I Flew America's Most BIZARRE Airline: 1 FLIGHT A MONTH!

I took a flight on America's most bizarre airline, with only 1 flight a month, on a quest to find out just why this flight exists.
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[@goldenshield]

Eastern is mainly a charter airline operating under Supplemental rules. In order to maintain Domestic/Flag currency with the FAA, they have to operate a scheduled flight at least once every 30 days. And you found it.

[@goldenshield]

Also, I know you made mention of this later in the video, but I made this comment in the first 3 minutes of watching it. The only difference is that it's 30 days, not calendar month, which means that the airline might have to fly twice within the same calendar month to stay current. That said, letting the currency lapse CAN be a big deal. Depending on the opinion of the governing FSDO, it can be as little as a 5 day notification of service, all the way up to requiring inspection and proving runs again, which is not something you want to happen if part of your business is holding yourself out to other carriers for sub-service.

[@keithphilbin3054]

I thought they were running drugs 😄

[@jsmith1746]

@@goldenshield - How does Omni Air maintain their certification? They don't run any scheduled services, but do a lot of sub-service operations, along with their many military charters.

[@goldenshield]

@@jsmith1746 Omni doesn't run any scheduled operations on its own. However, they are fully certificated for it. If Omni was to be sub-contracted to operate service under domestic or flag rules for a scheduled carrier, they would just need to notify the the FAA at least 5 days in advance of that service, as I mentioned above. Whether the local FSDO plays along and lets them do it is another story, but it can be done.

[@k.r.baylor8825]

This scheduled flight is almost like a parliamentary service on UK railroads. It's run on certain rare times/dates simply to meet the letter of the law.

[@StrikeEagleCinema]

Man if you were on a 767 in business class seats back in '84 you were absolutely living. Kick up your footrest, spark up a Marlboro, and watch some Risky Business on the ceiling screen. That is how you know you had it made.

[@AndrewTubbiolo]

Just consider that if you were flying on a 40 year old aircraft in 1984 it would be made in 1944. Things have not changed as much from 1984 as they had changed from 1944.

[@scottnichols3685]

Great point.

[@jimestooper1480]

Well, the safety standards and technology on the software side has changed dramatically. Physical appearances of planes and whatnot can’t really get much different or at least there’s no reason to change anything up drastically.

[@sockmonkey22]

@@jimestooper1480 No? Darn. I was looking forward to a Borg Cube design.😩. 😆😆

[@darrencarey3311]

As someone who was born in 1984. Your comment has ruined my night 🤣

[@AndrewTubbiolo]

@@jimestooper1480 I wonder if the software changes between 1944 and 1984 were actually greater from 1984 to 2023? After all, there was no software being used on airplanes in 1944. However, there was actual software being run on the ground at that time. But only for something like two years or so.

[@landinsongs]

Eastern was a major airline back in the 70's with lots of international destinations. I flew on a 30 days airpass with unlimited travel in north america, mexico, middle america and the northern parts of south america - for about USD250 including meals and checked in luggage. We went to Santo Domingo, Barranqilla, Mexico City, Montego Bay, Miami, New York. Their main hub used to be Atlanta. It was an incredible journey for a young lad.

[@veloraloves]

YES. Eastern Airlines was headquartered out of Miami - right on 36th street in Miami Springs. Springs is located right next to Miami International, and was founded by Glenn Curtiss (father of the aviation industry). Several generations of my family are from that area, with many people I knew personally (including relatives) that worked for Eastern. I had the insane privilege of being snuck into one of the Eastern flight simulators by a corporate employee with my sister when we were barely teenagers in 1989. Sadly, I do not remember what model the craft was, but I will never forget how cool that experience was as long as I live. Especially now that I understand what a no-no that is. 😆

[@docash2107]

I flew on Eastern many times years ago.

[@connieoliver7369]

In my teens, I flew Eastern airlines . That was back in the 70s. My flight from Ohio to Florida costs $40 round trip

[@chaitanyarao5546]

Wasn’t Eastern the launch customer for the A300 when Airbus gave them a couple jets for free?

[@colin9072]

Different airline now however

[@jackfeldman3916]

Fun facts! This is the only 767-200 left in commercial service; this is one of the oldest planes left in commercial service

[@FacundoOviedo]

Here in Argentina we have a 50 years old Fokker F28, would be great to have Noel coming here and taking it!

[@davidtoups4684]

@@FacundoOviedo If he hears about it, no doubt he'll be headed down there

[@marcellkondor3414]

UTair has two 767-200ER (previously owned by Continental) still in service. FunFact: these 767-200's were built in 2001, so relatively new planes.

[@paulnieuwenhoven5842]

How about North Korean airlines

[@canadianaviator]

@@paulnieuwenhoven5842 They aren’t that old

[@JohnDoe-lt4kl]

Note to wife: don't wait until the flight is over before providing your opinion. Wait until luggage is delivered.

