What do you remember about it?

My very first flight was EA #403 Boeing 720 from EWR to MIA night flight in July of 1963. Sat in last row in coach with my Mom. I was 13 years old at the time. Fare was $69.00 each on this "night" flight. No meal just drinks in which I recall I had ginger ale. Remember about the aircraft a very steep ascent which I suppose was in line with the shorter runway length the 720 was designed for as opposed to the 707.

Flew on the Air Malta B720 back in 84 and 86. What do I remember? IT WAS A LOUD PLANE !!!

I flew an EA 720 from PHL-ATL in October 1965. I remember sitting up front in coach class, a dinner service with a "highball" cocktail and upon arrival in ATL being promptly bumped off a Convair 440 to SAV flying military standby and spending the night in ATL airport with other military guys bumped from various flights. No one had told us we were flying standby. Early training for my many years of "non revving" in my airline career.

I flew UA 720s a fair amount in the mid 1960s. Mostly MSP to ORD. I was a teen and found it hard to distinguish from 707s, except a little shorter. Back then family plan airfares on United we’re only available in first class, so we flew first. I remember a pretty decent dinner with a split bottle of wine on the tray, which I gave to my Dad on the evening flights.
Later, I flew many 720b flights on Northwest and others.

Yes, with Air Malta, and I remember absolutely nothing of it. Apparently I screamed both ways for most of the flight - in my defence I was about 10 months old!

Excellent post! It was my beloved airplane because I took “the baptism of the air”,as we say, on one of those. It was October 11, 1975, I was 15 years old and had convinced my father to take the plane from Athens to Salonica for a day’s excursion. Olympic had bought seven B720s from Northwest three years earlier at $ 1 million each, a price that was considered a bargain. So we took off on SX-DBK (ex N726US) and yes, it was a rapid acceleration and steep ascent and I could feel I was really flying! When we landed at Salonica 40 minutes later, I heard the loud thud of the wheels as there was not much insulation. They proved real workhorses, but not fuel-efficient, and they were retired in 1980.
Forgot to add that one of them, SX-DBN (ex-N735US) was bought by Aeronica of Guatemala and had a lease of life until 1989.

CrewBunk wrote:

Western Airlines. LAX-SAN-HNL The cabin was Y/K in the new Boeing (widebody) interior. Great Western service including the big plastic volcano.

What is a Y/K cabin and what is the big plastic volcano?

afcjets wrote:

CrewBunk wrote:

Western Airlines. LAX-SAN-HNL The cabin was Y/K in the new Boeing (widebody) interior. Great Western service including the big plastic volcano.

What is a Y/K cabin and what is the big plastic volcano?

That's the drink cart that served their famous volcano punch on Hawaii flights. Can see it in this ad here, pretty kitschy stuff:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzR7xa3KTaQ

Aaron747 wrote:

afcjets wrote:

CrewBunk wrote:

Western Airlines. LAX-SAN-HNL The cabin was Y/K in the new Boeing (widebody) interior. Great Western service including the big plastic volcano.

What is a Y/K cabin and what is the big plastic volcano?

That's the drink cart that served their famous volcano punch on Hawaii flights. Can see it in this ad here, pretty kitschy stuff:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzR7xa3KTaQ

Oh wow, thanks for sharing, this is what I love about a.net. What year was your flight? This commercial is from 1985, long after they retired the 720. When did they start it? I assume it lasted two more years until Delta aquired them and it seems like the volcano was around for a long time.

convair880mfan wrote:

What do you remember about it?

To properly answer your question, here is a complete story of the flight. I still remember a lot of details although 45 years have passed. I think that’s what you wish to read. Here it goes:
After we had taken our last-minute seats from the Close-Out, we rushed to the gate where three ground-hostesses dressed in yellow uniforms by Cardin were calling out for last passengers: “Thessaloniki! Thessaloniki!” We were on the last bus-ten people all in all-and were taken to the B720 row near the terrace, where my mother was seeing us off. The cabin crew were three air hostesses clad in suits by Tseklenis: Navy blue and turquoise. We went through first class (in those days all Boeing flights had first class) and took our seats, 6E and 7E. The plane was already full and no sooner had we sat down than the door closed and we started taxiing.
It took us about five minutes to reach the holding point (opposite the golf course) and waited there for an airplane to land. Then the pilot announced in English: “We are ready to take off”. Strangely enough, Olympic had hired some American pilots -could it have been due to an agreement with Northwest? As the plane took position into runway 33R and abruptly accelerated, my head pushed back against the head-rest and only with difficulty was I able to bring it forth. The moment of truth had come. In half a minute we were airborne, rising steeply and I could feel something also rising in me as if I were in an airman’s drill. I have always marveled at the aerodynamic qualities of the Boeing 720B.
Just after take off, an air hostess came down the sloping aisle and slowly made her way up again holding a small basket of candy. In those days it was customary to offer candies as it was believed that they relieved pressure in the ears. Since then the practice has been discontinued. A few minutes later, another hostess, a blond one with the turquoise suit also came down the aisle, only this time we had leveled out. She walked as if she were enjoying herself, smiling like a model, holding two large metal jugs. (No floor show, just a working girl working). After a while it was time for drink service, orange and coffee.

