PerthGloryFan From Australia, joined Oct 2000, 751 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (10 years 4 months 3 weeks 2 days ago) and read 2502 times:
Ok, from some Qantas brochures and maps I sent away for in about 1966/67 when I was just an airport kid here's some info that may help.
Ordered in 1956 the first B707-138 was delivered to Qantas in 1959.
Quoting:
"Jet services to the U.S.A. commenced on July 29th, 1959 and continued to Lodon via new York after September."
27 October that year saw the 707 put on the Sydney/London (via India) Kangaroo Route.
The first turbofan B model B707-138 ferried into Sydney non-stop from Honolulu (5,185 miles in 9 hours 46 min) on 6 August 1961.
"The first regular V-jet [from Latin vannus = fan, quite cultured was our QF back then] to San Francisco commenced on September 24 [1961], extending next to London and finally right around the world on October 29th."
The routing was Sydney-Nadi-Honolulu-San Francisco (with a once a fortnightly return flight SFO to vancouver, a leftover from the old British Commonwealth Pacfic Airlines route) - New York - London.
From November 1961 the -138Bs began operating to Hong Kong and Tokyo; and by January 1962 had completely replaced the Lockheed Electras on these routes.
The routing appears to be Sydney - Darwin - Manila - Hong Kong - Tokyo or Sydney - Port Moresby - Manila - Hong Kong - Tokyo; 3 times a week.
Perth was upgraded to international jet standards by February 1962 and "then became a regular stop on two of the four weekly Kangaroo Route Services through Singapore to London."
These routes were Sydney-Darwin-Singapore; Sydney-Brisbane-Darwin-Singapore; and Perth-Djakarta[sic]-Singapore.
Then it was Singapore-Kuala Lumpur-Colombo-Bombay-Teheran; then Teheran - Athens, or Teheran - Istanbul - Athens; Athens - London.
[hmm, seems to be a slight inconsistency with one of the brochures stating that Kuala Lumpur and Colombo were not up to jet standard until September 1965, by which time the first of the -338Cs had arrived.)
Or Singapore-Bangkok, then Bangkok-Calcutta-Karachi-Cairo, or Bangkok-New Delhi-Karachi-Cairo. Then Cairo - Rome - London; or Cairo - Athens - Frankfurt - London.
At that time Electras were used on flights to New Zealand, and had replaced the last Constellation route; Perth - Cocos Island - Mauritius - Johanesburg.
Unfortunately I did have a couple of timetables from that era but I can't find them (not that they would specify -138B or -338C anyway I guess).
On 28 November 1964 the "Fiesta Route", Sydney - Nadi - Papeete - Acapulco - Mexico City - Nassua - Bermuda - London, was inaugurated.
This must have been with -138Bs because the first -338C wasn't delivered until 8 March 1965 (departing SFO the previous day and flying non-stop to SYD in 14 hours 32 min, the first non-stop trans-Pacific flight).
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From Australia, joined Oct 2000, 751 posts, 
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