Laker Airways - Knowledge

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landing, the aircraft came to a rapid halt clear of the runway. By the time the last of the 89 occupants (5 crew and 84 passengers) had evacuated the aircraft, the fire had burned through the pressure hull and was being fed by oxygen. There were no injuries. The fire was extinguished on the ground. Following the incident, the aircraft manufacturer issued several service bulletins (SBs) listing action to be taken as mandated by the UK's Airworthiness Requirements Board (ARB). These SBs were circulated to all One-Eleven operators. The ARB also issued a more general warning to all One-Eleven operators regarding the need to ensure that oxygen leaks do not create fire hazards, and that oxygen lines are routed away from potential fire sources.

1243:, following British Airways's decision to abandon short-haul routes it had been operating from Gatwick at low frequencies since the late 1970s and to surrender unused licences to the CAA. By the time the CAA awarded Laker these licences, the airline was experiencing financial difficulties and had to dispose of three A300 widebodies to cut costs by reducing the number of aircraft types as well as its overall size. Laker Airways intended to commence operations on both routes during the spring of 1982, operating two flights a day each way using spare capacity on its remaining BAC One-Elevens. The airline ceased to exist before the inaugural date. 1443:. Following the end of the 1981/2 winter peak, there was insufficient traffic to support four airlines competing across the North Atlantic between January and March. At this point, state-owned British Airways and TWA, Laker's other transatlantic competitors, dropped their fares by a similar amount. As a result, Laker's loads and cash inflow halved between October 1981 and February 1982. It has also been suggested that Laker experienced a downturn after passengers began avoiding the DC-10 due to the series of high-profile fatal accidents that befell the type at the end of the 1970s. 575: 346: 5021: 1156: 447: 733: 5045: 1292: 500: 5033: 1450:(BCal) and other European operators of the DC-10 warned McDonnell Douglas and GE that if the companies moved forward with a rescue contract with Laker, they would cease all business with those companies. McDonnell Douglas and GE did not proceed with the rescue, and Laker Airways collapsed in the early morning of 5 February 1982 with debts of £270 million, the largest corporate failure in Britain. 1018:

and the traffic on the UK–Australia route would not support two additional carriers without a substantial reduction in service frequencies of the incumbent operators. (The CAA told BCal that it considered its proposal for a new, faster service to Australia superior to Laker's, and that it would therefore look favourably on its application if it wished to re-apply with specific proposals for a joint

1095:, against the CAA's award of a licence exclusively to BCal. The Secretary of State overturned the CAA's decision and opened the route to all three airlines without placing restrictions on frequencies of service. For Laker Airways this turned out to be a partial victory because the ATLA continued to refuse a reciprocal permit, without which Laker's service remained grounded. 838:, Florida, was added in 1981 from Gatwick, Manchester and Prestwick, following lobbying from Bob Beckman's client. By that time, the firm had sold both the older, shorter fuselage Boeing 707-138Bs and disposed of one BAC One-Eleven. This left it with 20 aircraft comprising 14 widebodies and six narrowbodies – 11 DC-10s, three 1017:

at four flights a week each way. It considered Laker's market growth forecast overoptimistic, its stimulation factors unreal, and its fares intentions vague. In the CAA's opinion, the Australians were unlikely to accept another UK airline without a reciprocal service from a second Australian carrier,

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who doubled as Qantas's chairman. Freddie Laker’s visit did not succeed in convincing the Australian authorities of his proposal's merits as a result of lobbying from BOAC and Qantas, both of which were estimated to have lost £11 million in revenue due to competition from charter airlines on the

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Among the weight-saving measures Laker Airways used to make its aircraft fly further without the need of refuelling was a baggage allowance limit of 40 lb (18 kg) rather less than the more usual 44 lb (20 kg), and carrying fewer passengers than the aircraft could hold. This policy

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In the days when airports and air space were relatively uncongested, Laker Airways instructed departing One-Eleven crews to tune into other jet aircraft taking off ahead of them, and to begin a conversation with the other aircraft's crew while continuing their climb. The aim was to obtain information

