I have a fondness in my heart for the many “three-holers†I watched depart O’Hare during my teenage years alongside the runways. While the Boeing 727 is indeed a three-engine aircraft, my greatest appreciation fell with the widebody Douglas DC-10s and Lockheed L-1011s I saw so frequently.
For this installment of Vintage Airline Seat Maps, I bring you the internationally configured Delta Air Lines Lockheed TriStar L-1011-500. It seated a total of 241 passengers across three classes. First Class occupied 12 sleeper seats in a 2 x 2 x 2 layout, Business Class sat 40 passengers in a comfortable looking 2 x 4 x 2 configuration and the standard 2 x 5 x 2 coach layout seated 189.
Up front you’d find me in 1A, furthest from the galley and with an apparent abundant amount of legroom. In Business I’d most certainly be in row 11 or 12 and likely an aisle as these early version cabins didn’t offer ease-of-aisle access if you were in the window. Similarly, in coach I’d opt for either 20B or 21C for the legroom.
Where would you sit?
I flew PDX-SEL on one of the L1011-500’s. In Coach. I was in seat 21C. Bar none, one of the least comfortable flights of my life. I still get the shakes just recalling that flight.
Wow, sorry to hear it was a bad experience.
I hunted around the internet and couldn’t find a picture of the first class seat on one of these planes. Anyone have an image?
Rode this one on a short IAH-ATL hop sometime in the very early 1980s I believe. I remember sitting in 21J and being served a “snack” which today would be the equivalent of the “cold entree” choice in domestic F.
Does anyone remember the basinette that Delta would hang for new babies? They hung in middle-front of Row 21. We flew one from Atl to Manchester, UK in ’93 and my new daughter at that time had the basinette.