Feeling nostalgic for older aircraft and ‘fallen flag’ airlines.

For a couple of years in the early 90s I flew Northwest through the MEM hub, almost every month or so. On the more substantial legs these flights were on the venerable DC-9. Me and others referred to the NW DC-9s as the greyhounds of the skies. Good or bad.

On the NW Airlink flights (“puddle jumpers”), these were flown using the SAAB 340 and BAe 31. Good planes, if a bit cramped.

After this period I moved into some international travel, mostly Central and South American flights. I remember fondly the American MD-11 Luxury Liner. I feel very fortunate to have gotten the opportunity to fly on this short-lived aircraft, at least for passenger service. My experience was on flights 909/910 between MIA and EZE. This flight number is a holdover from the previous owner of the route, Pan Am. Pan Am had this flight for many years beginning in the Boeing 707 era.

Finally, I remember ‘old school’ LAN-Chile. I had the chance to fly on many LAN-Chile aircraft types, including BAe-146, 737-200s, and 767-200s. After mergers over the years there is only one large conglomerate known simply as LATAM.