My first flight on a 767 was on a '10 best' sunny day in late April 1983. I had to do a rush run
JFK-
SFO to deliver court documents (order to show cause) that had to be served that day. I had sent out a copy late the night before and the freight flight it was on made a stop in Chicago and was delayed and couldn't guarantee it would be in
SFO by 5
PM, when the Order had to served by. I got the call on that about 10
AM, I told my boss, he asked me if I had a Credit Card, I said yes, youre going to
SFO !. I quickly had reservations on
AA for the next possible flight I could make, made for me by a secretary, then I got a car to
JFK, got there about 12 Noon, paid for the ticket and got the boarding pass. I recall running for the flight to the gate, getting on the a/c just as the door was to close. Turned out to be a rather recently delivered 767 to
AA, it still had 'new plane smell'.
The ride to me was a bit 'jiggly', kinda disappointing me a little, appaently we had some minor turbulance along the way, later it was nicer. Of course there was lunch served, a true hot meal, a movie, occasionally a nice view out the window. Arrived in
SFO around 3:30
PM also on an exceptional sunny day. Funniest thing was when I got to the airport I called my mom collect on a coin phone, but the operator didn't note where the call was comming from. My mom asked me where I was, I told her I was in
SFO. Her reply was an excited San Francisco! I got a cab to the office of local council downtown, delivered the documents, which then was served and a copy returned. A paralegal with the
SFO counsel then took for drinks at the top of the then Bank of America building, then dinner at a nearby resturant. I then got into a cab and got a red eye 9:30
PM flight back on a
AA DC-10, arriving at
JFK about 6
AM the next morning.
I have been on maybe 7-8 767 flights since then, the last in Dec. 2003
JFK-
SJU. Most of the time they were fine. I did like the 'widebody' ride, the 2 asiles making it easier to get around. Guess they will be around for at least another 30 years with production until recently, becoming the next military fueler a/c, some replaced by the 787, and probably many becoming freighters.