[@gstevens6948]

😂😂😂

[@darthderp8066]

As many people flip their lid about there stuff being gone or not getting and that’s just with greyhound 😂

[@TheoneandonlyEETFUK]

KEEP HIS WIFE'S NAME OUT YO FKN MOUTH

[@Rekuzan]

If you want to show her what's it REALLY like on this channel when it comes to rooms, take her through JFK sometime; it'll change her world view!

[@stephengrimmer35]

I thought you were going to say they are still in Miami, come back next month 🤣

[@lawrencewang9048]

Say what you want about that 767 being 40 years old, but Boeing back then was run by engineers, not accountants. These jets were put together to last an extremely long time with the correct maintenance. I hope Eastern keeps these flying for a bit longer and someone preserves these after they're done!

[@stevebrooks7197]

Having flown the B-52, I agree.

[@crookim]

737 are flying coffins

[@edmondse]

This comment has aged like fine wine.

[@AlTheEngineer]

Ah! The good ol' "cargo door won't open on the plane" trick explaining the baggage delays. American Airlines uses this trick in Miami all the time as well, can't tell you how many times we waited for hours recently in MIA for bags to show up on the belt ... Every single time, they told us "the cargo door won't open and they needed engineering to fix it". The reality is much simpler than that, they simply don't have employees - that's all. I confirmed this with an AA employee in MIA. Whenever bags are delayed, its either someone (bag handler) didn't show up to their shift on time or at all, or they quit, or the airline simply doesn't have an employee to service the flight on time of arrival. A malfunctioning cargo door would actually send the plane to the hanger for repairs.

[@GolfLad2023]

I’m going to assume that because I’m watching this video, the plane just stayed intact

[@kevinleaver9414]

Eastern Airlines also manages the New England Patriots two B767-300. During the off season, one of them is used for flights via MIA.

[@congresssux9766]

Any idea why they have two aircraft in their fleet?

[@TheThirdFall]

@@congresssux9766 Officially, one is a backup. From what I understand, they're essentially using them during the season, then when that ends, they're renting the planes out to others who might need/want it. They bought the planes for nearly nothing ($10m for two), and the running costs for the Patriots are estimated at around $4m yearly, so it's probably more of a case of 'why not'?

[@omerbasyazc7507]

​@@congresssux976621:46

[@SpaceBaron]

This is really interesting. The original Eastern Airlines was founded in 1926. They had a blue logo with the words "Eastern" on the side of the aircraft. They flew several aircraft including the A300, B727 and B747, util they went bankrupt in 1991. Eastern Airlines LLC (Limited Liability Company) came into existence as Dynamic Air in 2010, but the airline was not sustainable, and they filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in 2017. After the restructuring in 2018, they obtained the licence to use the intellectual property of the original Eastern Airlines which was held by Swift Air. They now fly with a hybrid Eastern Airlines and Swift Air livery. They own several B767-200/300/ER and B777-200/300/ER aircraft which flies cargo and passengers. Probably military passengers as per contract you mentioned. They used to fly to Ecuador, Guyana, Nicaragua, Paraguay and Uruguay, but these flights where all terminated. Now they only fly to the Dominican Republic, with plans for a flight to China in the future. As I said, most interesting!

[@Garth_T]

Thank you for this information! I was shocked Noel made no reference at all to the original airline and the connection with the current.

[@johnsramek3905]

The squiggly external logo seems all new, but the pamphlet in the seat back appeared to have the old straight-lines Eastern logo 🤗 I remember old Eastern, I think they flew shades of purple? and there was an old Aurora plastic scale model of something (a 727?) with the two-tone stripe (good ol' Aurora, they used to make a fire-engine-red Braniff 747 too, iirc, and a PSA 737 that must have been 1/72 scale, huge)

[@markgriffith2473]

Eastern airlines was very popular before 1980s they also had Western airlines around that time too but is totally defunct I doubt the even one plane (but don’t quote me !)

[@cocodalish]

It sounds like they are trying to make a come back!

[@travellinmark2745]

Thanks, I remember the old Eastern well, especially the original Eastern Shuttle between New York LaGuardia and Washington, DC.

[@scottkinnebrew7924]

The flight attendant that greeted you when coming on board had a pin on his chest from the original Eastern Airlines (the wings with their original logo). I flew Eastern a few times when I was a kid in the 80s. Eastern and Pan-Am are both brands I'd love to see flying again in full glory. Oh well... it was still cool to see that FAs wing pin.

[@WonderingWildWanderingRose]

I got a pair of those wings when flying Eastern as an unaccompanied minor back in 1980. I even got a tour of the cockpit with the pilot, which seems so unreal nowadays. Some special memories attached to the original Eastern airlines.

[@joshualau4070]

Fun fact: Eastern was chartered to fly Australian cruise ship tourists from FLL to SFO to meet up with an extra SFO - SYD segment on United to take them back to Australia when COVID hit.

[@marlondingle651]

Fun fact: using initials instead of actually saying what you are saying is annoying as fuck.

[@michaela6147]

Back to the prison camp

[@xbdgames6355]

​@@michaela6147 😂 too much CNN

[@congresssux9766]

@@xbdgames6355 They arrested people for being in beaches. But they also did that here in the states.

