Your first ever flight?

[shortfinals]

shortfinals
Founding SQTalker
Your very first flight - Memories
« Thread started on: Oct 28th, 2006, 06:01am »

Just had an idea from CGK.....

Do any of your remember the very first flight you took? And if you don't, what was the first flight you remember taking?

Mine was aboard an MH 737 to Paya Lebar from the old Subang Airport in KUL. I was 6 then, and remember waiting patiently in the waiting hall with mum and dad. They had cardboard signs with your flight number on it (which you could slot in and out to change) and light bulbs that flashed next to your cardboard sign when it was your turn to board.

Back then it wasn't like it is now. Everybody got up in an orderly fashion (today, when they make a boarding announcement, seems like everyone's in First,Business, PPS or is a *G, coz everyone gets up at the same time)
I remember little else about that first flight - tired probably.

My third flight was far more memorable, and what triggered this love affair with the golden goose. Also from Subang to Paya Lebar - i had, my one and only 727 ride to date. Mum and Dad got seats in the first row of Y, and we got little nibbles to munch on, with soft drinks and all. Today you get prepackaged juice. It was an occasion then, I had to just about put on my sunday best to get on a plane. These days I wear stuff that's far less appropriate to fly. Hardly anyone dresses up smartly. You even see blokes in frocks (I haven't, but some people here have)

There's far less romance in it.

So, what were your first memories of flying?

« Last Edit: Oct 28th, 2006, 06:18am by shortfinals »

CGK
Founding SQTalker

member is offline
My very first flight - SQ Y CGK-SIN « Reply #1 on: Oct 28th, 2006, 07:07am »

My first flight, and also my first time ever going abroad (from my homeland) was flying SQ Economy Class from Jakarta to Singapore. I was 22 years old that time, and I think I was heading for Amsterdam (yeah, Indonesian loves to go to the Netherlands) via Dubai (or Abu Dhabi) and Cairo.
I had window seats. Watching out the windows. Exploring Changi during transfer, yes more than minimum connecting time. And were excited with all those shops during transit.
And, yes, don't ask about what I did in Amsterdam...

9V-JKL
SQTalk Elite Gold
Re: Your very first flight - Memories « Reply #2 on: Oct 28th, 2006, 11:33am»

My 1st ever flight was on the golden goose too

SIN-HKG on a 742 with the 'California here we come' livery on the side when I was 7. I remember they gave that sticker too. I kept the sticker for so long.........didn't want to stick it to anything. I still remember it was a left-hand side window seat. Got an invite by the captain to visit the cockpit.......ah those days......remembered too that there was no C cabin on the UD........

KeithMEL1985
Founding SQTalker
Re: Your very first flight - Memories « Reply #3 on: Oct 28th, 2006, 1:45pm »
on Oct 28th, 2006, 11:33am, 9V-JKL wrote: SIN-HKG on a 742 with the 'California here we come' livery on the side when I was 7.

I was only 3 then; was flying a JL itinerary to LA. Was living in HKG then so I assume it was HKG-NRT-LAX. Can't remember if there were any additional enroute stops. I think we spent a night in Japan. I remember that I was on a 747 for some of the flights, not sure whether it was all of them. Got cute little toys from the JL cabin crew who babysat me while my parents had their meals.


California here we come....right back where we started from...California....here we come....

« Last Edit: Oct 28th, 2006, 1:49pm by KeithMEL1985 »

[LukeGT]

My first flight was in 1988 when i was 9. From FCO to CAG. Super MD-80, Alitalia. Very short flight but pretty nice

[shortfinals]

CGK
Founding SQTalker
Re: Your very first flight - Memories « Reply #4 on: Oct 28th, 2006, 1:49pm »

Now, you guys make me embarrassed. You all had your first flight when you were still toddlers/kids...

Note: Hmm I have not seen OC for a while.

« Last Edit: Oct 28th, 2006, 1:54pm by CGK »

KeithMEL1985
Founding SQTalker
Re: Your very first flight - Memories « Reply #5 on: Oct 28th, 2006, 1:59pm»
on Oct 28th, 2006, 1:49pm, CGK wrote: Note: Hmm I have not seen OC for a while.

Season 4 is premiering on the 2nd of November, with the first episode 'The Avengers.' Not sure whether it'd be on Oz tv, but there's always the internet...
« Last Edit: Oct 28th, 2006, 2:00pm by KeithMEL1985 »


JPB
SQTalker
Re: Your very first flight - Memories
« Reply #6 on: Oct 28th, 2006, 2:19pm »

My first flight was a small 6 seater private plane from Southampton to Gurnsey but to be honest I do not remember it.

