Times. They Keep A-Changing! – Most Especially in Aviation
Both John and I have been out of the airline for a few years now. I flew as a Flight Attendant from 1987 through to 1995 and John flew as a Pilot (most of his career as Captain) from 1979 to 2018 and over the times we flew, we both saw changes to how Air New Zealand operated its fleet and inflight experiences.
From my time to now, domestic flights have lost their meals and for John, Pilots no longer hand fly the likes of the wonderful F27 and B737-200, but now press buttons and twist knobs on the modern fleets .
We are all so familiar with the jet fleet of A320s, B777s and B787s that fly us to our destinations, both domestically and internationally, that we forget this is only a snapshot of the evolution of our national carrier.
All things change and evolve. What was once only available to the uber wealthy has become available to practically anyone. Just like glass windows made their way from only being in castles and mansions to being in every single home; and cars being only for the elite few to now being in the possession of everyone – the same has happened to flying. It’s simply a commodity, like catching a bus.
Flying from A to B is something we all take for granted.
Here we talk to Ron Twine, Air New Zealand’s longest serving Flight Attendant. He has been in the air longer than pretty much every one of us. Here, he tells us about the changes he’s seen over the 53 years he flew – from 1970 to 2023. He has seen more than half a century of change.
Ron Twine in his Cabin Crew Uniform 1970
CHANGES
Over my 53yrs as a flight attendant I’ve seen many changes, across all facets of flying. Firstly would be the size and type of aircraft I flew:-
Lockheed Jet-Prop Electra – 99 passengers and a range of 3,450kms
DC 8 – 269 passengers and a range of 4,800kms
DC 10 – 270 passenger and a range of 6,500kms
B747 200 – 366 passengers (3 classes) and a range of 12,700kms
B747 400 – 416 passengers (3 classes) and a range of 13,492kms
B767 – 200 – 181 passengers and a range of 12,200kms
B767 – 300 - 218 passengers and a range of 11,070
B777 – 200 – 314 passengers and a range of 13,900
B777 – 300 - 396 passengers and a range of 13,650
B787 – 1 - 242 passengers and a range of 13,662
B787 – 9 - 302 passengers and a range of 14,140
Melissa here. For those who like a good graph to visualise data, I made this graph - please note that the data is simply from the internet - to give you an idea on fleet progress
Secondly would be the growth of the international network. This was due to the advent of aircraft with a longer range & carrying more passengers which opened up an array of economic destinations previously untried. The size of Air NZ’s international fleet assisted with the frequency of flights which in turn made it more competitive.
As a result, another big change as time went by, was the downtime we had at outstations. As the international fleet grew, and frequency increased we had progressively less time at destinations. For example, one trip pattern when I began flying, was 21 days away. This was operated by the DC-8.
Auckland – Honolulu – 5days layover
Honolulu – Los Angeles 4 days layover
Los Angeles – Tahiti 2 days layover
Tahiti – Los Angeles 4 days layover
Los Angeles – Honolulu 5 days layover
Honolulu- Auckland
At other times, there was a week in Frankfurt – a week in Hong Kong, five days in Apia, a week in Tahiti and a week in Beijing. Because of frequency now, stopovers are of minimum duration, that limits activities that can be undertaken.
In the cabin, one notable change was the passengers. Flying in the 1970s was quite an elite experience, which due to the cost was not openly available to everyone. Male passengers wore jackets and ties, while the ladies wore hats and gloves, with children in their Sunday best. As you can imagine inflight incidents were very rare. Now, alas, jandals and trackies feature far too often and some passengers can be a rude and rowdy bunch at times.
From offering first class passengers post meal cigarettes and selling cigarettes and lighters onboard, the change to all services eventually all became smoke – free, was welcomed if not relished by cabin crew. It took passengers some time to accept the no smoking regulations, but after some were caught and subsequently prosecuted, incidents became less prevalent.