[@xbdgames6355]

@@congresssux9766 I'm from the US, I was in Aus for 15 months during covid before I got home to the US. You know which 1 I liked better.... have a guess 🤔

[@patriciafuchs5970]

Good grief, this is pretty bizarre. It’s like being caught in a time warp. It’s kind of weird to see ashtrays on planes.

[@brianlund3125]

It took me back to the late 70s when Eastern was a major airline.

[@A380_central_usa_jfk_]

@@brianlund3125 sane 😂😂

[@isaaner7761]

As a heavy smoker I sorely miss the good old days when i would book a 'smoker' seat. Yes, even heavy smokers can reach a ripe old age !

[@lummatravel]

All planes have ashtrays, even brand new ones. Even though you can't smoke, they still need to have a safe way of putting a lot cigarette out

[@kdp8133]

@@isaaner7761 I no longer smoke, but I did when I first started flying. I remember sitting at the back! Usually under that noisy engine in the tail of a DC10 or Tristar. The thought of three engines planes is now strange too.

[@Springbok295]

For those unfamiliar, this Eastern has nothing to do with the huge legacy carrier that once existed. That being said Noel I chuckled when you said there was no signage for EA at MIA. Trust me back in the day you'd have had no problem spotting them. MIA was their home turf.

[@veloraloves]

HAHAHA! YES. Right off of 36th st in Miami Springs.

[@demartin5366]

Wow, isn't that the truth! Eastern took up nearly half of the MIA Airport back in the day. I miss seeing all those L-1011s, Boeing 727 100 and 200s, DC-9 30s. It was certainly a legacy carrier. Im so glad to have experienced it. They served my hometown of EVV with service to SDF, ATL, and DCA directly and also a leg over to STL. It was wonderful flying a Boeing 727 200 and a DC 9 30, for only 100 miles over to SDF for only $25.00. Seems like a dream now.

[@JupiterSailfish]

Ahhh I was wondering about that if this was the same airline. I remember my Father always saying he flew Eastern Airlines and the switched to Delta which is what I've been on my whole life. Thanks for the info and great video as always Noel! Also I wanted to like your comment but it's at 69 likes and I can't bring myself to ruin it.

[@amritlohia8240]

@@JupiterSailfish They're a new company who purchased the intellectual property of the old Eastern - hence why they're able to use the logo etc.

[@JupiterSailfish]

@@amritlohia8240 Ah ok, thanks for the info!

[@totoroisbi]

Eastern airlines ran a lot of US embassy repatriation flights from South America to Miami in 2020 for people stuck in various countries.

[@doodleschucky]

1 hour 40mins must have felt like 5 minutes to you Noel, given the amount of hours you are usually in the air :-) Lovely to see your wife on screen too. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

[@donaldfedosiuk1638]

I made my one and only flight on a Constellation on the old Eastern shuttle from Boston to NYC sometime in the later 70's. The Eastern shuttle customarily used contemporary jets (DC-9s or 727s, I forget which) but there was heavy customer traffic that day and they fired up a Connie to accomodate the overflow. I was travelling on business with a half-dozen colleagues and we comandeered the tiny little lounge in the tail. I can still feel the vibration from those big pistons!

[@arlenbell4376]

The Eastern shuttles were all 727s. I used to walk up the rear stairs and just take a seat. You paid the cash $26 fare on board.

[@Adgproductions]

Cargo door issues do not only happen to older planes. My wife and I took a non stop 17 hour flight from LA to Singpapore on a new Singapore Airlines A350. We arrived in Singapore during a heavy rainstorm and the airline could not open the cargo door. We waited at baggage claim for 21/2 hours along with the captain, flight crew and passengers before we finally got our luggage.

[@dabooom1296]

2,5h 10,5h or 21,5h?🤔😋

[@kabob21]

A 17 hr flight oof that’s rough

[@levigoldson4242]

@@kabob21 Dumbest decision I ever made was flying to Singapore via Moscow from the US. Including the 2 hour layover in moscow, the flight took me 33 hours from take off to landing in Singapore.

[@SkiBumMSP]

@@kabob21 I thought that 14-hour flight I took from Dulles to Tokyo was a long one! 17 hours?

[@firesurfer]

@@levigoldson4242 Dumbest decision I ever made was to take a Greyhound bus from NY to LA. THREE DAYS!! They changed drivers about every 400 miles.

[@maxsmodels]

That used to be Dynamic Airlines, a charter operator, but they were able to get the Eastern brand from their affiliate Swift Air a few years ago when Swift went under. They then rebranded. They had a plane catch fire on the ground in Ft. Lauderdale FL in 2015 which didn't help their finances or image. ACMI (charters) is still their main gig but they have to operate a scheduled flight each month to maintain their certification.

[@daxconnell7661]

i knew a guy that worked at the Vancouver International Airport around twenty years ago and there was a group called the Flight Club. they were relatively cheap but tended to have a lot of mechanical problems like one time a wheel feel off an aircraft. not sure if it was part or whole, but either way doesn't instill confidence

[@cyclopsvision6370]

so this is really a dummy flight to keep their FAA license?

