"Fly where you want, when you want". This was the promise British European Airways (BEA) made to holidaymakers in the early 1950s. While it increased the number of European destinations, the British airline did not sacrifice luxury and comfort, a far cry from today's 'fast travel'.
Flying with BEA to one of its 16 destinations in southern Europe, for example, meant "seas and blue skies", "romantic places where the sun shines and warms even in winter", and above all "more time in the sun" thanks to its fast, safe, comfortable ("deep seats"!) and hassle-free flights.
To ensure a change of scenery in the four corners of Europe, BEA relied on a brand new fleet of medium-haul aircraft, divided between the Airspeed Ambassador, a twin-engine aircraft renamed "Elizabethan" to pay tribute to the newly-crowned Queen Elizabeth II (6 February 1952), and the Vickers Viscount, whose four turboprop engines ensured a respectable cruising speed of more than 500 km/h.
BEA ceased to exist in 1974, but the company did not disappear altogether, as it merged with the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) to form British Airways.
- Condition B+
- Code A185800