747-200 | 1985

Airline - Global Airlines
Aircraft - Boeing 747-200 | N3112G
Delivered to Global Airlines, 1985
Sold to TransAmerican Airways, 1998
Stored at Victorville, 2001
Sold to Atlantic Charter, 2006
Leased to Guyana Transport, 2006
Returned to Atlantic Charter, 2007
Stored at Teruel, 2009
Scrapped at Teruel, 2012
Livery - Standard 1985
Country - United States of America

In late 1982, Global Airlines placed an order for twelve 747-200s with five options. A new, brighter and more recognizable livery was introduced on the 747. The order surprised many who expected the 757 or 767 to be ordered for transcontinental routes. However, Global Airlines was looking to implement something bigger than simple transcon widebody flights - the product offered on its new 747s was unparalleled at the time. Configured in a '2.5-class' layout, the planes featured Executive First (similar to the club seating setup on the airlines' 727s and 737s, but with more space), Sleeper First (2-3-2 on the lower deck and 2-2 on the upper deck with 54" pitch and 160˚ recline), and Coach (in a standard 3-4-3 configuration). Both First hard products were sold at the same price, so passengers could simply choose where to reserve a seat depending on their needs. Zone A of the 747s also featured two four-person couches to be used in flight.

Not only the onboard product was excellent - Global Airlines continued to innovate and appeal to business and corporate travellers on the ground. The first two routes the 747-200s operated were between New York and Los Angeles and New York and San Francisco, with four or five frequencies on each route per day. Eventually, Los Angeles to Washington Dulles was also begun. First Class passengers had access to purpose-built lounges at all four cities both when departing and arriving, and on redeye flights had the option of having dinner (in San Francisco or Los Angeles) before boarding and/or breakfast (in New York or Washington) after arrival in the lounge. Global Airlines eventually exercised its five options, ending up with a fleet of seventeen 747-200s. In 1986, the airline launched its first international route, flying from New York JFK to London Gatwick. Within several months, the service was moved to Heathrow, and a lounge was built to offer the same services as on transcon flights. By mid-1987, routes to Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Zurich, and Paris had been launched, and at this point Global Airlines was concentrating on aggressive international expansion.

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