Last month I published a seat map of American’s “Standard” DC-10 from 1985 sporting a spacious coach cabin. I noted in that post that a mere two years later in 1987, this same aircraft was reconfigured with 22 additional seats in the rear cabin and promised to share the higher-density layout.

Here, then, is American’s DC-10 Luxury Liner seen flying the skies in 1987 for this installment of Vintage Airline Seat Maps.

The additional seats came by way of adding a pair of two-seaters on each side of the aircraft in between doors 2L/R and 3L/R, a pair of two-seaters in the rear-most section and three rows of middle five-seaters. If you’re doing the math, that’s one too many seats – note the very last row in the middle section formerly had four seats, but now only three.

Surviving this configuration, though, was a coffee bar in the very back along with two coat compartments (for coach!).

In first class you’d find me in a window seat mid-cabin, such as 3A or 3J. And in coach I always loved sitting near the engines as they had such a distinctly fantastic howl.

Where would you sit?

American Airlines DC-10 Standard Seat Map (1987)

Related posts:

American Airlines DC-10 ‘Standard’ Seat Map from 1985

American Airlines DC-10 ‘Dining in the Sky’ Seat Map

American Airlines DC-10 ‘International’ Seat Map

I previously posted three other American DC-10s – one from 1977 sporting a “Dining in the Sky” section, another from 1985 in a three-class international configuration, and a high-density coach layout operating to Hawaii. And here now is American’s standard version seen flying the skies in 1985 for this installment of Vintage Airline Seat Maps.

The map doesn’t identify seat pitch information, but this layout is more akin to what was flying pre-deregulation with greater comfort in coach. How do I know? Well, I have a map of this same aircraft two years later I’ll post in the future showing additional rows in economy, bumping the capacity in the rear cabin up from 234 to 256 seats.

A couple of neat things to note on the map below are the carry-on luggage racks and the coffee bar near the rear lavatories.

In first class you’d find me in a window seat mid-cabin, such as 3A or 3J. And in coach I always loved sitting near the engines as they had such a distinctly fantastic howl.

Where would you sit?

American Airlines DC-10 'Standard' From 1985

Related posts:

American Airlines DC-10 ‘Dining in the Sky’ Seat Map

American Airlines DC-10 International Seat Map

American Airlines DC-10 Hawaii Seat Map

I’ve got DC-10s on my mind this week having posted a video on Tuesday showing a “floater” landing by a United DC-10 at LAX years ago. And I’m jealous of a fellow #avgeek who’s flying a KLM MD-11 on Sunday. So… here’s a Continental Airlines DC-10-30 for this installment of Vintage Airline Seat Maps.

I posted another Continental DC-10-30 seat map a while back that was labeled exclusively as “South Pacific.” The configuration appearing below is labeled as “Domestic/South Pacific” with only three fewer seats, but with some unique differences.

Primarily, a few galley and lavatory locations swapped from the other configuration, causing the cabin layout in first class and business class to vary. Each version still seated 24 in first and 31 in business, however. Coach saw the 3-seat reduction in this layout.

I’d be keen on 3A in first, 10A/L in business and 15A/L in coach.

Where would you sit?

Related posts:

Continental Airlines DC-10-30 (South Pacific)

Continental Airlines DC-10-10 Pub Configuration

Continental Airlines 747

The Top 10 Viewed Seat Maps

Frequent Traveler University was fantastic, but I caught a horrible cold and my post-writing juices have stalled. So… while I wallow in my own pity and recover, check out this floater of a DC-10 landing at LAX. I’ve never seen an aircraft touch down that far along runway 25L.

P.S. I’ll reply to the many emails I’ve received in the last couple of days as soon as possible – sorry for the delay!