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TIME EUROPE – BUSINESS & CULTURE – Freddie Laker – A British entrepreneur, he took on the airline giants and made flying affordable (.... "He also gave me fantastic advice about Virgin Atlantic. He warned me I would have to defend my business against monopolist and protectionist governments, and

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As a result of this incident, the ARB also began to pay close attention to the fire resistance of aircraft fittings and furnishings due to their potential to form major hazards in oxygen-fed inflight fires. The flight deck crew, Captain Basil Bradshaw and First Officer Bernard Sedgwick, subsequently

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in particular. Laker Airways needed to position itself to take advantage of additional opportunities to expand its business to maintain its status as Britain's second largest independent airline and third principal long-haul operator. Eventually, the company borrowed at high interest rates. The high

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would flood the market with cheap seats that risked undermining profitability without doing anything to alleviate the shortage of premium seats. Laker retorted that low fares would stimulate the market by meeting untapped demand from people who could not afford to fly this route because of BA's high

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it shared with British Airways on the Kangaroo route under a joint revenue-sharing agreement. Nixon also maintained that the proposed service to only two Australian points would be discriminatory on people living in other parts of the country by denying them the benefits of low fares. These comments

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to encourage that aircraft's crew to climb to their upper cruising altitude as quickly as possible so that Laker's One-Elevens could attain their optimum height in the shortest possible time. This helped Laker's One-Elevens climb faster without using as much power, helping the company to reduce fuel

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In July 1985, BA agreed to contribute an additional $ 35 million on top of its earlier out-of-court agreement with Freddie Laker. The total amount contributed by all parties enabled Laker to pay off his outstanding debts of $ 69 million, permitted BA to proceed with its own privatisation,

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In addition to undercapitalisation, unsustainably high debts and weak finances, Laker Airways was not backed by any significant assets. The bulk of its fleet was leased, as was the maintenance hangar at Gatwick that also housed the airline's offices. The only financial backup that Laker Airways had

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Laker introduced a short-lived scheduled service between Manchester and Zürich during 1981, which it operated at one flight per day in each direction using a newly delivered A300 widebody. This route, the airline's only short-haul scheduled operation, had come about after British Airways's decision

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During the 1981 summer period, Laker operated up to three daily frequencies each way between Gatwick and JFK and Gatwick and Miami as well as twice daily round-trips between Gatwick and Los Angeles. This made Laker the fourth biggest transatlantic scheduled airline between the UK and US as well as

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Cathay Pacific was among airlines attacking Laker's plans. The established transpacific airlines were concerned that Laker was likely to create excess capacity, threatening the profitability as well as long-term viability of these routes. Sir Freddie said Cathay seemed concerned about sharing the

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the aircraft and attempted to open a side window to clear the smoke. The cabin crew were deprived of both their public address system and intercom with the flight deck during the descent. Due to lack of time before landing, emergency procedures were abandoned. Following the successful emergency

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on behalf of International Caribbean Airways, a joint venture between Barbados businessmen Norman Ricketts and Geoffrey Edwards, who enjoyed the support of the Barbados government, and Laker Airways. Laker Airways initially held a 33% stake in International Caribbean. The aircraft Laker Airways

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at least in one direction, depending on the direction and strength of the winds. This helped make Laker's One-Elevens more competitive with larger, longer-range aircraft operated by rivals, especially for tour operators struggling to fill a bigger aircraft profitably. If the passenger load was

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and Washington DC. The company did not have aircraft to use these licences immediately. Its deteriorating financial position did not let it add more aircraft. By the time Laker Airways went out of business, those licences remained unused. They were eventually allocated to other airlines.

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Unlike Laker, the vast majority of low-cost airlines have limited themselves to short and midrange flights and shunned the long range market. Almost all attempts to enter the long range market with a low cost model have ended within a couple of years in either withdrawal or bankruptcy.

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However, Hong Kong's Air Transport Licensing Authority (ATLA) refused to endorse BCal because many felt upset that Cathay Pacific was excluded from one of the world's most lucrative routes. This caused a row between the UK and Hong Kong governments. Cathay Pacific began lobbying in the

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The UK government decided in 1979 to open the route between London and Hong Kong to competition. This was to be by a second British scheduled carrier to ease the shortage of seats passengers were experiencing at peak times on the ten-times-a-week monopoly service by BA from Heathrow.

