26 Facts About Freddie Laker

Sir Frederick Alfred Laker was an English airline entrepreneur, best known for founding Laker Airways in 1966, which went bankrupt in 1982.

Freddie Laker was a member of the Air Transport Auxiliary during and immediately after the Second World War.

Freddie Laker then worked briefly for British European Airways and London Aero Motor Services.

Freddie Laker left British United in 1965 and formed his own Laker Airways, in 1966, initially operating charter flights with a pair of turboprop planes acquired second-hand from British Overseas Airways Corporation.

Freddie Laker offered a new, revolutionary concept of inexpensive air travel, requiring passengers to purchase their tickets on the day of travel, and to buy any food they wanted on the flight.

Freddie Laker was knighted in 1977, the year after the successful launch of Skytrain, in recognition of his services to the airline industry.

Freddie Laker received an honorary degree from the University of Strathclyde in 1981.

Freddie Laker divided his final years between his waterfront home in Princess Isle, Grand Bahama Island, where he kept his yacht, The Lady Jacqueline, and Florida, US.

Freddie Laker died at the age of 83 in a suburban hospital in Hollywood in Florida, following complications from cardiac surgery to implant a pacemaker.

Freddie Laker was survived by his fourth wife, Jacqueline Harvey, a former airline hostess he married in 1985, and by two of his children.

Freddie Laker placed an order for Vickers VC10 series 1103 long-haul jets on behalf of British United.

Freddie Laker was furthermore instrumental in securing the transfer of the traffic rights for BOAC's loss-making South American routes to Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay to British United.

In 1965, Freddie Laker decided to leave British United to set up his own airline following an alleged disagreement with British United's chairman Myles Wyatt.

Freddie Laker was involved in the following business ventures during the later postwar years of the 20th century :.

For many years Freddie Laker had been the most profitable as well as the best-run charter airline in Britain.

Freddie Laker Airways pioneered many new, cost-saving as well as profit-enhancing, commercial concepts and operational techniques.

In 1969, Freddie Laker Airways announced its intention to buy the proposed BAC Three-Eleven, an all-British widebodied jet powered by two rear-mounted Rolls-Royce RB211 engines.

In 1973, Freddie Laker Airways operated the world's first Advance Booking Charter flight.

The appeal was successful, and the ATLB eventually granted Freddie Laker the requested licence in February 1972.

Freddie Laker took the government to the UK High Court, which overturned the latter's decision to revoke the airline's licence for a Skytrain service between London and New York.

At the last minute prior to the inaugural Skytrain flight from London to New York, Freddie Laker received government permission to use its Gatwick base as the service's UK departure and arrival point, rather than Stansted as originally specified in its licence.

Freddie Laker Airways flew from there until it shut down in 2005.

Freddie Laker was the 2002 recipient of the Tony Jannus Award for his distinguished contributions to commercial air transportation.

Freddie Laker is remembered for his famous advice to fellow airline entrepreneurs Richard Branson, of Virgin Atlantic, and Stelios Haji-Ioannou, of easyJet, to "sue the bastards", a reference to the bullying tactics of British Airways in trying to force upstarts out of business.

The third plane to be named in spirit after Freddie Laker happens to be a Boeing 737 MAX that belongs to Norwegian Air Shuttle, delivered in May 2017.

The Freddie Laker Awards were touted as the frequent traveller's answer to the Oscar, Emmy and Grammy Awards by Petersen.