Intercontinental flights from LUX in the past ...why ?

[AOMD88]

I have noticed than in the 70's and 80's a number of airlines used Luxembourg as a starting point in central Europe for intercontinental flights.

International air bahama for instance, flew between Nassau and Luxembourg (!)
http://timetableimages.com/ttimages/iw.htm

Did this airline had any relationship with Icelandair ? They were their GSA and this 1974 timetable also shows Icelandair routes between Europe and the USA

http://timetableimages.com/ttimages/com ... iw74-4.jpg

Also, Caribbean Airways (operated by Laker) also flew to Luxembourg from the Caribbean

http://airline-memorabilia.blogspot.com ... -1981.html

I know ICelandair routinely sold cheap flights from New York from LUX, and later Luxair tried (unsuccesfully) to fly its own transatlantic flights.

Also, Luxavia flew from LUX to South Africa

Am I missing any other intercontinental operations from LUX ?

I guess LUX landing fees were way cheaper ... is there any other reason for this choice of airport ?

[andorra-airport]

Luxembourg was for a long time very liberal with its fifth freedom rights. Foreign airlines were allowed to pick up local pax for flights to other international destinations. And the lack of an IATA member airline in Luxembourg made LUX a popular low fare gateway for quite a few years. I guess there is no (local) market for long haul @ LUX these days, other then cargo. I remember they had a charter to Africa, not sure if it is still there.

Good old days, Trek Airways, and Loftleidir with the hippies from the US.

- edit That Luxavia you mentioned was only a ticket company , flights were operated by Trek Airways. Aeroflot had some long flights too (from Moscou) via LUX, to Gander, Cuba and from there to South America.

[capetown]

Until not that long ago actually : I flew LUX-KEF-JFK back in 1998... Was kinda' great, with a stopover (and a (in those days horribly expensive) saturday evening out in Reykjavik ... ) Actually, a friend of mine working and living in Luxembourg told me that FI was reconsidering to startup flights to LUX. Not that I would try them again (given 9W serving JFK now directly from BRU), but would be interesting to have some more info about that ...

[sn26567]

Many years ago, I posted my experience of flying with Loftleidir from LUX to New York Idlewild, via Reykjavik, in 1961: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1084&p=7666#p7666

[airazurxtror]

In the seventies, it was Loftleidir Icelandic that flew from Luxemburg to New York Kennedy via Reikjavik, and also to Chicago - with DC8s. Quite a lot of people (not only hippies, far from it) enjoyed these flights, which were much less expensive than the direct flights by Sabena and the like. One hour stop at Keflavik, where there was a very large skyshop.
International Air Bahama, a sister company, flew from Luxembug to Nassau - often with a refuelling stop at Shannon, direct on the return. Nassau was a very easy gate to Miami and the south of the US.

[capetown]

Many years ago, I posted my experience of flying with Loftleidir from LUX to New York Idlewild, via Reykjavik, in 1961: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1084&p=7666#p7666

Wow ! That's classic vintage aviation history you were describing there ... 24 hrs of travelling to NY "Idlewild" (never heard of this name until I read you report a couple of minutes ago ...)

Quite a lot of people (not only hippies, far from it) enjoyed these flights, which were much less expensive than the direct flights by Sabena and the like

I do perfectly remember the price of my ticket in 1998 : 9900 BEF both ways (just below 250 EUR). And a very confortable flight aboard FI's 757's ... Ahh, where are the days

[andorra-airport]

I do perfectly remember the price of my ticket in 1998 : 9900 BEF both ways (just below 250 EUR). And a very confortable flight aboard FI's 757's ... Ahh, where are the days

Yes, where are the days of cheap long haul.... I remember I paid about that same kind of money for a flight to Hong-Kong (from Gatwick) , with Oasis..... Tower Air was cheap too, to JFK.

[regi]

I do perfectly remember the price of my ticket in 1998 : 9900 BEF both ways (just below 250 EUR). And a very confortable flight aboard FI's 757's ... Ahh, where are the days

Yes, where are the days of cheap long haul.... I remember I paid about that same kind of money for a flight to Hong-Kong (from Gatwick) , with Oasis..... Tower Air was cheap too, to JFK.

I think this was about the same price as with Biman non stop Bru -JFK on a DC-10.