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In 1980, Laker Airways withdrew its application to run ABC flights to Australia. Instead, the airline proposed a scheduled low-fare service from London Gatwick with one stop. It was to be one flight a day in each direction using the airline's five DC-10-30 widebodies. In contrast to

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Following Laker's demise, its former fleet was quickly re-allocated to other operators. These included two DC-10-10 widebodies that joined the fleet of British Caledonian Charter (BCal's charter division), four BAC One-Eleven 300 narrow-bodies BCal's seven One-Eleven 200s, and two

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service was the best option to alleviate the shortage of seats on this route. Its analysis showed the bottom end of the economy market was the most under-served segment because of the scarcity of low fares. The other airlines used Laker's analysis in support of their claims that

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in addition to economy. BCal had also agreed to offer a number of low fares that would match the lowest fares Laker had proposed. The CAA rejected Cathay Pacific's and Laker's applications, clearing the way for BCal to become the second British scheduled carrier on that route.

1411:. The company's growing problems were exacerbated by wrongly anticipating the sterling-dollar exchange rate for the 1981/2 winter season. During all 1980 and the better part of 1981 the rate was 1:2. The pound could buy two dollars because sterling was kept high by Britain's 29: 1330:

The weak financial position was underlined by the fact that 90 per cent of the share capital was held by Freddie Laker and the remainder by Joan Laker, a former spouse, while Laker Airways was a subsidiary of Laker Airways (Leasing), which in turn was a subsidiary of

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to abandon its loss-making Manchester–Zürich services. Laker's application to have BA's licence transferred to itself resulted in its becoming the UK flag carrier between Manchester and Zürich. The airline's subsequent withdrawal and its demise in turn resulted in

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Although the Laker Airways fleet contained a greater proportion of modern widebodied aircraft than most of its competitors, which made it cheaper to operate and maintain, the airline felt the sudden tripling of the price of crude oil in the aftermath of the

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to be operated with single-class, 380-seat McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30s. At the CAA hearing the airline proposed larger, higher capacity Boeing 747s as soon as this was justified by increased demand. The company tried to convince the CAA that its additional

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Laker claimed that there was demand for this kind of service and maintained that it would grow the total number of passengers flying between Britain and the United States each year from 14m to 16m, rather than diverting other airlines' existing passengers.

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and a three-times-a-week Gatwick–Toronto ABC operation. The latter was operated under contract to Lord Brothers, the airline's London-based in-house tour operator that had been part of the group since 1968 and changed its name to Laker Air Travel in 1974.

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by keeping the baggage limit at 40 lb (18 kg) and reducing single-class seating from 380 to 345. The saving could be used to carry more fuel. The calculations had shown that even with reduced seating, it had to fill only 52% of the seats to

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of £1.68 million and tax equalisation reserves of £450,000. Although this amounted to over £2 million, it could not disguise the fact that Laker Airways was a financial minnow compared with most of the established flag carriers and BCal.

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Its Berlin operation was staffed by ninety, mainly local, workers. Throughout this period, it carried thousands of holidaymakers from the Western parts of the then divided German capital to resorts in the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands.

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to charter the airline's aircraft during the winter, when demand was lower, and implemented other promotions to incentivise longer-term use of the aircraft by tour operators. This ensured that the fleet was in use for almost the entire year.

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prompted Sir Freddie to retort that the Australian transport minister still thought the earth was flat, and that it had not come to his attention that Australia already had a number of regional airlines covering the whole of the country.

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Alternatively, weight saved as a result of limiting free baggage could be traded for reduced fuel consumption on shorter routes well within the BAC One-Eleven's range by making the aircraft lighter, even with a full load of passengers.