The first flight I remember was when I was 11 from LHR-JFK on a Pam Am 747. We sat right at the back of plane (as my dad was a smoker) and I remember looking down the plane and just could not believe how long it was. Later on that trip I flew on a DC8 and DC9 plus a really ancient DC3

http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jprideauxbrune/album?.dir=/d2afre2&.src=ph

Before flying home on a TWA 747

Savage25
SQTalk Elite Silver
Re: Your very first flight - Memories « Reply #7 on: Oct 28th, 2006, 2:26pm »

My first flight was on the golden goose as well...flying on a staff ticket in economy on a 744 from BOM to SIN when I was 15 years old. I remember being awed by the inflight service, having to "dress up" in formal trousers and a full sleeve shirt because of the staff ticket(nowadays I'm always in jeans and a casual shirt), landing at a remote bus gate at Changi and having my ears hurt like mad while/after landing.

My next flight was SIN-BOM in a SQ 744 cockpit jumpseat....much more memorable

jhm
SQTalk PPS Club
Re: Your very first flight - Memories « Reply #8 on: Oct 28th, 2006, 5:10pm »
on Oct 28th, 2006, 06:01am, shortfinals wrote: Mine was aboard an MH 737 to Paya Lebar from the old Subang Airport in KUL.

I've wondered before what SIN pre-Changi was like! Was it all rather chaotic or was it a model of efficiency like the present one ?

I can't remember my first flight - it was the early 70's and I was around 1 or 2 years old and being taken back to HK to show the grandparents, uncles etc! It would have made at least one refueling stop as there were no non-stops from London in those days. I'm fairly sure that it was on BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation which merged later to become BA) because we ended up with a set of the metal cutlery!

Long haul flying was relatively expensive then - particularly for a whole family - and my next flight and the first one which I can actually remember was in the early 80's. My second trip to HK and this time with CX with a refueling stop in Bahrain (where we deplaned for an hour or so - total flight time of about 16 hours). I remember being very excited about the whole inflight experience - collecting the Y menus to take home; enjoying the "gourmet" inflight food and each of us kiddies receiving a satchel from CX full of goodies (biscuits/chocs/raisins/etc to eat; colouring books and other toys to keep us amused; etc). Flying into Kai Tak of course.

My first Golden Goose flight would have been after university in the early 90's on a trip to KL and then Singapore. I recall booking the flights through a travel agency (probably STA) and then asking someone about flights I'd booked with some Asian airline which I'd never heard of before called Singapore Airlines - were they any good ?

« Last Edit: Oct 28th, 2006, 5:16pm by jhm »

9V-JKL
SQTalk Elite Gold
Re: Your very first flight - Memories « Reply #9 on: Oct 28th, 2006, 5:14pm »
on Oct 28th, 2006, 5:10pm, jhm wrote: I recall booking the flights through a travel agency (probably STA) and then asking someone about flights I've booked with some Asian airline which I've never heard before called Singapore Airlines - are they any good ?

Now you know what you were missing all those years

MANFlyer
Founding SQTalker
Re: Your very first flight - Memories « Reply #10 on: Oct 28th, 2006, 5:29pm »
on Oct 28th, 2006, 06:01am, shortfinals wrote: Mine was aboard an MH 737 to Paya Lebar from the old Subang Airport in KUL.


Paya Lebar eh. Anyone here fly into Kallang then ?

My first flight was MAN-LHR on a BA BAC1-11, which remains my favourite civilian aircraft as a result. It was also my first visit to London.

I can't remember what year it was, all I remember was my old fella's mate won 4 tickets at work so he took his son as well as us two. As he was away for most of the year working anyway, the fact that my old fella was in the UK was a novelty in itself in those days.

My first Golden Bird flight was SIN-KUL on an A310, in the days when I used KL for my long haul flights and had flown CI in from HKG, I think

[shortfinals]

KeithMEL1985
Founding SQTalker
Re: Your very first flight - Memories « Reply #11 on: Oct 28th, 2006, 5:42pm »
on Oct 28th, 2006, 5:10pm, jhm wrote: ...I'd booked with some Asian airline which I'd never heard of before called Singapore Airlines - were they any good ?

Hehe that was my reaction when I found out we were going to take Singapore Airlines flights for our school field trip to Beijing. That was back when I was 15. I've heard of the airline of course, since I saw all its planes at the airport when I first arrived in Singapore. Just never flown it. I was even a little apprehensive during boarding as it's the day after SQ006 and they had free newspapers which had images of the accident. (one of the headlines was 'SIA's Darkest Hour' or something like that) But once onboard, it was like wow and the SQ006 accident didn't seem to have affected crew morale at all. Or at least it seemed like that to me anyway since I thought the service was much nicer than any airline I've flown. I remember my first film watched on Krisworld was X-Men.

« Last Edit: Oct 28th, 2006, 5:49pm by KeithMEL1985 »

glam82
SQTalker
Re: Your very first flight - Memories« Reply #12 on: Oct 28th, 2006, 9:58pm »

My first flight was on SQ when I was about 11 or 12 years old. It was SIN-BNE I believe. And that flight left a lasting impression of the service and quality of SQ. As I seldom got the chance to fly on SQ after that, I always ended up disappointed on other carriers.

jjpb3
Founding SQTalker
Re: Your very first flight - Memories« Reply #13 on: Oct 29th, 2006, 01:11am »

Wow, everyone has sharp memories. Mine are much fuzzier.