[@goodshipkaraboudjan]

@@cyclopsvision6370 pretty much. Not something that other ACMIs have to do so I guess they're keeping their options open for RPT ops. They're going more down the freighter route though but they're aggressively hiring and poaching pilots from other ACMIs.

[@Flajetcollector60]

Great video Noel. Despite the age of the aircraft, having the opportunity to fly the iconic 767-200 is something I would do in a second. Was recently at the Delta Museum of Flight in Atlanta where they have The Spirit of Delta 767-200 in one of the hangers completely restored inside and out. Same as this aircraft with the giant video projectors on the ceiling and the pull down screens. Beautiful wide body of the past brings back great memories! Thanks for this fantastic as always and Happy Anniversary to you and Rach !

[@edinnorthcarolina--ovelhog5786]

As a retired airline pilot I cans say that the 767-200 was my all time favorite airplane to fly.

[@supericeman1]

The takeoff was quick, wow! It's interesting to see the classic PW logo on the engine, the seats were missing their disposable headrest covers, and such an throwback experience!

[@s35bonanzapilot84]

Noel, you need to take Rachel on more trips. She's just a cool lady with a great sense of humor.

[@KLowe-of5yz]

I totally agree! So enjoy when Rachel is filming with you. I hope you had a wonderful time at the resort! :)

[@johnsramek3905]

Yes, Rach is adorable, you guys make a great team! ☺👍

[@fredfred2363]

Yep, sharp as a tack that one... Certainly adds to the entertainment factor. 👍🏻😀🇬🇧

[@florianpelin]

Rachel: 1 Noel:0 I almost choked on my food because of her joke 🤣

[@gks7424]

What do think about this 40 year old thing 😂 perfect response from Rachel!

[@vincentcalvelli6452]

The reason it took so long for your bags to arrive is the cargo bin door ended up being manually cranked opened .

[@stevenmacdonald9619]

All credit to that 767-200 surviving up to today, as it started with Egypt Air in the 1980's. It avoided highjackers, intentional explosions, and a time when aircraft were classed as genuine targets in certain parts of the world.

[@gstevens6948]

The Hotel room was funky (in a good way) and fun, looked very clean. Love the lil’ pool outside the room. So good to see Rachel and you both as well. Cheers! 🥂

[@lsualum00]

Loved watching this one! Not only for the 767 relic, but also the banter with Rachel! Hope you enjoyed the vacation! Keep up the great work Noel!

[@trmorris92]

The last old bird I had the good fortune of flying on was a L1011 Tristar from Tunisia to Manchester in 2005, operated by the Portuguese charter airline Euro Atlantic (CS-TEB) and drafted in as a replacement for our scheduled MyTravel flight which was grounded due to a technical fault. It was only a year older than this plane, but sadly was retired from service in 2010 and stored in an airfield in Jordan.

[@sco3putt]

My favorite all time plane.

[@tobyray8700]

Now that Noel flew on it, the next flight will be packed 😁

[@clairepapadatos1116]

It was absolutely wonderful to see Rachel again 😀 Wonderful vlog! Love and best wishes, Claire Berlin Germany ❤

[@christopherten-eyck4473]

I flew eastern airlines in 1976 from Florida to Philadelphia. Back then it was one of the biggest airlines service. Thanks for your video, good to see that you took Rac along with you hello from Pa.

[@ibdam1]

As a youngster in the 70s and early 80s Eastern Airlines was a major airline.

[@brianlund3125]

Anytime I flew when I was younger thats what my parents would get tickets for. Once I was on a plane that was huge. It was 2/5/2 seating. Then we had to take a small army relic to ft myers from Miami. It was the type of plane that DB Cooper jumped out of. And this was the late 70s early 80s. The only other airline I flew with was Midwest Express from Milwaukee to Las Vegas. It was nice getting champagne and fresh baked cookies on board.

[@rachaelgoldman5846]

Back in the '80s, Eastern Airlines regularly flew out of EWR, where it had a hub. It usually flew to Florida and the Caribbean. I have vivid memories of flying Eastern to Bermuda in 1986.I even have a salt and pepper shaker from their dining service.

[@dlane5292]

I've only been on a 767 twice both times on Delta. I like them. Age is not a big thing to me as long as it's mechanically maintained well.

[@thesolorunner9313]

Have a great trip and happy early anniversary! Thanks for sharing this unique trip, I might have to try it out!

[@nancycowell-miller4321]

Interesting. I do remember Eastern Airlines from way back - although I'd never flown them. I noticed that the tail sported a smaller version of their original blue & white logo. I think I saw it on the safety card as well. Nice journey back in time 😊

[@fleishum]

That takeoff reminded me of traveling from Asuncion to Sao Paulo on a 767-300. It's like it floated up and away. At least they didn't leave your bags in Miami because that would have been a bummer to have to wait for the next flight.

[@jobinfo100]

Between 1987 and 1993 I often flew with Royal Brunai on the 757 then the 767 from Frankfurt to Bangkok. The Boeing 767 was the first twin-engine aircraft to fly non-stop from Frankfurt to Bangkok. Thank you for the nice review.