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was not forthcoming for several years, Laker Airways needed alternative work to keep its long-haul planes busy. Initially, both Boeing 707s supplemented the BAC One-Elevens on Mediterranean and Canary Islands routes, such as Gatwick –

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exports and the importance these exports assumed against high crude oil prices. Laker Airways did not anticipate the speed of sterling's subsequent decline. This meant that it needed to pay more for dollars than it had originally

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featured by the company's other aircraft. In addition to the weekly Luxembourg–Barbados schedule, which subsequently became twice weekly and was extended to London Gatwick, this aircraft operated regular charters from Canada and

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The CAA took a negative view of Laker's application for a UK–Australia scheduled low-fare service and a rival application by BCal to launch a conventional, scheduled service between Gatwick and four Australian destinations via

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interval in January 1974. "Laker to London – the end of Skyway robbery" was the follow-on campaign. The success of these campaigns resulted in Laker carrying more non-scheduled UK–US passengers than all US carriers combined.

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The CAA heard Laker's as well as BCal's and other UK independent airlines' proposals. It rejected Laker. It subsequently awarded two scheduled licences to Laker Airways, one for Gatwick – Berlin Tegel and the other for

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was first employed when the airline began operating its BAC One-Elevens. By limiting the free baggage allowance and restricting passengers, the company used the weight saved to carry additional fuel, increasing range.

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A Laker Airways McDonnell Douglas DC-10 series 10 was one of four widebodies that were specially flown in for the pre-inauguration of the then-new terminal building at Berlin's Tegel Airport on 23 October 1974. (A

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over the next couple of years, making Laker Airways the market leader in transatlantic ABC flights. During the early to mid-1970s, the airline ran low-key advertising on hoardings and public transport in London,

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With the arrival of the series 30 DC-10s, Intasun owner Harry Goodman recognised that long-haul charters to new destinations were now available and approached Laker with a number of possibilities from the

1315:, the paid-up share capital was £504,000. These figures compared unfavourably with BCal and British Airways, whose issued share capital stood at £12 million and £100 million respectively. 1714:

was incorporated as a Company in England and Wales in June 2013 and was a division of a larger aviation training, recruitment and consultancy firm. The company was registered at offices near to

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application assumed a 62.9% break-even load factor. This meant that the airline needed to sell 100 out of 158 seats at a single fare of £37.50 per seat on each flight to start making money with

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listed nonstop Laker service between Freeport and these same US cities with the exception of Birmingham, Greenville and Memphis with new nonstop flights being operated between Freeport and

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Berlin Airport Company – German language edition of February 1975 Monthly Timetable Booklet for Berlin Tempelhof and Berlin Tegel Airports (incl. a summary of the 1974 annual report), 1975

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Laker Airways McDonnell-Douglas DC-10-10 taxiing in the background towards the new terminal on Berlin Tegel's south side, following the Air France Airbus A300B2 in the foreground (photo)

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A third DC-10 series 10 widebody joined the fleet in April 1974 to maintain the airline's commitments in the ABC flights market. (Laker intended to allocate two DC-10s exclusively to

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because of an electrical fire in an aerial tuning unit in the forward cabin area behind the flight deck. The fire started when the aircraft was 30 nautical miles (56 km) from

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An advertising campaign featuring the slogan "I've got my name on every plane!" was developed in conjunction with a New York-based company. It was successfully launched during the

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service to link London and New York daily during the peak summer period from May to September and four times a week during the remainder of the year. This was to be marketed as

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services at the beginning of July 1979. This enabled the airline to offer bookable seats, excursion fares and the carriage of cargo in addition to the original, non-bookable

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The success of Laker Airways's transatlantic ABC flights resulted in an application to launch an Australian low-fare operation from Gatwick and/or Luxembourg to Sydney and

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The CAA awarded a licence to operate unlimited scheduled services between London and Hong Kong to BCal, which had proposed running a conventional service from Gatwick via

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In November 1972, Laker Airways became the first airline outside North America to operate the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 widebody when it took delivery of a pair of new

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and Southern Europe to help it increase loads on flights to Africa, South America and the US as well as improve profitability. BCal came up with its own proposal,

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fares. The airline reserved about 60% of its scheduled seats for the new bookable fares. This move marked a major strategic shift in the company's fare structure.