Instead of posting a new Vintage Airline Seat Map this week, I decided to take a look at my site’s analytics and post the top 10 viewed seat maps since I began blogging in 2010. Obviously the earlier maps have had more opportunity for greater pageviews, but the top 10 didn’t come as a surprise to me. And I’ve published 73 maps since I introduced Frequently Flying in December 2010. Here’s the list and links:

1. American Airlines Boeing 707-123
2. United Airlines DC-10-10
3. American Airlines Boeing 747-100
4. American Airlines Boeing 747-SP
5. United Airlines Boeing 737-200
6. United Airlines Boeing 747-SP
7. American Airlines Boeing 707-323
8. United Airlines DC-8-52
9. Pan Am Boeing 747
10. TWA Boeing 747-100

One of my favorites didn’t make the cut and came in at #22, so as an honorable mention check out:

Continental Airlines DC-10-10 Pub Configuration

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend!

When Delta Air Lines acquired Western Airlines in 1987, they integrated Western’s DC-10-10 fleet into their operation. The seat map below reflects a -30 configuration, and unless I’m wrong, Delta never had -30s so I assume this is a typographical error (this map was published in July 1987). Potential error aside, I’m a DC-10 aficionado and bring you Delta’s layout for this installment of Vintage Airline Seat Maps.

Seating a total of 284 passengers, first class offered 36 seats in a 2-2-2 configuration and the 248 seats in coach were in the typical 2-5-2 layout.

You’d find me in row two or three in first class. In coach I was always keen to sit near the wing and engine, so you’d find me in a window somewhere in rows 12 to 15.

Where would you sit?

Related posts:

United Airlines DC-10-10 Seat Map

Eastern Airlines DC-10-30 Seat Map

United Airlines DC-10-10 Seat Map w/Lounge

Continental Airlines DC-10-30 South Pacific Seat Map

Northwest Airlines DC-10-40 Seat Map

Let’s kick off the Memorial Day weekend with another Vintage Airline Seat Map, shall we? I previously posted two other versions of American Airlines’ DC-10s from the past (here and here), and the one appearing below was seen flying the skies in 1987.

Seating a total of 313 passengers in a high-density “Hawaii” configuration, there were only 16 First Class seats scrunched up there where the fuselage begins to taper towards the flight deck. It appears they removed the front galley on this version to accommodate the seats, which were in a 2-2-2 layout.

Economy seated 297 passengers in the common 2-5-2 configuration. Something interesting to note is that they had an entire closet dedicated for just blankets (near the rear lavatories).

I’d definitely be seated in ‘Zone 1’ ahead of door two. In First, you’d likely find me in the second row and in economy I’d probably go for row five or six.

Where would you sit?

It’s time for another Vintage Airline Seat Map and I’ve selected an unusual one this week. World Airways – I know… they mislabeled it World Airlines – primarily flew (and currently flies) members of the military to war zones the world over along with other contracted business.

If Wikipedia is correct, they currently operate a couple of different configurations of the MD-11, the successor to the DC-10 – some with “premium” seating unlike the all coach 354-seater Douglas bird below.

It’s interesting that this seat map denotes row nine as having the most legroom. Perhaps it did, but if I were flying on this airplane, you’d find me in one of the exit row aisles or maybe seat 3D or 3G. I’d have to imagine the pitch was pretty tight. Also notice the bank of seven lavs in the back… whoa!

Where would you sit?

In follow-up to my post this morning about United Airlines seemingly discontinuing service to Oakland this June, here’s a video photo tribute of DC-10s and 747s as seen at the OAK heavy maintenance base back in the 1990s.

This week, the fine folks over at Gadling posted an American Airlines commercial from 1981 themed “Full service no matter what you pay.” It’s a quick look back at what air travel used to be like, with (relatively) low fares, free meals in coach and a swarm of airline and airport employees with smiles on their faces. Times have changed, particularly for American right now, and it made the Gadling staff sad (me, too).

Watching it got me headed over to YouTube to look over other vintage American commercials and I found the one appearing below showcasing the luxury of the carrier’s 747, 707 and DC-10 fleet in 1972. It takes a quick look through each aircraft, showing off the coach lounge on the 747 and DC-10 and the “new” interiors of the 707B. When describing the DC-10, the commentator mentions, “Its takeoffs are quieter and virtually smokeless.” Different times, indeed.

Enjoy!