MD 11 From Germany, joined Sep 1999, 195 posts, RR: 1 Posted (4 years 4 months 1 week 5 days ago) and read 2373 times:
Hi all,
i wonder wich airlines from Europe and the US ( and Japan, Australia and other "western" countires) flew to Saigon on a scheduled basis (I am not talking about the military charters) in the early to mid seventies. And when did they stop their service? Anybody knows?
Where there any flights from e. g. LH to Saigon? Or from BA? And what was their equipment?
Was it a daily flight?
I only know, that, of course, Pan Am had a scheduled service 4x/Week stopping in Manila, Guam and Honolulu to San Francisco with 747 ( last flight out 24th of April).
flt #842 Saigon/Manila/Guam/Honolulu/San Francisco (M,F)
flt #842 Saigon/Guam/Honolulu/San Francisco (W,TH)
(information from an similar topic 2002)
And Air France had a direct flight to Saigon, too.
(Air Vietnam itself flew to e. g. Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Taipeh, Hong Kong and Tokyo, but not intercontinental).
Perhaps, someone knows more about it?
PanAm747 From United States of America, joined Feb 2004, 4242 posts, RR: 10 Reply 1, posted (4 years 4 months 1 week 4 days 23 hours ago) and read 2309 times:
Because of the war and proximity of Saigon to Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Singapore (as well as possibly Kuala Lumpur), I don't think many airlines had service to Saigon during the war years, and even afterwards it was (as stated by the poster) only Pan Am and Air France.
Timz From United States of America, joined Sep 1999, 6468 posts, RR: 8 Reply 2, posted (4 years 4 months 1 week 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 2209 times:
4/75 OAG shows domestic flights, plus nonstops from MNL, BKK, HKG (CX) and SIN (SQ), plus Phnom Penh, Vientiane and ... Pakse, was it? (in Laos.)
EI A330-200 From Sweden, joined Apr 2001, 409 posts, RR: 5 Reply 3, posted (4 years 4 months 1 week 4 days 20 hours ago) and read 2202 times:
I know CO also flew into Viet Nam (and I believe SGN) during the war. It is because of the experience they (and their pilots) gained in this environment that inspried them to start Air Mike, the dominant carrier in Micronesia today. Infact, the Proud Bird with the Golden Tail was the most commonly seen a/c in SGN besides military a/c.
CCA From Hong Kong, joined Oct 2002, 708 posts, RR: 14 Reply 4, posted (4 years 4 months 1 week 4 days 20 hours ago) and read 2174 times:
Quoting PanAm747 (Reply 1): The only two I would guess that might have served Saigon would have been Thai or Cathay Pacific, but even then, I'm not sure.
PanAm747 From United States of America, joined Feb 2004, 4242 posts, RR: 10 Reply 5, posted (4 years 4 months 1 week 4 days 19 hours ago) and read 2145 times:
Question: Were there any American Pan Am employees left in Saigon after that last flight in April, 1975?
Pan Am:The World's Most Experienced Airline - P(oor) S(ailor's) A(irline): San Diego's Hometown Airline-Catch Our Smile!
Viscount724 From Switzerland, joined Oct 2006, 21493 posts, RR: 24 Reply 6, posted (4 years 4 months 1 week 4 days 19 hours ago) and read 2116 times:
Quoting EI A330-200 (Reply 3): I know CO also flew into Viet Nam (and I believe SGN) during the war.
Those were military charters, not scheduled flights. Most major US airlines operated military charters carrying both troops and cargo during the Vietnam war. Some airlines even ordered aircraft mainly intended for such uses, for example, Braniff's nine 707-320Cs.
CO also had a subsidiary then called Continental Air Services which was active in Southeast Asia and had close links to the CIA, much like Southern Air Transport which was involved the same time of operations.
Trex8 From United States of America, joined Nov 2002, 3970 posts, RR: 14 Reply 7, posted (4 years 4 months 1 week 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 2041 times:
STT757 From United States of America, joined Mar 2000, 16261 posts, RR: 52 Reply 8, posted (4 years 4 months 1 week 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 2032 times:
EXAAUADL From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 9, posted (4 years 4 months 1 week 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 1927 times:
Quoting PanAm747 (Reply 1): Because of the war and proximity of Saigon to Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Singapore (as well as possibly Kuala Lumpur), I don't think many airlines had service to Saigon during the war years, and even afterwards it was (as stated by the poster) only Pan Am and Air France.
I think all the countries in the region did including the airlines from all the countries you listed.
Now when soldiers ween on RR to HKG or BKK did they fly a MATs flight or schedule airlines?
United1 From United States of America, joined Oct 2003, 5337 posts, RR: 8 Reply 10, posted (4 years 4 months 1 week 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 1919 times:
Quoting STT757 (Reply 8): CO had Da Nang and Saigon on their Route maps:
They did and if you take a look at those flights they were operated out of El Toro, Travis & Norton AFB here in the US.
TN486 From Australia, joined Jul 2008, 816 posts, RR: 2 Reply 11, posted (4 years 4 months 1 week 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 1856 times:
Quoting EXAAUADL (Reply 9): Now when soldiers ween on RR to HKG or BKK did they fly a MATs flight or schedule airlines?
I can only speak for the period 67/68 (when I was in country for the Aussie Defence Force), it appeared to me that most R&R flights were military charters. I myself made it home (delayed due to the TET offensive Jan 68) back to Sydney for 6 days and I travelled both ways on a PAA 707. I remember the departure quite vividly, our meeting point was called camp alpha and I spent what appeared to be an eternity in that godforsaken place (7 hrs ) before we departed. R&R destinations I can remenber (Rather distant I hasten to add) were Sydney, Hong Kong, Taipee, Bangkok, Singapore (??), and some of the destinations were served by chartered prop driven ac (I cant remember the type of ac involved) although DC6B comes to mind.
remember the t shirt "I own an airline"on the front - "qantas" on the back
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From Germany, joined Sep 1999, 195 posts, 
From United States of America, joined Feb 2004, 4242 posts, 
From Sweden, joined Apr 2001, 409 posts, 
From Hong Kong, joined Oct 2002, 708 posts, 
From Switzerland, joined Oct 2006, 21493 posts, 
From Australia, joined Jul 2008, 816 posts, 
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