About mid-flight the co-pilot announced: “On ouf left you can see the isle of Skiathos, on our right the island of Skopelos”. Am I really flying! I thought, seated in a sealed, insulated capsule, watching the tip of the wing gently moving up and down by the sheer force of the currents up there...And then I took time to notice the details of the cabin: the designs of fish, dolphins and conches on the panels, the open racks overhead, the large round lights on the ceiling of the cabin.
Not long afterwards we approached our destination, passing over the most spectacular landscape peculiar to Salonica, resembling a canyon and yet, the airport is so close to the sea! A loud thud at touchdown signaled our arrival and the lady at the window turned and smiled at me. And then the sequence of slowing down with the engines in reverse and the spoilers up, we crossed past the two runways intersection and finally parked in front of the old terminal.
I still have a photo of myself in front of the plane with its name visible and engraved on my memory forever: “Strymon River”...

Flown Air Malta 720 Amsterdam Frankfurt Malta and back. Remember a lot of people in the cockpit, smoking as was permitted.

I flew on a 720B CPH-IBZ on Conair of Scandinavia. September 1984. The 1960 interior was outdated, plane was loud but it flew smooth.

Yes, probably more than 50 times. Always with Conair out of CPH bound for places warm and sandy. My dad worked for the ground handling company taking care of Conair in CPH (CACH), which was indeed partially owned by Conair. There was a gentleman agreement between staff and Conair's parent, Spies Rejser, that CACH staff would not take time off during the 6-weeks of peak season, and in return they could pop into the Spies office and get ridiculous prices on an annual off-peak trip with their families. We're talking around 100 USD for a family of four; flights, top of the range hotels, meals, excursions - the whole lot.

At the age of 16 I got a job with Conair, working weekends, and soon got to know all the flight crew members as it was a small airline operating 4 x 720B, with a single 720A as spare. This gave me the opportunity to blag rides, and I must have ridded jumpseat at least 20 or 30 times to various places in the Med. My favourite was Corfu; only 2,5 hours away and one hell of an approach! Got treated like a prince by the (hot!!!) cabin attendants, could buy (and smoke) as many tax-free cigarettes as I liked, and had a seat right behind the skipper. It was at that time the aviation bug bit hard and deep, and I've been playing around with aeroplanes in one capacity or the other ever since.

I remember everything of my only 720 flight. On my 24th, my first long trip had to include Lebanon, as I figured out MEA would stop fly the 707 soon and I wanted to fly on one. The 720 was reported withdrawn the year before. I figured out IST-BEY return was the safest and most affordable way to get 707s. The price was 570 guilders, around 260 euro rt. Athens would be more, but also they used the A310 sometimes already, and it was also more expensive to get to ATH from Amsterdam. So after a few days in Istanbul, I took the bus to the airport on 29 january 1995. There I saw a smoky MEA '707' approach. It looked a bit stubby but I guessed it was the angle, as the 720s were gone already. But then at the gate I saw it was 720B OD-AGB and it had too few doors to be a 707 ! I was really excited to get a 720 as the 707 would still be possible to log for instance on the way back. I had the first Y right hand seat, perhaps 6F, with good wing/engine view. The cabin was colorful with red/orange/yellow seats and the redone 1970s closed overhead racks like most 727s and 737-200s had at that time. Nerdy me also knew this 1960 machine was the oldest jet (35 years) still flying at that time. There were about 40 passengers. The flight attendants had patchy uniforms with the big gilded buttons looking pale and missing flakes of gold. The hot meal was good for a 100 minute flight, chicken and rice. After the service, I asked if I could visit the cockpit. No problem. I asked what the 720 was doing back in service. The pilots told that they were using OD-AFN and AGB again since june 1994 as traffic picked up after the civil war. But because they didn't have hushkits (unlike their 8 707s) they were restricted to a few places like IST, LCA and CAI, and also mostly used for training. They were running out of hours and supposed to be retired in 2 months. Not sure what their last flights were, but they were sold to P&W december of the same year. After a nice 15 minute chat overlooking the mountains of south east Turkey (clear sunny day) I went back to my seat.
After 3 days in Beirut, on 1 february 1995 I would make a short flight to LCA as I found a cheap ticket locally (around 35 dollars). I was a bit disappointed to get to OD-AGB again. In the middle of take off, we might were at 80 km/hr, there was a loud boom and the pilots slammed on the breaks 2 seconds later. The runway faced the sea but we were not close to V1 yet so I wasn't too worried. It smelled in the cabin as electrical short circuit. Passengers were a bit shocked and scared. We didn't deboard, the pilots said we were safe and taxied back to the gate. 2 hours later we boarded a 707 instead. Then 8 years later there seemed a chance to get a ride on a VIP 720B, N720JR, also from Beirut. But that was cancelled, the plane was actually not airworthy, but a few friends and I had a nice tour inside. Three years ago, I got a window from that aircraft as a friend got some parts when it was scrapped in Malta. So in the end I had 1 flight on a 720.

