This amusing postcard from the 1970s1 touts the Continental 747s, which were "the only 747s with 2 lounges and a pub." The advertising material on the back further states: "The Polynesian Pub, Continental's new Coach lounge ... a fun place to relax, eat fresh-popped popcorn, drink cold beer or cocktails and meet friendly people."
This postcard makes it look like you'd be meeting characters straight from a sitcom2, which might or might not have seemed attractive at the time. Let's take a closer look at some of these folks; all of the stereotypes are there...
The back of the postcard gives an even better sense of luxury airline travel 40+ years ago. Here's the message that was printed in neat handwriting:
"Dear Mother,(I do not, by the way, know what Roast Duck à la Maxime's is.)
Guess who entertained us in the cocktail lounge of our 747 — two Playboy Bunnies (one being the Int. Playboy Bunny of the 1972 Year)! They are one board for a one week promotional stint.
For dinner we had a choice of Roast Duck à la Maxime's or Prime Rib plus spinach souflée [sic] and braised artichoke hearts! Such red carpet treatment.
We have our fingers crossed that all is going well for you. Thank you for making all this possible.
Love, Fred & Susan"
Here are links to some other websites that discuss this postcard and the phenomenon of in-flight lounges:
- Messy Nessy Chic: Let’s Reminisce over Airplanes that had Piano Bars, Cocktail Lounges, Pubs and Restaurants
- Mental Floss: 11 Things We No Longer See on Airplanes
- Weekend Blitz: Top 6: Awesome Vintage Airline Lounges on Airplanes
- Stuff You Should Know: Some Pretty Swanky Vintage Airplane Lounges [photo gallery]
- Cruising the Past: "The 747 is 40 Years Old Today. Cruising the Past celebrates the 40th Anniversary of the first commercial flight of a Boeing 747 aircraft. It was flown by Pan Am between New York and London." [worthwhile 2010 blog post with really long title]
Of course, the smiles would have ended if these fun-filled flights, and those Hawaiian shirts, had been drawn into the Magnetic Plane Destroyer!
Footnotes
1. The postcard was mailed with a six-cent stamp. The postage rate for postcards was six cents from the middle of 1971 until early 1974.
2. Or one of those Airport movies with George Kennedy.
Is that Ricardo Montalban? And where is Jennifer Aniston? Didn't she just do a commercial by the bar? Oh, wait, that was a different airline.
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