:

VH-EBA Boeing 747

This isn't business class, is it? Is this the first incarnation of international economy?

I.e. before the 'ten abreast seating modifications'?

 

[yohy?!]

main cabin would seem to indicate economy - wish they had it today

 

[haggiscat]

i thought as much but there are other photographs showing a much more cramped seating arrangement indicating they date from the year of the plane's delivery, with the usual overhead bins. wondered if this was a promo photograph only

 

[ozbeachbabe]

It must be whY as First was always in the nose of the 747 & in the early days upstairs in the 'bubble' of the Classic 747 was the Captain Cook Lounge for First Class pax. Upstairs later became J class seating. Business Class IIRC came in around 1981 but this photo is way older than that.

The cabin almost looks too spacious to be a real plane, almost like an advertisement.

Enter Google

Aha!

The link below has some fascinating old pics but more importantly details the delivery flight from Boeing as being QF053D which departed SEA on 13 Aug 1971 SEA-SFO-HNL-SYD.

It goes on to mention that VH-EBA returned to Boeing at Everett on 16 Feb 1976 for 10 albreast seating modifications so I would assume it flew as 8 abreast seating from the time of it's delivery in 1971 until 16 Feb 1976.

VH-EBA Boeing 747

 

[opusman]

Is it me or is no one wearing a seatbelt in that photo? I can't even see any belts on the empty seats.

 

[moa999]

If the theory is correct then aussieairliners mislabels half a dozen photos as 1971 when they should be 1976 onwards.
Serious lack of cabin baggage stowage without side bins in that configuration (even at 8 abreast).

 

[UP4014]

What a classy look. Thanks for the interesting link ozbeachbabe.

 

[smit0847]

Look at how nicely everyone is dressed back in the day.

Sigh.

 

[SeatBackForward]

What is that gap in the middle seats? and why is the kid in the front row seemingly straddling across the gap?

 

[ReLoad]

I'm totally digging Don Draper standing up in the middle chatting someone up.

What a surreal picture.

 

[medhead]

Where are the tray tables for the first row? Didn't they eat back then - talk about LCC


Sent from the Throne (80% chance) using Aust Freq Fly app

 

[markis10]

Where are the tray tables for the first row? Didn't they eat back then - talk about LCC


Sent from the Throne (80% chance) using Aust Freq Fly app

You dont remember the clip in tables??

Imagine the fight for the lockers today with that config!

 

[anat0l]

You dont remember the clip in tables??

Imagine the fight for the lockers today with that config!

You think people have problems with overheads?

Can you imagine if people these days had to pay for "First Class" as it was in those days?

"OMG WT* NOT EVEN FLAT SEAT - I CAN'T SLEEP ON THIS - WHAT KIND OF **** AIRLINE IS THIS?"

Oh the outrage would cause the assassination of the Qantas CEO more bloody than that of JFK and Julius Caesar combined.

 

[medhead]

You dont remember the clip in tables??

Imagine the fight for the lockers today with that config!

Bit before my time. 1978/9 is my first 747.

I just googled the aircraft and has a look at a photogalley on [-]airliners.net[/-] aussieairliners.org, including this photo. I think it is a set up photo, none of the other seating photos match this one, as best I can work out.


Sent from the Throne (80% chance) using Aust Freq Fly app

 

[markis10]

Bit before my time. 1978/9 is my first 747.

The 200s were retired in the mid 80s, love those pneumatic headphones!

 

[docjames]

Times change.

- Max Flight duration was nowhere near 14hrs as is commonplace nowdays.
- Prices were higher in Y to pay for the "comfy" arrangement
- Performance of the early 747 engines were such that the layout may have been to ensure reasonable loading with respect to MTOW.

Having said all of that - it looks like a promo - much like the 787 (and the A380 before that) were touted as revolutionising travel. "Look how spacious the new 747 is" etc.

And in reality, the interior spec ends up very similar to every other Y config out there.

 

[markis10]

Times change.


Having said all of that - it looks like a promo - much like the 787 (and the A380 before that) were touted as revolutionising travel. "Look how spacious the new 747 is" etc.

And in reality, the interior spec ends up very similar to every other Y config out there.

If you look at the photos of EBA on that site, the layout features for the first 5 years of its life, as Ozbeachbabe points out she went home to get a reconfig to 10 abreast after her first 5 years. Certainly had some interesting highlights in her life, she was the 9th 200 series to be delivered:

Returned to Boeing (Everett) for 10 abreast seating modifications - February 16, 1976
(BTW that was a 14 hour flight)!

Chartered by Gina Hayward for a two day odyssey around Australia - June 10 - 11, 1979​

This was to mark Lang Hancock's (her father) 70th birthday with 300 invited guests

Operated final revenue service Sydney-Nadi-Sydney as QF93/94 (Capt A. Bones) - April 30, 1984

​

 

[oz_mark]

The 200s were retired in the mid 80s, love those pneumatic headphones!

The 747-200's were (unreliably) operating SYD-PER in 2001/2, and had economy in the upper deck.

 

[medhead]

The 200s were retired in the mid 80s, love those pneumatic headphones!

Well before my memory starts then. 1978/79 consists of a blur of snapshots in my memory in no particular time sequence, that only includes watching a particular movie on a 747 on the big screen projection style.


Sent from the Throne (80% chance) using Aust Freq Fly app

 

[docjames]

Wouldnt do 14hr with a full pax load - it must have gone over empty.