Special service marks 50 years of transatlantic jet flights

British Airways arranged a special flight from London to New York on October 4th to celebrate the 50th anniversary of jet flights across the Atlantic Ocean.

The first jet plane to fly across the Atlantic was a BOAC Comet, which left London on October 4th, 1958 and carried 40 passengers to Idlewild Airport in New York, which is now known as John F Kennedy Airport.

One of the people on that historic flight was 22-year-old Brian Barnett, who was invited to take part in the special service over the weekend celebrating its 50th anniversary.

He was served champagne by cabin crew dressed in old-fashioned navy blue BOAC uniforms.

Speaking to a Telegraph reporter about his first trip across the Atlantic 50 years ago, Mr Barnett said: "It was unbelievable, a dream. I was elated; it was the highlight of my life. It was a jet plane and I'd never been on a jet plane."

The BOAC Comet that flew from London to New York in 1958 took more than ten hours to complete its journey as it had to stop in Newfoundland, Canada to refuel.

There were two jet planes crossing the Atlantic that day, however, and the eastbound aircraft managed to reach London without stopping and completed the transatlantic flight in a record six hours 11 minutes.

Posted by Paul, 07 October 2008 13:17

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• British Airways