How was the service of BOAC during the 1950s?

[blueaircraft]

We're all probably familiar with the "excellent" and "super duper wonderful" management of the British airline during its existence, but how was the actual service to passengers? I am asking because I saw a post by an old person (I assume) on some aviation forum some time ago that spoke a bit comedically about the airline; specifically one of the pilots did quite a bumpy landing and apologized like an unrepentant war criminal after touchdown. Was BOAC known for its "recklessness" towards passengers? Or was it a good airline with some flaws in between (not managemental flaws)? I will always love that paint scheme regardless 

Andrew

[Tom/CalClassic]

My impression is that BOAC was considered a conservative airline, with reserved cabin crew and food that was definitely not flamboyant. Proper and polite.

[johnhinson]

I agree with Tom, I am sure BOAC would have been "frightfully British" and strait-laced in those days and definitely not reckless - I suspect the apology mentioned may have been a little re-written over the years but I wouldn't be at all surprised if apologies were made for rough landings, turbulence and the like. The Stratocruisers, for example, were particularly difficult to land anyway - as one BOAC pilot has been quoted before "we didn't land, we just arrived" and I have some film on DVD here that proves the story of those aircraft often unavoidably landing nose-wheel first is not a myth.

Like the BBC radio service, BOAC would have been seen as a service that represented Britain to the rest of the world and everything would have been stiff and starchy with ties perfectly knotted, tightened and straightened in those days. I expect non-Brits find this hilarious but that's how we were in those days, and proud of it.

John

[blueaircraft]

Thanks you both for the responses! Sounds like BOAC was a good if a bit uptight airline to fly with. Sounds like my kind of service 

Andrew

[connieguy]

If you haven't seen it this BOAC promotional film from 1957 may be of interest, because although it does not tell you how people saw BOAC it does tell you how BOAC wanted to be seen, and of course the recurrent statement, which appeared on many contemporary posters, was 'BOAC takes good care of you'.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aU6EXdAproc

The Ealing film 'Out of the Clouds' gives a similar impression and deals with operations out of The London Airport, now usually known as Heathrow.

[Tom/CalClassic]

Too bad that movie doesn’t seem to be available.

[johnhinson]

It is certainly available in the UK, not sure if elsewhere, though:
amazon.co.uk/Out-Clouds-Ealing-Digitally-Restored/dp/B00U3PW4V0

John

[connieguy]

There is a short clip of James Robertson Justice playing an Atlantic Baron (possibly O.P. Jones) here:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZsvXloiOaU

If you put the film title into the You Tube search box it will offer you the full movie, but this is 'not available' here, presumably because of copyright issues. However, it may be available in the U.S. The central love story irritated me quite a lot when I first saw it, but bothers me less these days and I have enjoyed watching it several times. Those who flew as passengers with BOAC in the 1950s were often very wealthy people whose attitudes and manners were not necessarily typical of the rest of the population, and should certainly not be taken as being so without prior thought. Still, the making of 'Out of the Clouds' reflects a great popular interest in British aviation at that time. By paying a very small sum you could visit the London Airport and enter an enclosure where aircraft taxied past to the terminal. You could also have your photograph taken in a mocked up fuselage exit which gave the impression that you were disembarking from a flight which you could not possibly have afforded. Some of this excitement comes over in the film.

[Tom/CalClassic]

Nothing on my YouTube search but a 42 second clip. No full movie available for me.

[chris_c]

Here's a BOAC propaganda film from 1957 featuring Britannia's, Strats, crew training line maintenance.

BOAC Promo -1957

Chris

[nmlw]

Interesting video.