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concept was flawed, as it required high year-round loads to make money at discount prices, even though Laker Airways had lower costs and a simpler organisation.

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Despite these drawbacks, Laker Airways took two of those five Mitsui (originally intended for ANA) ordered aircraft. The three remaining Mitsui aircraft went to

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In early 1979, the airline ordered a further two DC-10 series 10 widebodies as well as five longer range McDonnell-Douglas DC-10 series 30 widebodied aircraft.

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The airline began to fail when Pan Am, a transatlantic competitor, decided in October 1981 to drop its lowest economy fares where it was in competition with

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joint venture partners, while the Barbados Government took up an option to acquire a 51% stake in the airline; this increased Laker Airways's stake to 49%

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and Tokyo to create the first daily round-the-world through service by a British airline in both directions. This was to be marketed under the trademark

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was a combination of black, red and white – an adaptation of Laker's racing colours. The Britannias were supplemented and eventually replaced by five

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as well as in the UK, stressing it had invested millions in the British economy at a time of high unemployment in the UK by placing large orders for

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was a US-registered airline Sir Freddie Laker co-owned with Oscar Wyatt. The company commenced operations in April 1996 with a leased fleet of four

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On 1 April 1973, new charter regulations in the UK, the US and Canada replaced the complicated "affinity group" rules with simplified rules termed "

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Hong Kong – Tokyo route with a competitor because this route was the main source of profits for Cathay Pacific's Asian and transpacific operation.

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ahead of BCal, which began a four-times-a-week London Gatwick – Hong Kong service via Dubai on 1 August 1980 using a McDonnell-Douglas DC-10-30.

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fluctuations by buying US dollars at a fixed rate. This was a necessity as most of its costs were in dollars whereas most of its income was in

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Laker Airways (International). This had served the firm well since it allowed it to take advantage of lower taxes and more employer-friendly

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The early 1970s saw the airline and its owner battle with aviation authorities in the UK and US to gain approval for a low-cost, "no frills"

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Berlin Airport Company – Airline Profile: Laker Airways, June 1975 Monthly Timetable Booklet for Berlin Tempelhof and Berlin Tegel Airports

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in helping create demand while maintaining that its rivals' proposals would do little to meet the unsatisfied demand for low-fare seats.

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A race ensued when BCal, Laker and Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong's de facto "flag carrier", filed their applications with the CAA in London.

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to which Sir Freddie Laker lent his name and operational expertise. The airline was established in 1992 with financial assistance from

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Laker's European Skytrain plans were opposed by BCal, which was keen to expand its European network beyond routes linking Gatwick with

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and Gatwick–Tenerife. Both aircraft replaced Bristol Britannias on the airline's long-haul flights, an increasing number of which were

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Caz Caswell's Aviation Photographs (Laker Airways – A Pictorial Tribute: A tribute to Sir Freddie Laker and his Great British Airline)

4515:"Airliner Classics (Sir Freddie Laker – The Man Who Gave Us Skytrain, pp. 82–85)". Stamford, Lincs, UK: Key Publishing. November 2009. 1258:

fares on off-peak services on Gatwick–Amsterdam after it had obtained approval from the UK authorities and their Dutch counterparts.

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Weight-saving measures adopted to boost the BAC One-Eleven's range stood Laker Airways in good stead when the airline introduced the

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charters were introduced to the UK market. The programme rapidly expanded to seven times weekly and was eventually converted into a

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Despite attaining market leadership in the transatlantic ABC market, Sir Freddie considered this second best in the absence of his

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routes. The majority of the low-fare network was not going to touch the UK, making it the first pan-European commercial airline.

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services. These were approximately half its competitors' standard economy fares and significantly lower than those airlines'

759: 50: 1197:. BCal needed to develop its connecting traffic at Gatwick by growing the European network to include Germany, Switzerland, 752:, which the airline had acquired direct from MDC at a knock-down price. By that time, the work force had expanded to 1,000. 4436: 1070:, using its growing fleet of McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 widebodies in a three-class configuration featuring a first and an 911: 536:

aircraft whose costs were higher per passenger. The DC-10s also had huge potential to boost the projected profitability of

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funding the remainder. He placed a follow-up order for a fourth aircraft to be delivered in 1968 and acquired a former-

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from December 1967. This included an initial 1966 order with the manufacturer for three aircraft valued at £4 million.

