Most Obscure Commercial Airline That You have Flown

[JohnK]

coughet Air in 2003. Didn't know much about them at the time but looking back I wouldn't touch that type of airline now.

 

[Major]

Caledonian Airways in 1971. A 707 from Gatwick to Singapore

Bush Pilot Airways about 1980 from Brisbane to Toowoomba

Grand Canyon Airlines from Boulder City to Grand Canyon Airport

Oxley Airlines from Brisbane to Lismore/Casino/Coffs harbour

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Oxley Airlines from Brisbane to Lismore/Casino/Coffs harbour

Oxley! That's it! That's the milkrun I mentioned in an earlier post and I couldn't for the life of me remember the name. Thanks Major!

 

[Skyring]

Kish Air on a Tupolev 154. The flight was from Tehran to Shiraz some 6 years ago.

I'm flying that leg in about three weeks. I'm hoping for something really interesting. I've also heard that early "tinytop" B747s do the run

Pray for me.

 

[Simo]

Cebu pacific but many years ago before they started flying to Aust

 

[ozjuice]

cubana airlines back in 1995 ish...... can't remember where we flew into Havana from but it was a strange flight. Totally full and every person on board smoked. Even us as a group of 3 decided it was perfect timing to try the Cuban Cigars they sold on board. Wow....that was smokey!

 

[trooper]

Merpati. Well.. I assume it was.... We jumped from Indonesian AF Stretched C 130s.... and a variety of civil painted aircraft...mainly CASA 212's but I'm sure there was a Transall in there somewhere...which Merpati is not listed as ever operating....{Shrug}

They certainly DID operate CASAs....212 and 235s...

 

[OZDUCK]

Like Major, I also flew British Caledonian 707's in the 1970"s - the "Shipjet" service. An old Dutch built, Indonesian registered liner used to run a Fremantle/Singapore loop and you then flew to the UK (Gatwick), via the "lovely" airport at Karachi - dirtiest terminal I have ever seen. This basically appealed to the "backpacker" market. It was actually a couple of hundred dollars cheaper than flying from Perth to the UK. Our ship cast a propeller and we were instead flown on a chartered QF 707 to Sin from Per - and were the cabin crew in a bad mood at having to serve peasants - probably the worst service I have ever had on any airline.

Also flew Compass Mk1 Per - Bris in the early 1990's - one of their few planes went "tech" so I returned on Ansett.

Once flew East West (before the Ansett takeover)on a F28 a Perth/Karratha/Perth trip in the late 1980's.

 

[SFSC]

Did a day excursion on a Bush Pilots Airways DC3 from Cairns to Cooktown in June 1973. We had our 6 month old daughter with us and this was her first flight.

 

[JohnM]

Jersey-Guernsey-Jersey day trip about 7 years ago on a Britten-Norman Trislander.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

100 ret trips with Promair Welshpool (Vic) to Whitemark, Flinders island (Tas) 1977 to 1987 - I was down there usually once a month or so buying sheep and cattle. OMG were those the days. They were twin engined 'I know not what' - Promair also had contract to deliver a lot of the fruit / veggies / fresh bread etc into Fl Is - the early morning flt I would take was always laden - many times I was only pax and entire interior laden.

Sometimes direct into Whitemark and sometimes into Lady Barren first before Whitemark - Lady Barren strip not designed for twin endines so to land had to clip trees on descent and skid sideways at end of strip so not to end up in drink. OMG those were the days.

Anybody who has been to Fl Is knows the wind never stops - countless times could not ret as weather so bad - or was that cause the hospitality in Whitemark Pub was so good? Either way so many times a 2 day trip turned into 3 or 4 or 5. Was so easy - we would but the stock well under the odds and then pray not too many died on voyage back to Australia - well we would tell the locals they were living in a foreign country. God I loved those locals - absolute salt of the earth people.

 

[JohnM]

Jersey-Guernsey-Jersey day trip about 7 years ago on a Britten-Norman Trislander.

Meant to add airline: Aurigny and a link to the unusual aicraft: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britten-Norman_Trislander

 

[ajmillen]

Flew from Frankfurt to South Hampton with Flybee (Nickname is FlyMaybe) always delayed... The aircraft was a Dash 8, they even offered duty free.

 

[Skyring]

Meant to add airline: Aurigny and a link to the unusual aicraft: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britten-Norman_Trislander

I did Guernsey-Jersey in 2006 with Blue Islands in a Trislander. Seemed to me we went about treetop height the whole way! No cabin service, and not much room.

 

[SuzieQ68]

Click Air back in 2007 from Barcelona to Lisbon. Felt like I was in an episode of 'Flying High'.

Boarded the flight watching intently as about 5 engineers stood around the engine with one guy up in the engine scraping something out of it.....still not sure to this day what it was.

Whilst we waited, one of the crew made the pilot a cup of tea, then they all stood out on the stairs for a photoshoot - the pilots and three of the cabin crew.

It was one of those moments where you though to yourself - should I deplane......

 

[michaelangelo]

Air One, return Milan to Tirana. A subsidiary of Alitalia, defunct for a few years now. Completely unremarkable LCC flights, except for both the landings. One was hands down the smoothest I've ever experienced, the other was my first go around.

 

[Paddy55]

Not obscure, but a deceased airline: Braniff
Flew MIA-CLO and BOG-DFW back in early 1980s

 

[BCons]

Chalkie's airline(s) - used to run Grumman flying boats Miami to Nassau, half a doz scheduled flights a day.

Then there was that obscure PNG airline flying dornier (?) STOL twins Pt Moresby to places including Milne Bay and Misima. After our first stop on a milk run I commented to the young pilot that his plane could really jump into the air from a short takeoff - so to show off what it could realllyy do the next takeoff he loaded her up with lots of power until the brakes were squealing and then let her go - spring loaded - we were off the ground in less than 100m. There's no substitute for power and lift..

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Then there was that obscure PNG airline flying dornier (?) STOL twins Pt Moresby to places including Milne Bay and Misima. .

Possibly Milne Bay Air. Flew through the '90s and they had a Dornier. I think they changed name to MBA or something and finally merged with Airlines PNG (now PNG Air).

 

[Ansett]

For me it would be Onur Air on a flight from London to Dalaman in Turkey on an A300. Walked in on the cabin crew smoking in the Galley.