Duty Free prices 1970s
I’ve seen 8 uniform changes since 1970. When I started, the male uniform was black and white, the same as the pilots, and we also wore hats. Inflight, our jacket was replaced with a tuxedo, and the tie changed to a bowtie. We looked very first class. The flight hostess uniform was the classic Dior, which looked stunning. Inflight, they changed to a pastel coloured shift type dress, with a Pacific motif – also stunning.
The men’s military look went in 1976, with both men and women moving into sky blue Nina Ricci designed uniforms. I modelled this uniform on TV and stage. There have been a number of uniforms since then.
Ron modeling the uniform
Koru Flights
Starting in the DC8, the annual Koru flights were quite the event. Air NZ provided the aircraft, fuel and the meals. The flight and cabin crew volunteered their time. We canvassed many businesses, that donated everything from confectionery, balloons and gifts for the under privileged, sick and disabled children from all over NZ, those lucky enough to be chosen to fly.
All the cabin crew dressed as superheroes, Disney characters, etc, and I and other crew took our guitars and sang Christmas Carols, while Father Christmas came aboard mid-flight. On landing a meal and drinks were served and entertainment provided. They were amazing days. I managed to be part of all these flights bar one.
Inflight Incidents
On the DC10, a marketing guru thought it would be a good idea to offer our first class passengers something over and above what was on the menu. A freezer cart was added to the galley. This contained, trout, venison, crayfish, pheasant and other goodies. The only problem was we had no microwave to thaw these meals, so we were unable to serve them. The upside was that on the return Tasman sector, the crew ate very well indeed! Funnily enough the freezer cart didn’t last very long!
Prior to a Hong Kong flight, the ground staff were on strike. This meant that the incoming aircraft was not serviced at all. No cleaning, rubbish removal or catering. The decision was made that the flight would depart regardless, and the food provided was KFC! Passengers were advised of this, and were more than happy with their meals, none more so than the passengers in First Class, where the KFC was delivered with silver service and champagne. Cabin crew are a resourceful bunch!
At one stage on our NZ - London - NZ services, there was a promotion whereby the older passengers were, the less they paid. As you can imagine, this resulted in many of our customers requiring wheelchairs. To the best of knowledge one flight required 77 wheelchairs!
Not long into a SYD – AKL sector, I’d heard a bird flying around. I didn’t want to say anything, until another crew member thought they’d seen a bird. I hadn’t imagined it at all. We finally found and captured this small bird. The authorities were informed, and the bird handed over on arrival. In the news the next day, it was reported that a passenger on our flight was found to have lots of pockets sewn inside his coat. He was smuggling drugged birds. The one we had found had come to and escaped into the cabin. Unfortunately, all these beautiful wee birds had to be euthanised.
Alcohol on Board
Early in my career, in economy, alcohol was not complimentary, but not expensive either. Beer was 18c, Spirits - 28c, Champagne split - 50c, Stills - 25c.
Over consumption by passengers can lead to problems, so crew have to be vigilant. Some flights like AKL – HKG for the rugby 7s, it was not unusual to have the bars drunk dry well before arrival. On the other hand leaving LAX on New Year’s Eve, I thought we’d offer champagne for everyone onboard. After going through the entire cabin, we gave away only half a dozen. Incredible!
It’s great to see apart from French champagne, all wines on Air NZ come from NZ. A great showcase for our wine industry.
Turbulence
Fortunately, during my flying career, I’ve only really encountered one severe turbulence incident. was AKL – NAN on the DC8 aircraft. I was still the junior steward in economy at the time.
We had just finished serving the meal and drinks when the aircraft dropped quite dramatically. I had been kneeling on the floor, getting something from a low stowage. I hit the roof and was then slammed back down again. Luckily, I was unhurt. I looked up the cabin, and saw most of the meals we’d just served, dripping from the cabin roof. We had a few injured passengers, the ones who had unfastened seatbelts, but most were shaken up. In those days, in economy class, meals were served in china, and drinks were served in glass. Needless to say, the rest of the flight was one huge clean up job, with broken glass and crockery causing the biggest problem.