[@mileshigh1321]

That plane was amazing! Love how it is still flying! I really enjoyed you bringing the wife along! Please do more with her! The hotel was lovely esp with that pool!

[@patshia7669]

hey Noel, great video! I'd recommend putting a wind jammer on your lav mic when you speak directly into it. It's an easy fix and would really enhance the audio experience of your videos.

[@kingfish4575]

The last old bird I flew on was, a DC-10 in 2003 from Paris to Chicago. It was beat to hell and back with chipped paint and everything and it was owned by Northwest. It had ALL the old school amenities from the overhead projector to the really bad audio system that used those same air based headphones.

[@iainmclaren964]

That sounds like a "KLM" flight from AMS-IAD about that time that was actually with Northwest on an elderly DC10. The cabin crew were in a strange assortment of uniforms in something like the airline colours. Strange behaviour by most of them. Felt like a throwback 25 years. Bizarre.

[@dathpo]

This Eastern Airlines LLC not the Eastern Airlines founded in the 1920,s and sold to Texas air? in 1986. My first flight was on Eastern airlines in 1970 to Ft Lauderdale a 727. I'll never forget it! Flawless it was.

[@erickrmz9472]

What a surprise to see again Eastern flying! I used it several times when I was a child in the route Mexico City - Atlanta. I think those years they had DC-10 in that route. Even, I keep a wing pin with the original logo that my dad gave to me from their brand merchandise. Their new logo remembrance to the original one. Very good memories.

[@mitchellsantoro4982]

Agent: “thank you have a great flight” Noel: “thanks you too” Lmao 😂

[@ihatekpeng]

They were a major airline for decades up until the early 90's based out of Miami. I still remember riding in my parents' car on the Palmetto Expressway as a kid, and seeing the Eastern Airlines building.

[@Plusty07]

Hello Noel, For years, Eastern was a legacy carrier. It was the cat's meow with the likes of PAN-AM and the Braniff. As is customary, it went belly-up and has been trying to make a slow return to prominence. I remember when I was but a wee lad in the islands, in the days of the waiving gallery, it was Eastern that caused my enthusiasm for all that's plane to sore. It was nostalgic!

[@derekr7348]

Hey there, just wanted to add. Occasionally Eastern will charter this particular 200 to BoA (I’ve actually worked on this one [The Cargo compartment is a travesty lol]). It stays parked in Foxtrot when not being used, normally next to that BoA plane. Since Foxtrot terminal does not get much traffic. On a side note, same with RedAir and World Atlantic at MIA(They operate MD-80s and don’t have many flights).

[@brianlund3125]

My uncle used to work for World Airways which ran as a charter for the armed services and would run troops to different bases and transport supplies. If they were taking troops they had to put in the seating for them to ride on otherwise there were no seats in the planes.

[@tstidm4]

Great to see Rachel on an adventure with you.

[@JupiterSailfish]

Great video as always and fun to watch! I used to fly a lot when I was a kid with my parents in the 90s on Delta and seeing this older plane set up brought back lots of memories. That landing was coming in hot! Beautiful looking country that I hope to visit one day and hotel. I hope that was a fun trip for you and your wife!

[@kjjones8627]

Love your videos Noel, thank you for all your hard work

[@user-bu2eh4ct5j]

It's lovely to see you and Rachel travelling together.

[@andempson]

for a period of time they operated scheduled services from MIA to various destinations in South America, for example Asuncion and Montevideo. in August 2021 I used them to go from MVD-MIA.

[@ritz84in]

Rach is amazing. I love it when she takes a dig at Noyaaal 🤣 Would love to see more of you two travelling.

[@flyingscalpel7]

So cool. Nostalgic AF! I flew several 767-300's of the same era on the west coast to hawaii as a child. It kickstarted my love of aviation. I love this video!

[@CMH-aviation]

The engine buzz on take off was amazing

[@whiskymacable]

"What do you think about this 40yr old battered old thing"...Rachel- Are you talking about the plane or you? ... That was the best thing said throughout the whole video 😂

[@becsterbrisbane6275]

OMG, I reckon watching that plan door opening was totally worth the $500 alone- how cool & glad you got to capture it Noel!! Fully expected you to say however you'd have to swim over to Puerto Rico for the return flight so was tad disappointed when you said there were other airlines for the return journey lolol

[@danielbagliettoseymour2802]

Hey! Thanks for a lovely review,Happy Anniversary to You Both & Happy Birthday!🎉🎉🎉Enjoy your time in Dominican Republic✈️✈️✈️✈️

[@jonasuk]

That particular flights might be busier now that you gone on it :) Which is all good. In the UK there are some train lines which operate very limited services like once a week, for similar reasons, with no or only a few passengers. They call them "Parliamentary trains" or "Ghost trains"

[@GatorGirl]

