My big airline geek moment

So on my flight last night from Florida to LAX, I had a really big airline geek moment. I was working in the back of the cabin and had just finished beverage service, and was sitting with my composition book trying to write a couple new blog posts (Since I can’t have my computer out when I’m working, I bring a composition book to write down my posts and type them when I get to my layover, but thats another post…), when I get a call from the purser. She told me she had something that I had to see.

I walked up to the forward galley where she is sitting in her jumpseat reading an old hand written book. She told me that a passenger had stopped her and asked her to have the pilot sign his log book. We sat in the forward galley flipping through this book, enraptured by this book. Hundreds of flights all signed by the pilots, starting when he was 3 months old, and sometimes with little notes, things like “50th atlantic crossing” or “Diverted to (city) for (reason).” One note caught my eye. It said something to the effect of “If you start another airline give me a call.” I grabbed the manifest and realized that this book belonged to Freddie Laker, son of Sir Freddie Laker

For those of you who don’t know who Sir Freddie Laker was the inventor of the Low Cost Carrier when he started Laker Airways and Laker Skytrain service from London-Gatwick to New York JFK. He was a mentor to Richard Branson when he started Virgin Atlantic, advising him to “Sue the bastards” in regards to BA’s attacks on VS.

I had heard of this logbook once before on the “Fly With Joe” Podcast (episode 15 if you feel like listening) and was thrilled to get a chance to see it as well as meet Freddie and hear some stories. He did not follow in his fathers Airline footsteps, but became a successful internet entrepreneur. It was really cool to see that he is still bringing the logbook his father started for him on every flight that he goes on (over 30 pages now). Very cool experience for me

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