882:. The following day, a Laker Airways McDonnell-Douglas DC-10 flew the world's inaugural ABC flight from Manchester to 4646: 4627: 4608: 4589: 4505: 2599:

Berlin Airport Company – News, November 1974 Monthly Timetable Booklet for Berlin Tempelhof and Berlin Tegel Airports

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to Australia. Following his request's refusal, he flew to Australia in early 1971 to discuss his proposal for 15-day

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During summer 1970, Laker sought the UK and Australian authorities' permission to operate a series of affinity group

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50 million. BA reached a separate out-of-court agreement with Freddie Laker personally for £8 million.

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Laker spent more than £200,000 of his own money on the newly-ordered aircraft's deposits, with a consortium of

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announced the creation of Laker Airways in February 1966. The airline commenced commercial operations from its

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Florida Attorney General sets July mediation deadline in Laker Airways antitrust suit against British Airways

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tour operator Arrowsmith Holidays, a group company since 1967. It was followed by similar ABC services from

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Laker Airways sought to strengthen its position as a transatlantic airline by applying to the CAA and the

549: 2565: 1708:. A daily Miami–Gatwick service was to start in March 1997. Laker Airways, Inc ceased operations in 1998. 598: 512: 4739: 4727: 4316: 4280: 4262: 4244: 4182: 4164: 4076: 4057: 4039: 4021: 4003: 3951: 3818: 3800: 3782: 3764: 3746: 3728: 3710: 3692: 3674: 3656: 3638: 3620: 3602: 3584: 3566: 3548: 3530: 3509: 3491: 3473: 3450: 3429: 3408: 3390: 3372: 3354: 3336: 3318: 3300: 3286: 3261: 3243: 3232: 3211: 3193: 3175: 3133: 3016: 2998: 2980: 2943: 2907: 2865: 2847: 2817: 2798: 2741: 2723: 2677: 2659: 2641: 2618: 2510: 2447: 2414: 2396: 2363: 2345: 2301: 2283: 2217: 2199: 2181: 2142: 1059:

fares, rather than taking market share from competitors. It pointed to the success of its transatlantic

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on 26 September 1977. It recorded a profit in excess of £2 million in its first year of operation.

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Flying to the sun – A history of Britain's holiday airlines: 10. Transatlantic Services – Laker Airways

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Flying to the sun – A history of Britain's holiday airlines: 10. Transatlantic Services – Laker Airways

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Flying to the sun – A history of Britain's holiday airlines: 10. Transatlantic Services – Laker Airways

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interest rates were a major cause for the increase in the firm's borrowing costs as well as its debts.

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Alan Bristow Helicopter Pioneer: The Autobiography (Chapter 17 – Airline Ego Trip, pp. 233–237, 254/5)

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British Airways L-1011 Tristar 1 taxiing towards the new terminal on Berlin Tegel's south side (photo)

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ON THE SOAPBOX: Sir Richard Branson (".... Having said that I'll never forget Freddie Laker's advice

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in Florida with London Gatwick were inaugurated on 5 July 1996, followed by similar services linking

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widebody as long-term replacements for its existing narrow-bodied aircraft on these proposed routes.

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the withdrawal of the Britannias made Laker Airways the first all-jet operator in Britain and Europe

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Laker's transatlantic charters provided meals, movies (at the time, a new amenity), and a free bar.

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prior to receiving the first of the McDonnell-Douglas DC-10 series 30 aircraft that were on order.

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greater than 70, the charterer paid for any stops, encouraging operators to keep to 70 passengers.

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widebodied jets and 300 employees. Twice-weekly low-fare, high-quality scheduled services linking

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fall from power. Laker Airways needed to pay the high spot market oil prices because it could not

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Flying to the sun – A history of Britain's holiday airlines: 6. Into the jet age – Laker Airways

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On 17 August 1969, a BAC One-Eleven 320L (registration: G-AVBX) operating a charter flight from

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From December 1970, one of Laker's two 707s was used for a once-a-week low-fare service linking

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Skytrain Adhesive Advertising Banner. It uses the integrated images of the US and the UK flags.