Oh man. I remember flying on the old Eastern Airlines back in the '70s and early '80s. It was a really big airline back then, before low-cost airlines were a thing. They even sponsored a ride at Disney World - "If You Had Wings". It was one of the few rides you could go on back then without a separate ticket, so I wound up riding it a lot. It basically just had travel videos from various destinations with the music playing "If You Had Wings" over and over (sort of like "It's a Small World"). At the end it said "You DO have wings. You CAN do all these things. Eastern Airlines will be your wings..." blah blah blah. It eventually got rebranded as "Dreamflight", with Delta sponsoring it. But I took a picture of the "If You Had Wings" sign back in the day, with a bird standing on top of it. I always found that rather amusing. :)

[@andydaniel2]

They had the "If you had wings" ride even after the ticket thing was gone. They actually had an Eastern Airlines ticket agent available at the end of the ride. (Yes, we went and chatted with him.) It was a pretty lame attraction relatively speaking.

[@danielwalker8737]

Really enjoy your passion for the old jets I love to see even the old Jet2 757s and the 73 300s still in passenger service

[@lasantiagoa]

It's great to see you traveling to my home country, Noel. Hope you enjoyed your trip!

[@rogerwalnut]

There is no better sounding engine than the JT9D. How neat you were able to travel on this historic aircraft!

[@jameskeefe1761]

Very nice look at such a nice old plane. It really brings back memories of my flights in the 1980s and I actually like the style of these older planes rather than the jelly bean look. Something about the 1980s stuff is so comforting. It is a much beloved bygone era

[@johnsramek3905]

One thing about flying in the '80s that I don't miss: the hard seats in Economy class. Okay, two things: crying babies on 8-1/2 hour trans-Pacific flights. Alright, 3 things: the air conditioning is so cold, and hundreds of strangers packed into the cabin, gave me a runny nose every time, and not having enough tissues, I ended up swallowing a lot of discharge (as a kid) which gave me horrible gut cramps later on (exacerbated by air pressure, probably). Oh, and 4: my mother sitting between me and Dad would get airsick, and have to use the air sickness bag (the smell alone would make me gag, but I could hear the sound over the roar of the engines and the aforementioned crying tykes) 🥴 One memory of flying NWA across the Pacific and listening to onboard music: finding out about a Canadian band named Chilliwack. Never heard of them before, and never heard them since. But on NWA, they played a couple of their songs, on a selection of about 12 songs per channel looping, none of which were Top 40 hits in the USA that I recognized but hey it's better than the chorus of four P&W JT-9Ds for 8-1/2 hours. Eventually I got a Walkman 🎧

[@demartin5366]

Hi Noel and Rachel, Wow! Thanks for sharing this neat video on the "new" Eastern Airlines. I'm 63 and took my very first commercial flight on the old Eastern Airlines in August of 1968, flying from STL to my hometown of EVV. We flew on a then, new DC 9-14 that continued on to SDF. Eastern served EVV for many years. In fact I can't count the number of times I flew them. We had DC 9-14s, DC 9-30s, Boeing 727 100s and 200s. They were headquartered in MIA, with ATL as their main hub. I was fortunate to take advantage of their unlimited mileage fare back in May of 1980, still flying through the "old" ATL airport while they were constructing Hartsfield Jackson midfield terminals. I flew to SDF, ATL, MIA, TPA, SRQ, SFO on the A300, DCA, DFW, STL, SEA all for around $300.00 rt, I still have the ticket coupon receipts today. Interestingly on this trip, we experienced the Cuban refugee riots in MIA, the horrible collision and collapse of the Skyway Bridge between St. Pete and Bradenton, FL., and Mt. St. Helens exploding while departing SEA. One of the shortest flights I ever took was on Eastern, believe it or not, from TPA over to SRQ on a DC-9 30, a mere up and down of about 10 mins. Yes, it did exist...get an old May, 1980 EA timetable and you'll see it. It was a trip to remember for sure! I eventually worked for a travel agency that used Eastern Airlines SODA (System One Direct Access) reservaton computers and trained at the old Eastern training facility adjacent to MIA. I remember staying at the Sheraton River House and watching the planes of many countries take off and land back in the golden days of plane spotting. Eastern Airlines will always have a special place in my heart. Thanks again for sharing this gem of a flight. Happy travels and blue skies always, Duane

[@robbbrown1974]

Thanks for this Noel! Definitely cool to see the old birds and how they're still holding up. Not too many 767-200's in the air, for sure. A few cargo companies...and rapper Drake still has his 200 called 'Air Drake'.

[@79RockShox]

Flew in one of these heading to/from Kabul with Safi Airways, interior was falling apart compared to the one you've just flown in, at least that one looks well maintained! :)

[@woodie70hudson87]

Another fun one Noel! That's was a new headache I never heard of before, "the good news is we didn't lose your luggage,...the bad news is,...we just can't get it off the plane"!😂😂😂👍

[@noelphilips]

Glad you enjoyed it! lol

[@ojaaviation]

@@noelphilips will eastern have domestic service

[@benjust1601]

The Boliviana CP-3086 minute 7:00 next to you is a 767, too. BOA alone has still 3 of these planes in regular service

[@AviationFin]

Another great video👍 Thanks for sharing Greetings from Helsinki ❄️ Finland

[@zackwinstone8368]

You should fly all Ryanair’s 5 different subsidiaries in the same video to compare

[@BRTripReport]

I'm extremely curious about Eastern Airlines. For me, they will always be the airline that announces routes that they have zero intentions of actually launching. They announced flights to Belo Horizonte in Brazil some years ago, but that never materialized. I think they did that for several destinations. They even sold tickets! It's a very weird marketing strategy.

