Welcome To The Pan Am Experience!
Get ready to see some of the greatest videos and pictures from the amazing Pan Am Experience! A great company has re-created a first class dining experience in a converted airplane, and the result is incredible!
I read about this “Pan Am Experience” and posted something last year, but I got the chance to actually do it with my wife Alex, and I want to share this memorable experience with you!
Here’s how it all began. As their website states:
“On October 18, 2014, the Pan Am Experience officially launched with thirty-two guests in attendance, many who flew in from all over the country – from Chicago, Atlanta, New York, San Francisco to participate in the maiden “voyage”. Many of our guests shed tears as they boarded the airplane and described how it felt to “breathe new life” into the iconic airline that we all cherished so deeply.”
“Since our opening night, we have sold out every seat in the house, many of which have been filled by former Pan Am employees who have shared countless memories and contributed in kind to the experience. Sharing in the nostalgia and excitement of former Pan Am crew members when they board our airplane is quite an honor for us all. In this way, we feel uniquely connected to the history of Pan Am, and we hope that our service delights our guests as much as the airline delighted generations of passengers before us.”
Co-founder of the Pan Am Experience restaurant, Anthony Toth poses with waitresses dressed in vintage airline uniforms that recreates the experience of flying with Pan Am World Airways in the 1970s in Los Angeles, California, U.S. on May 20, 2017. REUTERS/Jane Ross
As you can see from this photo by Reuters, the retro experience begins the moment you arrive – as you can see, a very stylish crew is ready to greet you!
Here we are: ready to head into this experience! When you arrive, you are taken into a “check in” area where you can look at vintage posters, and view classic Pan Am items, like this meal service setup and classic Pan Am matches!
What A Great Pre-boarding Process!
Forget about flying coach – this Pan Am experience is “Clipper Class” all the way – because while you are looking at all of the iconic Pan Am items, you can have a pre-flight drink and then head over to get your boarding passes!
Time To Take Off!
After announcing an “overbooked” situation and offering $25 to anyone willing to take a later flight, the “Stewardesses” parade past to board the aircraft, dressed in vintage Pan Am outfits – some designed by the legendary Edith Head!
Alex stopped to get a photo with the “Pilots”, who were funny, upbeat and a couple were actual pilots!
This is a shot of “Clipper class”, two different areas where your food is presented on the fold out tables like a real flight…we were in “Upper Class” first class, so we climbed the stairs and saw this:
After settling in – and given another drink, highballs of course, the Stewardess came out to give us the pre-flight safety information – and it’s hilarious:
Time For Caviar!
Next up, a steaming bowl of hot towels are brought out for you to refresh yourself for the meal to come:
That’s right, a bag of peanuts are offered up, before your tuxedoed Maitre’D arrives with your menu, followed by the caviar cart!
The caviar course is followed by more mixed drinks of course, and then a great grilled shrimp salad – or you can also have caprese salad as well:
Now, it was time for the big fashion show – as these “Stewardesses” modeled vintage outfits with a ton of sass and flair!
Bravo to the talent involved! One of the greatest things about the night is that EVERYONE involved is having a blast as well!
Yes, they really DO offer you another highball AND a cigarette next! The fake cigarettes release smoke if you push a bit of air through them! Next up, dinner!
Bring On The Chateaubriand For Two!
As you can see, the dinner cart comes rolling up with a beautiful Chateaubriand, plus vegetables and horseradish cream! You can also order roast chicken or a vegetarian pasta, but we opted to go “all-in!”
The food is really delicious, and wine is offered next, along with more drinks – they really give you a lot of food and drink for the price, and there’s no “add ons” – like the ones you sometimes get at restaurants to jack up the bill.
Guess what? Time for one more fashion show, as they model classic Stewardess outfits from Pan Am’s rich history! Every single model who took part was terrific – take a look!
Need more proof? Listen to the funny commentary inspired by SNL – it adds just the right amount of levity to what is a fun look back at some of the greatest outfits to ever fly first class!
A cheese course and dessert follow, then a hilarious final touch: in-flight shopping! That’s right, you can buy some vintage perfumes right from he cart – so of course we did!
We Go Home Winners!
We ended up winning great big Pan Am luggage tags – Alex for winning the trivia challenge, me for posting this Instagram photo, which was judged best use of social media!
Everyone, this is an amazingly fun evening – which goes for 4 full hours but never feels long – and they are simply the greatest people to interact with – it’s a great experience for a couple or a bunch of friends!
Thanks so much to the entire team at The Pan Am Experience – to learn more, here is the link to the website to learn more about this incredibly fun adventure:
http://panamexperience.com/our-story/
Let me know what you think!
