Did you know that there are people around the world who are absolutely passionate about Pan Am? A 12-day tribute celebrating the US airline’s legendary service and cultural icon status, Watching the Transatlantic, The flight, which will take place in June 2025 on a specially chartered 757-200 aircraft consisting entirely of business class, will not be cheap.
Inspired by Pan Am’s original Flying Boat routes from the 1930s, the journey will start and finish in New York for just 50 Pan Am fans willing to pay at least $60,000 (around £45,500) per person, with stops in Bermuda, Lisbon, Marseille, London and Foynes in Ireland, staying at the finest hotels and enjoying incredible experiences along the way.
It begins and ends with a night and gala dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in New York, which reopened after a major refurbishment in December. Other hotels include the Rosewood in Bermuda, The Savoy in London and Dromoland Castle in County Clare, all venues with storied histories. There will be a fado night in Lisbon and dinner at the Flying Boat Museum in Foynes, home to the world’s only full-scale replica Pan Am Flying Boat.
The concept was conceived by Bartelings, a Cyprus-based company specializing in private jet tours around the world, headed by Gary Bartelings. “The trip is designed to be a great social experience, like Pan Am’s best days, and because it’s a private charter flight, people can move around and mingle more, which creates a real sense of camaraderie that you don’t get on other flights,” Bartelings says. The company has partnered with the Pan Am Museum Foundation on Long Island, founded in 2015 by former Pan Am flight attendants, and The Pan Am Brand (you’d be surprised how much product is still made in South Korea, they love it).
“People were always Pan Am’s secret sauce,” says Linda Freire, the museum’s co-founder and a 12-year Pan Am flight attendant. “You had to have a presence and charm to work there. Most of our passengers were frequent fliers, and we saw them several times a month and built relationships. They came to expect top-notch service from us. Don’t worry, nothing is too big to handle. I’m a Pan Am flight attendant, I can handle it. That was our motto.”
Food was always an integral part of the Pan Am presentation. They had a caviar bar, they carved the famous chateaubriand on-site using large sword knives that you would never get near an airplane today, and they had menus designed by the legendary Maxim’s of Paris in the 1950s. The team is now studying the original Pan Am menus for inspiration (“It won’t be exactly the same – everything has changed since 1991. Back then they served Moët. Today we’d probably want Dom Perignon.”).
“Pan Am has always tried to emulate the ocean liner experience,” said the mother of a friend who has flown the airline many times. “At one point in the 1970s, that famous spiral staircase led to a candlelit dining room that was quite magnificent. They served lobster, caviar and roast beef cut at the table and served on bone china. We were all dressed up, and the Pan Am stewardesses were gorgeous. Diction, manners and grooming were important back then.”
My American grandfather was a frequent Pan Am flyer around the world while working in advertising in the 1940s and 50s. He was even a member of the ‘invite only’ Clipper Club. He wrote a memoir (never published) that included a wealth of detail about his travels.
“On our flight to Honolulu, they served us a champagne breakfast, which must have been the earliest drink I’ve ever had in my life,” he wrote about a Pan Am flight in the early 1950s. “But that meant everyone in the cabin was fast asleep by lunchtime. When I woke up, the stewardesses would come over with steaming hot towels and tell us to bury our faces in them and that it would revive us. It was a new trick for me, but it worked, and I still use it today.”
In true Pan Am style for next year’s adventure, the aircraft will avoid public air terminals and benefit from expedited customs and immigration procedures at each port of call, and is configured to carry a maximum of 50 passengers. It will feature modern, lie-flat seating with a ‘buddy’ arrangement where a friend can join you at a small table from the other end of the plane to play cards, drink champagne or both. It will be leased from Icelandair and will feature pilots and flight attendants fully decked out in retro-style Pan Am uniforms.
Unfortunately, if you were hoping to snag a ticket, you’re too late. Pan Am announced its return just a few weeks ago and the trip has already sold out. Organisers are still struggling to add a second identical itinerary, and plans are afoot for others, including a ‘round-the-world’ centennial trip in 2027.
“I have traveled nearly a million miles in my travels, mostly by air, with more than 150 transatlantic and transpacific crossings,” Grandpa Tom wrote. “But I still consider the Pan Am stratocruiser to be one of the most comfortable aircraft ever designed—a large, airy cabin with an open bar, lounge, big reclining seats, and footrests that felt like feather beds.”
For some, then and now, Pan Am seems like the only option.
Fundamentals
The 12-day Pan Am Transatlantic Watch cruise runs from June 27 to July 9, 2025, and costs $59,950 per person for double occupancy or $65,500 for single occupancy, and includes all flights and accommodations, most meals and beverages, and a specially branded gift bag. criteriontravel.com
Missed Pan Am’s return? Five more travel experiences for the super-rich
Sail the seven seas
Regent Seven Seas is offering a 140-night all-inclusive cruise on one of its newest Explorer-class ships. The ultra-luxury, all-inclusive suite Splendor will depart Miami on January 11, 2027, calling at 71 ports in 40 countries on six continents, covering the Caribbean, Pacific Islands, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Africa and Europe.
Veranda Suites start from £77,199 per person, while the 4,443 sq ft Regent Suite for two can be booked for as little as £1,342,478. rssc.com
Immerse yourself in Maori culture
Luxury adventure travel specialists Pelorus present the 10-night Aotearoa Air Discovery trip, where you can experience the natural beauty and cultural treasures of New Zealand. Scenic helicopter flights, outdoor adventures and immersive cultural encounters include exploring volcanic Mount Tarawera, the pristine coastlines of the Bay of Islands, a horse-drawn carriage race at Cape Reinga and attending a traditional Maori ceremony.
Prices from £90,000 per person for four adults. pelorustravel.com
Hot air balloon safari
Luxury expert Scott Dunn is launching a 10-night aerial safari in Ruaha National Park in southern Tanzania in 2025. Led by one of Africa’s top private guides, James Suter, the trip will use a hot air balloon as the sole mode of transport and move from authentic yet luxurious camp to camp, tracking big cats, elephants and more from above.
Prices start from £40,000 per person for double occupancy, excluding international flights, with no set departure date. scottdunn.com
Coast of Alaska by superyacht
Explore southeast Alaska with Eyos Expeditions, a specialist in private expedition yacht charters. On this seven-night land and sea voyage, you’ll travel through magnificent fjords flanked by towering granite walls, take zodiac excursions, and kayak across floating ice, enjoying sightings of killer whales, humpback whales, stellar sea lions, and even brown and black bears along the way.
Starting from $245,000 per person. eyos-expeditions.com
Penguin watching in Antarctica
This trip, operating in November and December 2024, offers unique access to the magnificent emperor penguin colony in Atka Bay, Antarctica. You’ll get to see over 14,000 breeding pairs and their newly hatched chicks – a thrilling spectacle in the constant daylight of the Antarctic summer. Based at Whichaway Camp in the White Desert, you’ll be able to hike, ice climb and abseil.
The six-day Early Emperors tour starts at $68,500 per person, including round-trip airfare and transfers from Cape Town to Antarctica. white-desert.com