Introduction| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Conclusion

"Friendly Skies"

“It’s a cruise ship with wings,” “It’s like a big city,” “It opens up a whole new environment of air travel-the ability to move about."¹⁸ These were just a few of the comments that were used to describe the new Friend Ship. Introducing the 747 Friendship to Mrs. Cowan, a retired United stewardess from the 1930s and her daughter Maggie Jr., the two reported, “Wow!” Maggie Jr. breathed softly as her eyes took in the rows of lavish red seats with beige accents, set against a background of rich red carpets and rosewood paneling.

They’ve sure come a long way from the ten-passenger 247 with its hump on the cabin aisle, Mrs. Cowan remarked. “That was quite something. You needed every bit of balancing skill to carry the tray as you walked down the cabin, watching out always for that infernal hump caused by the wing spars that went through the cabin.”¹⁹

United’s new Friend Ship could only be described as a “huge plane.” Beside [Ms. Maggie Tait] her strode her daughter Margaret Rohrer, a United stewardess who looks forward to the day she can work in the cabin of the giant airliner United calls its Friend Ship. Walking two abreast, Mrs. Cowan and her daughter entered the doorway to the luxurious cabin where 48-first class passengers will while away their flight in a totally new kind of environment.”²⁰

Inside the plane there were lavish red seats with beige accents, set against a background of rich red carpets and rosewood paneling, there was a circular stairway in the 747, the Red Carpet Room lay in luxurious splendor, it’s gold and white motif was carried through the seat upholstery, consoles and interior paneling. Eight large seats, were available to first class passengers, they formed a cozy group near the service galley and bar. Immediately ahead of first class lay the 747’s roomy “front office” where the cockpit crew performed their chores. ²¹

Details –294 coach seats in alternating tones of beige, brown, bronze, blue and turquoise –First class – 40 inches between seats front and back, aisle width 30 inches –Coach – seat spacing ranged from 36-38 inches, with aisle width of 20 inches

One very interesting change made with the Friend Ship was that where other 747 operators chose to have stewardesses prepare meals and beverage on the main deck, United decided to convert two areas of the cargo apartment into airborne kitchens, complete with freezers, convection ovens, a dumbwaiter, and an elevator for two.²² The idea behind moving the kitchens away from the "living rooms" was to provide passengers with more space for comfort, while also conveying a uniform standard of food preparation.²³

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Introduction| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Conclusion

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^18. Delfino, Adriano G. "The Friend Ship." Mainliner, August 1970, p. 10

^19. Ibid., 10

^20. Ibid., 10

^21. Ibid., 10-11

^22. Ibid., 11

^23. Ibid., 11