MR BLOBB-EEK!
THE blobfish, a hideous foot-long gelatinous mass found at depths of 4,000ft off Australia, has been voted scariest sea creature.
AN original cabin crew member on the first transatlantic jet service has been reunited with the airline to mark the flight’s 60th anniversary.
British Airways invited Peggy Thorne to see how her role has changed since the groundbreaking launch on October 4, 1958. The 91-year-old looked after passengers on the de Havilland Comet 4 flight from London to New York. The jet reduced an 18-hour journey to around seven hours. Peggy, who was hand-picked by bosses for the inaugural flight, said: “It was marvellous. “We were used to travelling to New York on Boeing Stratocruisers which took up to 20 hours. We couldn’t believe the flight was possible in such a short time. It was so exciting to be the first.” Peggy, from West London, told how staff served Madeira biscuits, coffee, cocktails, canapes and a five-course meal during the flight. She added: “They ate and drank from when they got on board until the time they got off.” The flight was a coup for British Airways, then called BOAC, as it beat US rival Pan Am to become the first airline to fly a turbo jet aircraft across the Atlantic. In 1958, a Comet 4 could fly 48 customers from London to New York at a cost equivalent to £8,000 today. Peggy was shown today’s cabin crew training at BA’s HQ near Heathrow Airport.