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side of the white upper forward part of the fuselage, in anticipation of approval to commence

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and competition by the established scheduled airlines. Swiss aviation enthusiasts' magazine

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The new ABC rules enabled Sir Freddie to build a successful ABC flights business across the

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Pan Am Boeing 747-121 taxiing towards the new terminal on Berlin Tegel's south side (photo)

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Aviation News – UK and Irish airlines since 1945 (Part 50 , Vol. 66, No. 6, June 2004

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Cathay Pacific commenced a thrice-weekly service between Hong Kong and London Gatwick via

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Laker Airways had taken delivery of a fourth McDonnell-Douglas DC-10 series 10 widebodied

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at the time the most popular resort in the Canary Islands for British and German tourists

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later that year. This aircraft was eventually used to meet growing ABC commitments.)

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outside the jurisdiction of UK law increased lenders' risk to get their money back.

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In September 1978, Laker Airways became the UK launch customer for the twin-engined

130: 5037: 4985: 1693: 1639: 1545: 1375:, characterised by negative/low growth, high unemployment, high inflation and high 1190: 907: 613: 515:. The airline concluded it could fly non-stop from the UK to any point east of the 508: 388: 246: 234: 3166:, Eglin, R. and Ritchie, B., Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London, 1980, pp. 184, 186/7 5049: 4920: 4854: 4817: 4440: 4097: 1798: 1794: 1689: 1671: 1576:, while the cabin crew were commended for their action during the emergency. The 1522: 1439:

by up to 66%. Laker retaliated by introducing a discounted premium cabin branded

1408: 1393: 1348: 1344: 1214: 957: 891: 773: 637: 563:

were the other widebodies specially flown in on that day to mark this occasion.)

545: 516: 426: 306: 287: 268: 223: 219: 185: 107: 4376: 2762:, Eglin, R. and Ritchie, B., Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London, 1980, pp. 149, 158 1498: 708:

as well as the Barbadian flag on both sides of the forward fuselage in place of

560: 365: 2247:

Sir Freddie Laker – The Man Who Gave Us Skytrain, Airliner Classics, pp. 78, 82

1751: 1742: 1701: 1611: 1103: 1071: 1042: 998: 918: 777: 689: 672: 668: 594: 578: 556: 349: 326: 318: 302: 211: 4298:

15 September 1994 OAG Desktop Flight Guide, Freeport, Bahamas flight schedules

1278:

services from Gatwick, Manchester and Prestwick to Chicago, Detroit, Oakland,

846:

fifth biggest overall. By that time, the airline had carried over two million

345: 5059: 4955: 4885: 4758: 2838:, Eglin, R. and Ritchie, B., Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London, 1980, pp. 143/4 2486:, Eglin, R. and Ritchie, B., Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London, 1980, pp. 117/8 1731: 1727:

Laker operated the following aircraft types at various times over the years:

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Freddie Laker sued IATA member airlines British Airways, BCal, Pan Am, TWA,

4945: 4915: 4900: 4827: 4822: 1773: 1618:(OAG), in 1994 the airline was operating scheduled nonstop service between 1553: 1155: 1080: 809: 741: 726: 718: 680: 493: 473: 295: 199: 4367:

Sir Freddie Laker – The Man Who Gave Us Skytrain, Airliner Classics, p. 83

3991:, Eglin, R. and Ritchie, B., Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London, 1980, p. 149 3154:

Sir Freddie Laker – The Man Who Gave Us Skytrain, Airliner Classics, p. 82

2898:, Eglin, R. and Ritchie, B., Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London, 1980, p. 225 2886:, Eglin, R. and Ritchie, B., Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London, 1980, p. 144 2777:, Eglin, R. and Ritchie, B., Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London, 1980, p. 141 2709: 2384:, Eglin, R. and Ritchie, B., Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London, 1980, p. 121 2336:, Eglin, R. and Ritchie, B., Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London, 1980, p. 107 2274:, Eglin, R. and Ritchie, B., Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London, 1980, p. 106 2238:, Eglin, R. and Ritchie, B., Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London, 1980, p. 113 1610:

oilman and business partner of Sir Freddie Laker. The fleet comprised two

4864: 4849: 4307:

