Pan Am plane lands in Lisbon on luxury flight for aviation nostalgics

If you saw a Pan Am aeroplane in the skies over Lisbon this week, you weren’t seeing a ghost. A special commemorative Pan Am flight passed over the Portuguese capital on Thursday.

The plane, which was flying the Tracing the Transatlantic route, landed yesterday evening at Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado Airport, where it will remain until Saturday.

This flight attempts to recreate the company’s historic routes. It left New York on Tuesday, then passed through Bermuda before arriving in Lisbon.

Also on the itinerary are the cities of Marseille in France, London in the United Kingdom and Foynes in Ireland. Its return to New York is scheduled for 28 June.

A dream trip for nostalgic passengers

In the Portuguese capital, passengers stayed at the Ritz Hotel and experienced an evening of fado music.

This is a dream trip for those nostalgic for the golden days of transatlantic aviation. The 50 or so passengers are travelling in business class, eating chef-cooked meals and drinking at an open bar, just like in the old days.

All, of course, served by stewardesses in the company’s iconic blue uniform.

The price of the tickets also predates the era of low-cost aviation, around €52,000 per person. Even so, those responsible for organising the nostalgia trip say they weren’t difficult to sell.

Pan American World Airways used to be the largest US airline operating international flights, but went bankrupt in 1991.

Then, last year, businessman Craig Carter and other investors bought the brand. For now, they’re reviving it by selling merchandise and luxury travel experiences like this one.

For this first trip, they used an Icelandair aeroplane, which was suitably adapted, and also the company’s crew.