GZM1 wrote:

convair880mfan wrote:

What do you remember about it?

To properly answer your question, here is a complete story of the flight. I still remember a lot of details although 45 years have passed. I think that’s what you wish to read. Here it goes:
After we had taken our last-minute seats from the Close-Out, we rushed to the gate where three ground-hostesses dressed in yellow uniforms by Cardin were calling out for last passengers: “Thessaloniki! Thessaloniki!” We were on the last bus-ten people all in all-and were taken to the B720 row near the terrace, where my mother was seeing us off. The cabin crew were three air hostesses clad in suits by Tseklenis: Navy blue and turquoise. We went through first class (in those days all Boeing flights had first class) and took our seats, 6E and 7E. The plane was already full and no sooner had we sat down than the door closed and we started taxiing.
It took us about five minutes to reach the holding point (opposite the golf course) and waited there for an airplane to land. Then the pilot announced in English: “We are ready to take off”. Strangely enough, Olympic had hired some American pilots -could it have been due to an agreement with Northwest? As the plane took position into runway 33R and abruptly accelerated, my head pushed back against the head-rest and only with difficulty was I able to bring it forth. The moment of truth had come. In half a minute we were airborne, rising steeply and I could feel something also rising in me as if I were in an airman’s drill. I have always marveled at the aerodynamic qualities of the Boeing 720B.
Just after take off, an air hostess came down the sloping aisle and slowly made her way up again holding a small basket of candy. In those days it was customary to offer candies as it was believed that they relieved pressure in the ears. Since then the practice has been discontinued. A few minutes later, another hostess, a blond one with the turquoise suit also came down the aisle, only this time we had leveled out. She walked as if she were enjoying herself, smiling like a model, holding two large metal jugs. (No floor show, just a working girl working). After a while it was time for drink service, orange and coffee.

About mid-flight the co-pilot announced: “On ouf left you can see the isle of Skiathos, on our right the island of Skopelos”. Am I really flying! I thought, seated in a sealed, insulated capsule, watching the tip of the wing gently moving up and down by the sheer force of the currents up there...And then I took time to notice the details of the cabin: the designs of fish, dolphins and conches on the panels, the open racks overhead, the large round lights on the ceiling of the cabin.
Not long afterwards we approached our destination, passing over the most spectacular landscape peculiar to Salonica, resembling a canyon and yet, the airport is so close to the sea! A loud thud at touchdown signaled our arrival and the lady at the window turned and smiled at me. And then the sequence of slowing down with the engines in reverse and the spoilers up, we crossed past the two runways intersection and finally parked in front of the old terminal.
I still have a photo of myself in front of the plane with its name visible and engraved on my memory forever: “Strymon River”...

Just wanted to say thanks for this account. I imagined myself there too. If you get chance I would love to see any pics of the plane.

Flanker7 wrote:

Flown Air Malta 720 Amsterdam Frankfurt Malta and back. Remember a lot of people in the cockpit, smoking as was permitted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_8DTrkKxlI&t=283s

This video is unfortunately in Maltese, and basically talks about how the 720 came to Air Malta from PIA, and of course the opposition government party in Malta saying that it was silly to get these "old planes" and how they were "asafar taċ-Ċomb" which if my Maltese is correct is "birds made out of lead". But I digress. At 2:18 in the video you can see a 3 people in the cockpit, AND they were smoking. It is an interesting video about how Air Malta came into existence.

In 1971 I flew from Hilo, Hawaii on a Western Airlines 720 with my grandparents. Only 12 at the time but remember boarding via stairs, the halfway point guessing game, the punch bowl, the flight attendants wearing Hawaiian shirts and getting slammed with some turbulence.

My flight to Hawaii was on a UA 747 carrying a 5th engine to HNL. Great flights both ways!

I flew on a United 720 from ORD to EWR back in the early 70's. As I recall,it wasn't much different than the 707.

My first ever flight on a Western 720B in 1965 - LAX-SAN-PHX-DEN and then return. I remember approaching SAN and hearing the engines throttling up and down a lot. I'm not sure they believed in stabilized approaches in those days!

Never had a chance to fly on it

1973 from UK to Greece on holiday.

Geoff1947 wrote:

1973 from UK to Greece on holiday.

Monarch Airlines

Is the 720 louder than the 747-400?