Pan Am is back: Boeing 757-200 takes flight once again with maiden trip from New York’s JFK

It was an emotional day in New York this week as Pan Am returned to the skies.

On Tuesday, a Boeing 757 with the famous Pan Am livery took off from New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).

As the plane painted with Pan American World Airways’ famous “blue meatball” logo pulled into the gate at JFK’s Terminal 7, more than a few former Pan Am flight attendants and fans got teary-eyed at the sight.

More than three decades after Pan Am ceased operations — ending a glorious and glamorous history of luxury passenger service — the brand is back … in a manner of speaking.

Last year, TPG reported the venerable brand got a new lease on life through a travel and tour company.

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This week’s flight involved a 25-year-old Boeing 757-200, chartered from Icelandair, ship number TF-FIC.

Related: Pan Am gets new life with airport lounges planned — and a luxury, history-rich trip

The Points Guy was invited to see the plane off and record the first flight of what the owner hopes will be the start of recapturing the magic of a brand that once captured the imaginations of travelers.

A group of investors recently purchased the Pan Am brand (Pan Am Global Holdings LLC) — and this flight is the first of what they hope will be many.

For this trip, Pan Am worked with the luxury travel brand Beyond Capricorn to create a 12-day itinerary retracing some of Pan Am’s classic routes. They call it “tracing the transatlantic.” It’s more like a luxury cruise than a traditional flight, and it doesn’t come cheap. The price tag for this private jet trip? More than $65,000.

Pan Am takes off

There were check-in counters tucked away in Terminal 7 at JFK. It was so fun to again see the famous logo and branding at an actual ticket counter, decades after the airline shuttered operations.

At Gate 5, there were balloons, and eventually, the signage showing Icelandair Flight 1331 was swapped out for the Pan Am logo.

Flight attendants came on loan from Icelandair. The Reykjavik-based airline is operating the flight as a charter with Icelandair employees. Flight attendants were thrilled to be on this very special flight.

As passengers on the flight trickled into the gate area, flight attendants and pilots dressed in vintage Pan Am uniforms took photos and videos with guests and posed for those of us who were there to record the festivities.

“This is a dream come true,” said Linda Freire, who is a co-founder and chair of the Pan Am Museum on New York’s Long Island and a former Pan Am flight attendant. “We lost the company. It was taken, so having the opportunity to reexperience that and just seeing the uniforms, seeing the Pan Am livery on an aircraft … I just got so emotional. It was an experience taking me back almost 34 years, and it was bittersweet.”

Inside the Pan Am plane

Of course, that $65,000 price tag comes with a luxury experience. The plane is decked out in Pan Am touches in an all-business-class configuration. While I didn’t get to fly, I did get a tour of the super-luxurious plane.

The plane features lie-flat leather seats in a 2-2 configuration and high-end walnut finishes throughout.

There were a few rows of coach seats for crew members in the plane as well, but it was a very intimate cabin. I loved all the luxe touches being readied for paying passengers. Though I wasn’t able to take flight, I did get to play pretend for a moment before boarding.

Another way this plane — and the trip it was on — stood out: a limit of just 50 people.

The itinerary includes stops in Bermuda; Lisbon; Marseille, France; London; and Foynes, Ireland. It also features stays at some of the world’s best hotels. First stop? Bermuda, with an overnight at the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club.

Guests will also stay at the Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon, the Savoy in London, the Sofitel Marseille Vieux Port and the Adare Manor in Ireland.

What’s next for Pan Am?

If you’re intrigued, there is good news: The company has already announced another trip. Next April, another exciting journey will follow some more of Pan Am’s classic Pacific routes, with a round-the-world, three-week itinerary starting in San Francisco and heading to Japan, Cambodia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji and then back to San Francisco. The price tag? $94,495.

If that’s out of your price range, there are other Pan Am experiences that could be on offer soon from the company, including a Pan Am museum, restaurant and even an airport lounge. And even more could be on the way if the head of the company has his way.

“Pan Am has already reestablished a footprint in hospitality and experiential travel,” said Craig Carter, CEO of Pan American World Airways. “Exploring scheduled service commercial service is a logical and exciting next step.”

Bottom line

It was a real thrill to see the iconic Pan Am logo and livery on an actual jet again. But for now, you’ll need to be able to lay down some serious dollars if you want to experience “America’s Airline to the World.”

I am so excited to see what this ambitious company does next with the iconic brand.

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