[@gustavo320]

I actually saw an Eastern in CNF a few years ago, still with the old livery . Must've been to repatriate people who were not admitted in the US

[@MzzzNettie]

Great to see you, Rachel. Happy anniversary guys.

[@noelphilips]

Thank you!

[@clairegillies7919]

Great vid as per - loving the old retro interior of the 767 - Hope you and Rach had a great mini hol - USA agrees with her she looks fantastic x

[@gopeisho]

Eastern was one the bigger airlines in the 70’s-80’s. They went bankrupt, so I don’t know if this one is the same Eastern.

[@elizabethg9346]

The tail logo has a reference to the old eastern logo

[@Jglendab8153]

Eastern Airlines was one of the major North American Airlines back in the sixties and seventies. They advertised having Whisper Jets. When I was a girl we used to fly Eastern Airlines to Orlando when we would go to Disney World. I'm wondering if any airline fly the old L1011. Those were lovely riding planes

[@jdlutz1965]

Yup, I flew on those Whisper Jets, 727s that are probably the fastest subsonic and quietest when seated up near cockpit.

[@jimbo6059]

I don't think any Tristars are flying now. They were way before their time. British Airways had 6 I think in the early 1980s, I flew to Kingston from London Heathrow via Bermuda and Nassau. Still one of the best flights i have ever had. I was 10 and it was my first long haul flight.

[@nathanaelwarden]

It's lovely to see you both in the video. Enjoy your anniversary break 😊

[@ms.harley]

I do enjoy your videos. Your personality has a calming vibe to me, and you are entertaining. Thank You. 🎉🎉🎉

[@heydo8393]

Eastern was the biggest airline back in the 70's. I flew them numerous times. I grew up in Hialeah Fl and Eastern was one of the biggest employers many of my firnds and family worked for them. My father in law worked for them till they went belly up. Their down fall was when their jumbo L-1011 crashed in the everglades and they never financially recovered. It was a shame they folded they were a great airline with great service. The Eastern you are flying is not remotely the same.

[@stevegoins6426]

I worked for Eastern Airlines. They were hq’d in Miami and their big hub was in Atlanta. They had more flights out of Atlanta than hometown Delta had.

[@stevegoins6426]

Their downfall was too much debt and labor/management feuds.

[@Wolverines77]

The three articles I just researched only ever had them being the third largest airline... I do remember them, Western Airlines and Braniff from back in the day... I was supposed to fly from LGA to CHS to report to MCRD Parris Island for Recruit Training on Eastern. The flight was canceled that night due to an ice storm and I was rebooked on Delta for the next evening.

[@Springbok295]

I traveled on EA back in the day. They were the only large carrier at my hometown airport of Tallahassee that connected points north and south. A nice airline. The clash between management and unions got intense in '83 and '84.

[@tiffanyedavenport863]

My aunt worked for Eastern Airlines out of Atlanta back in the day. When they shut down, we got a bunch of frozen airplane meals from her that I guess they were getting rid of.

[@WBTravels]

@noel phillips i have the answer to why that landing seemed hard. The shock absorbers are designed for the airplane to be heavy upon landing using gravity to drop, so the landing will feel hard even if it is in fact very smooth as long as the airplane is near empty, and as far as 767 landings go that was not bad at all, it just felt hard because the aircraft was nearly empty thus the shocks were forced down instead of simply dropping due to the weight.

[@thies7831]

Sounds like a pub here in Victoria, Australia. Even when the building is burning down to the ground, a facility (tent) has to be set up within 24 hours with the beer flowing again or else one is losing their alcohol serving license.

[@transportguy1k635]

Eastern is also the name of a British airline that goes to Humberside, Paris Orly, Aberdeen, East Midlands, Manchester and Newquay etc

[@horsehollerer]

TBH, 2 hours is about normal for baggage reclaim at JFK these days for fully working planes 😬 Cheers guys!

[@davidshepherd265]

What a strange, but awesome flight. A living museum piece. Have to say, the CRT projectors and the inflight entertainment with the ports for the old "stethescope" style headsets takes me back to when I was young. Kind of sad to think that as an Aussie, I flew on planes like this quite regularly on airlines such as Australian (now Qantas Domestic) and Ansett (collapsed in 2001, thanks Air NZ!), now unless you're flying overseas, if you go just about anywhere here, you're flying on yet another 737 or maybe an A320. Boring :(

[@FastGuy1]

What about the Fokker Jet?

[@davidshepherd265]

@@FastGuy1 Fair point, but they're only used on specific regional services - you're not going to find yourself doing BNE - SYD/SYD - MEL/etc on one.