My first flight was an internal PR flight to Bacolod City (where my father's family lived), and I remember it because it was so much faster than the alternative (a 2-day ship ride!). (Ah, the nostalgia of old age.
My next memorable one was the flight that took me to college in the US (not memorable for the experience, but for what it stood for: a new chapter in my life).

The first truly memorable flight was, surprisingly, a KE Y flight ... primarily because it was such a contrast to US flights, and because it was my first trip home from the US (I hadn't been home for six years).

My first SQ flight was memorable, mainly because it was a Raffles flight between SIN and MNL, and because I was so desperate to overcome jetlag and to stay awake. I didn't succeed, but I still recall my amazement at the breakfast tray and the service from the cabin crew. Again, what a difference from the typical US experience.

The next memorable SQ experience was a trip home from London that convinced me, if I could help it, not to fly BA to Asia again.

shortfinals
Founding SQTalker
Re: Your very first flight - Memories « Reply #14 on: Oct 29th, 2006, 01:31am »
Getting back to nostalgia - my first truly long haul flight was a Golden Bird ride on the 3rd of April 1988 - SQ16 - that went SIN-TPE-HNL-LAX. I went with a bunch of students and boy did we fight for the window seats - you see, it was a big deal - today, a trip to LAX is still a big deal for me

Anyway - some memories of that flight:
1)I remember passing a Raffles Class section on my way back to Y that was split ala TG/KLs 744's today - seats on the left of lowerdeck, galley on the right. I wondered when I'd ever get a chance to ride in those big seats. I didn't ever have a blue SQ boarding pass till 1999, but you know, better late than never. Those days, i thought those seats were big.Think TG AB6 and you're not far off. The new 77W seats in J are many orders of magnitude superior.

2) We had some engine drama out of TPE. We'd backed out of the gate, and had to pull back in not long after. That delay cost us 40 minutes or so. It was great as far as I was concerned! 40 minutes more aboard a plane!

3)Father figure by George Micheal was one of those songs playing on the erm.."krisworld" of 1988. It looped around and i must have heard it 5-6 times. I didn't watch what was playing on the big screen though. Wouldn't even want to draw a comparison with eX2 today.

Anyway - arriving in TBIT - it was dark, but hey! my first time in the US. Thoroughly exciting. Many miles later, I've not forgotten that one trip.

[IanDeYoung]

The first airline you travelled on

I'll start. The first airline i flown on is Malaysia airlines.
Don't ask how old was i.

[StarG]

I don't remember when but I am pretty sure it was Garuda Indonesia, a Fokker 28. BDO-JKT.

[jhm]

Your very first flight - Memories

[sqforever]

My first flight was when I was almost 2 years old-all I know is it was on United. I was on another flight when I was 4 but I dont remember much of that either, so I'll skip to age 6. I flew again on United from CAK-ORD-SFO-NRT-SIN and back. I remember the flight attendants as being a mixture of grannies and middle-aged Asian ladies (probably ex-SQ). I remember getting sick on the SFO-NRT leg and vomiting all over the place in UA economy and the stewardess saying "its OK hun, lemme just spray some of this and that seat will be as clean as a baby!" I also remember looking down at the ocean and going insane as there was nothing to do but stare at the flickering screen. Now how did I fall in love with SIA? My parents always told me about how they were the best and I just went along with it until I had my first SQ flight which reaffirmed my love for the airline.

[QSG]

Transair 737-200 (Transair, Nordair, Pacific Western, CPAir, Quebecair, Eastern Provincial were all rolled into PWA Corp. which flew as Canadian Airlines International ) from YWG- Montego Bay, Jamaica on a charter with a stop at the old Atlanta airport for fuel.

[The High Flyer]

I took my first flight when I was aged 10 and attending primary school. My dad took me on a holiday in Hatyai, Southern Thailand (nobody goes there anymore nowadays! ). I still remember I stayed at the Nora Hotel -- Not sure if it's still around.

The carrier was Malaysia Airlines, with a plane change in Penang.

[SQflyergirl]

Threads merged

[The High Flyer]

Threads merged

I've been wanting to ask this, but why do the first few posts show consolidated responses? Are they old messages archived to save space/bandwidth?

[The High Flyer]

CGK
Founding SQTalker

Now, you guys make me embarrassed. You all had your first flight when you were still toddlers/kids...

I noticed that too, CGK, when you said you first flew when you were 22. However, as you would have noticed, flying early doesn't mean anything. Who is now way ahead of the rest in flying experience and status?

[SQflyergirl]

I've been wanting to ask this, but why do the first few posts show consolidated responses? Are they old messages archived to save space/bandwidth?

No, they are copied posts from the old SQTalk forum

[impresta]

My first flight that I was told about was when I was 8months old. BWN-LHR on British Airways. Dad had to go to Scotland for training and my other memory is the horses in Scotland eat candy.