I have never flown first class. I’d like to, but honestly, I’d be happy with just a little extra legroom and a free sandwich on my next short-haul economy flight. Let alone sashay into a designer lounge and order a freshly made cocktail from a waiter in a white jacket, which having read this interesting story, I discovered was standard for rich passengers flying first class in the 1970s.
The Boeing 747 jumbo jet was released in 1968, entering service with Pan Am on January 22, 1970. Affluent passengers flying first-class aboard the world’s largest plane had elaborate spaces for relaxation, socialising and even partying in upper-deck cocktail lounges and restaurants.
Different airlines chose different designs and themes for their cabins, each going above and beyond, kitting the spaces out with the latest 70s interior styles. Qantas developed the nautical-themed Captain Cook First Class Lounge, Japan Airlines installed the Tea House in the Sky, Continental Airlines had a pub and American Airlines had a piano bar.
Qantas Captain Cook First Class Lounge located behind the cockpit, had seating for 15 passengers, a stand-up bar and décor that should have come with a volume control. Images of James Cook, replica lanterns and even rope were used to give the impression passengers were seated inside a replica sailing ship rather than a brand-new widebody jet.
The nautical theme blended (or clashed, depending on your taste) with the bright and lurid colours popular in the seventies. You can see a replica of the lounge at the Qantas Founders Outback Museum, which the company created to celebrate its centenary in 2020.
While most of the lounges of the era were confined to the upper decks of 747s, several airlines added bars in the lower deck economy sections – usually located on the lower deck, behind first-class seating. For example, Continental Airlines installed “Polynesian Pubs” in the economy class section of their DC-10s and 747s.
If you few economy with American Airlines you could grab a drink and hang out with your friends at the piano bar – although the piano was technically an electric Wurlitzer organ, but let’s not be pedantic!
During my research, I also across some pictures of a first-class lounge decorated in tiger print. Boeing’s exclusive ‘Tiger Lounge’ was to be a communal area situated below the main passenger deck. The lounge includes a glass-topped bar, upholstered in mock-tiger and black leather, which allows you to look down into a viewing port through the underside of the plane. It would have seated 30 passengers. No prospective buyers went for it though so it didn’t make it past the prototype stage…
Sadly, the era of onboard cocktail lounges, pubs and piano bars didn’t last long. In the 1980s, as fuel prices and competition increased, airlines were forced to convert the upper deck lounges to seating areas to maximise the airframe’s 535-seat capacity.
The source of inspiration for this article is here.