[@jsprague2453]

I'm glad you brought back the bits where you give us the airplane's history in each video.

[@jsprague2453]

@Noel Philips I should've added why- it's always fun to know where the planes we fly came from, especially when it's a convoluted history as it can be with some of the airlines you fly!

[@jessicamattfield3561]

"Are you talking about the plane or you?" My favorite line.

[@v51gaming62]

I always wondered what the "Eastern Airways" sign at Philadelphia Airport was, so now I know! Thank you!

[@MikeLikesChannel]

The original Eastern airlines was a legacy carrier that started in the mid 1920s and disappeared around 1991… it was the *other* airline with an iconic blue livery that was overshadowed by PanAm’s 1991 bankruptcy. Eastern was HUGE for East coast travel though, official airline of Walt Disney World for a time, and based out of MIA with flights to BOS/NYC/Orlando/etc… Eastern even tragically lost an L1011 in the Everglades in the early 1970s not far from the ValuJet crash some 20 years later. So yeah, this ain’t OG Eastern, just using the name.

[@jackalcrackle]

technically it is still OG eastern, it just went through a few different ownerships and phases

[@jackalcrackle]

@@digpan. For the most part yeah, though the original logo is retained (in some part)

[@MainesOwn]

19:10 I love those upward sliding main doors, gives you a real spaceship vibe ...

[@paulspindler5849]

I've flown on a 767-200er MAD-BOG and MAD-CLO, probably about 20 years ago with Avianca. One of the only twin Engine planes that could make the reverse trip at the time, due to the altitude of Bogota. I remember the 2-1-2 business class the one time flew in there ( rest in economy), the overhead projectors, and the P&W engines.

[@AT-nq6cu]

2 years ago, Eastern Airlines announced a flight from Chicago to Sarajevo. A few days after the route was put on sale, Eastern Airlines stopped selling tickets. Another excellent video Noel. Happy anniversary. All the best.

[@FilK79]

That is interesting. I was born in Yugoslavia but flew with Eastern during the 1980s mostly in USA and Mexico, but didnt knew they planned to fly to Sarajevo. Most American airlines flew to Belgrade and coastal cities such as Dubrovnik. Great info.

[@FilK79]

Oh, I initially tought you were refering to the old big Eastern company, not actually this one. My mistake.

[@MrDportjoe]

The history of Eastern is well worth the dig!! One of the big 'four; after wW2 the CEO was Eddie Rickenbacker. It died as a major in 1991. but Killed off by competition, fuel prices and labor disputes. The name was bought by Dynamic International Airlines in 2015. A couple of years back the only flight was from JFK to GYE. Last year they bought five 777's and flew them not at all.

This Eastern comes from the old Eastern? 😮 Wow!

[@gp60m122]

The 777s are mostly for cargo conversion. The one flying is on military contracts.

[@MrDportjoe]

@@gp60m122 Thanks my source was last updated December of 2022. At that time the article mentioned Eastern had announced then never followed up on several routes to South America, and then broke down several of the charters they had been running.

[@veloraloves]

Yep. And it was headquartered out of Miami Springs, Florida which was founded by Glenn Curtiss (father of the aviation industry). There was a lot of issues with Eastern before they "died". As I mentioned in a previous comment, my sister and I were snuck into the flight simulators as kids by a corporate employee. Big no-no that I benefitted from. 😁

[@nicolescott1354]

The first plane I flew in was Eastern Airlines in 1987. From Jamaica to Miami. Back then they still had real utensil. I used to love their commercials. Back then there was Air Florida, Air Jamaica( the love bird), Panama Airways

[@mleah.]

Wow this brought back some old travel memories. Thanks for the nostalgia!

[@1NOnlyAce]

I love the soundtracks used for this video. Great production as usual.

[@noelphilips]

Thank you!

[@l3v1ckUK]

I remember going on Britannia 767-200's when they were new. They were fantastic. I'd forgotten what those old tube earphone controls used to look like. That brings back memories.

[@paulsengupta971]

I've got a couple of those old tube earphone things in the house here somewhere. I also flew on a Britannia 767, I remember being impressed that while it was 330 seat full economy 767, there still appeared to be decent leg room.

[@_tm11]

A sunday ain't complete without Lord Noel's video. Thank you so much for taking us along another adventure. Keep'em coming Lord

[@noelphilips]

Thank you!!

[@Oduck22]

Eastern just landed over my head at March Air Base. A military charter from Fort Hood on a 1992 767-300. I’ve seen them fly in before along with Delta, Hawaiian, and Allegiant, but most charters are by Atlas, Omni Air, National. Delta even used to fly their 747’s on some of these flights up until they were retired.

[@anthonysheppard5116]

Took my first ever flight overseas from Christchurch NZ to Brisbane Australia return back in 2001 on a Qantas 767-200ER loved the economy class layout of 2-3-2. Took another flight on Air NZ from Auckland to Honolulu in 2013 on an Air New Zealand 767-300ER too. Such a nostalgic aircraft. Will have to fly on one again soon before they’re all retired for good!