2 April 1995 OAG Desktop Flight Guide, Freeport, Bahamas flight schedules

3103:, Executive Traveller, International Edition – Vol. 13/Spring 2006, p. 7" 3067:, Executive Traveller, International Edition – Vol. 13/Spring 2006, p. 8" 2695: 2319: 1603: 1580:

for the Queen's Award stated that "the crew displayed a high standard of

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from Australia to the UK, including full board at first class hotels for

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why we needed to beat competitors on quality of service as well as price

4975: 4844: 4834: 4481:, abtn.co.uk – business travel news & advice, Mon., 6 December 2004 2030: 1854: 1736: 1581: 1514: 1396:

its future supplies by negotiating fixed-rate, forward purchases. Such

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Laker Airways aircraft stored the day after bankruptcy, 5 February 1982

923: 713: 696: 529: 521: 489: 392: 314: 283: 142: 4795: 3802:

Bermuda 2 revisions create 12 new US gateways and agreement on Gatwick

744:

in 1976 in preparation for the launch of its daily London to New York

222:

flying passengers and cargo worldwide. Its head office was located at

2038: 1975: 1454: 1360: 1352: 1088: 933: 887: 804: 749: 620:

until its demise in November 1968. These aircraft were earmarked for

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with leather seats, seat back TVs and inflight catering marketed as

1240: 4935: 4839: 4379:

Laker Airways inaugurates Fort Lauderdale – London schedule service

2259:, Vol. 111, No. 2834, p. 11, Temple Press, London, 17 February 1966 1894: 1474: 1458: 1125: 941: 700: 430: 252:). In the early 1980s, the company went into bankruptcy during the 1584:

in circumstances which could have had very serious consequences".

1261: 732: 468:. The DC-10-10 was optimised for medium-haul routes. The aircraft 4895: 4751: 4601:

No Frills – The Truth behind the Low-cost Revolution in the Skies

4356:

No Frills – The Truth behind the Low-cost Revolution in the Skies

1988: 1599: 1534: 1518: 1299:

Laker Airways did not have the financial strength to survive the

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No Frills: The Truth Behind the Low-cost Revolution in the Skies

1420:, leading to an outflow of funds at a time of financial crisis. 1403:

The airline attempted to protect itself against sterling-dollar

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August 1968 saw the establishment of its first overseas base at

4264:

Accidents and incidents: August – Non-fatal incidents/accidents

2561: 2559: 2054: 2009: 1470: 1417: 1332: 926:

and other large British cities under the motto "Take a Laker".

862:

aircraft from McDonnell Douglas Corporation's (MDC) factory in

606: 553: 499: 399:. Each airline owned 50% of Gatwick Handling at its inception. 372: 28: 3568:

Trade Secretary rejects UK-European low-fare routes appeal ...

3431:

Nott overturns CAA ruling and sanctions Hong Kong free-for-all

2365:

Airline Profile: Number Thirty-Nine in the Series – Court Line

2347:

Airline Profile: Number Thirty-Nine in the Series – Court Line

2130:"The History Press | the end of an era for Laker Airways" 979: 1607: 1577: 1194: 1067: 1019: 835: 2556: 1322:

was first announced, it was revealed that Laker Airways had

1251:

becoming the UK flag carrier between Manchester and Zürich.

1025: 4423: 4213:

202623.html Flight International, 27 November 1982, p. 1547

2939: 2937: 2479: 2477: 4659:(in German). West Berlin, Germany: Berlin Airport Company. 4542:

Airliner World – Britain's Carferry Airlines, January 2004

4495: 4131:

BBC on this day – 5 February 1982: Laker Airways goes bust

1521:, to Berlin Tegel, Germany, under contract to West Berlin 1209:. Services were to be operated during off-peak times with 4148: