American Airlines Commercial 1972 Introducing the Luxury Fleet

[johneddy98033]

American used TWO versions of the incomparable Boeing 747 over the years. In addition to the -100, they also used the shorter 747SP (Special Performance).

[leilanurena]

tan grave, este hombre es jaja

[badgot]

the front of that dc-10 looks like an md-11 :P

[mistahimaskwa]

@badgot the md-11 is a derivative of the dc-10 :)

[IFLYWINGS]

I haven't got out of the FORD TRI-MOTOR yet, after 60 years, whats all these new planes about something about stewardess with Wide Bodies ??

[niselat]

good night, chet

[frankd1965]

great to see the legendary news man Chet Huntley.

[airlegoland]

I like the 747 better

[Arkipelago2]

NewYorkController03

[dcool01]

the 747 isnt in AA anymore cause of gas price

[upiluften]

@dcool01 No. Because it didn't fit into their route structure.

[howardcod4]

I was lucky enough to fly the 747 in 1982 LAX/HNL 1st class, I was 17 right out of high school, it was a blast! They retired it the following year they retired it. I also flew the DC-10 often to DFW, I loved American! My Aunt was a "stewerdess" in the 60's and flew on the DC-3, tells me all kinds of great stories of the "glamour days" of flying!

[bradowpc]

@howardcod4 The AA 747-123s were all retired in 1984, but American would go on to acquire two 747-SP31 aircraft in 1986 which they retired in 1992.

[Oldbmwr100rs]

@howardcod4 Yeah, back in '79, we flew 1st class to Hawaii on a UAL 747 there, and DC-10 back. The "Trader Vic's" theme and service was nice, the upstairs lounge on the 747 was pretty cool, too. Now that's just more seating, and You can't talk to the flight crew anymore either.

[monte61]

@Oldbmwr100rs Yes I grew up in Cal and miss the old PSA and AirCalifornia days. I can't believe I flew to Hawaii in an Alaska 737 ! Sacramento to HI is looong trip in a narrow body. Not like when I flew there in a NW heavy DC-10 back in '88. They upgraded us to first class for free on the trip home when they learned we were on our honeymoon. Most pilots miss the glory days as well, not just the PAX.

[starbuckslover300]

Woahhh American had 747's? :o

[yoyoyoyoshua]

@starbuckslover300 yeah they had 747-100's 747SP and I think the 747-200

[awb99]

@starbuckslover300 the answer to your question yes they had 747-200's it was one of the first kind of planes they flew they let them all go recently actually and now they have 777's,767's,757's,737's and S-80's aka super 80's how i know this all at age 12? my dad works at american airlines he teaches me alot

[TheCaptainjay]

@awb99

my dad too works from aa and i m aalso 12

what does your dad do

[GeraldSaavedra23]

Does anyone know who the actor is in this commercial?

[DigitalWindsMedia]

@GeraldSaavedra23 That's Chet Huntley. He was the co-anchor of NBC Nightly News until 1970 I believe. People of that era would have known him well. I was a kid and remember although my memories are in black and white for some reason ;)

[RANDOMNESS873]

I Wish they still had 747's. why didn't they just order new ones after the oil crisst

sorry for the bad speeling :P

[cca1989]

@RANDOMNESS873 by the time that oil crisis was resolved airline deregulation was passed and the whole competition in the airline industry changed. the airlines settled for cheap instead of luxury... its sad because now flying on an airplane is like taking a bus and its not as exciting like it once was.

[choosing2lookeast]

@cca1989 True. Back then not many people flew, now just about anyone can so one has to put up with the riff raff

[yoyoyoyoshua]

@RANDOMNESS873 American airlines says that there only gonna use twin engined aircraft.

[deepseadirt1]

i've never seen a cross-polination of different airplane manufacturers advertised in an airline commercial. A 747 and DC-10 together REALLY?. This was before all those accidnets started happening to DC-10s.

[hotelgulf718]

OMG.....how I wish we could all time travel to see what we're all missing today. First Class on many airlines now resemble bathroom stalls in a herringbone layout. Totally antiseptic and ugly. The seats all look like benches. Not every single airline is like this, but the "New and Better" cabins are results of the penny pinchers hard at work.

[OlegKostoglatov]

I agree, look at the videos of the so called "First Class" section in the newer Boeing 747-8 mockup, they look like cubicals in a generic office and almost as cold and sterile. Luxury now means three things, leather seats, extra storage bins, and a LCD monitor. Then look at the first class section that Braniff had in their 747s back in the 70s, the seats look like wingback tub chairs.

[chicagoman58]

it's exactly the same livery as the one today. It has not changed since 1968. It just looks most impressive on the 747!

[Jacksonkellyfreak]

@chicagoman58 i like the old astrojet livery. way too young to remember but hey...

[panamcunard]

Airliners had better looking design back then. Just look at how beautiful that 747 looks.

[hotelgulf718]

What's not to love about this great clip?! :)

[whoyodanny]

My family flew in the AA 747 "LuxuryLiner" in December of 1971 from JFK to SFO. The coach lounge with the Wurlitzer electric piano as pictured here was fantastic. The lounge was packed and lively, and my sister and I had fun playing chopsticks on that piano.. unytil a flight attendant with no ear unplugged us lol. Thanks for posting this great commercial!