What is a TAA TJet and what are Club Snacks in first class all about?!

Take your mind back to 1968. The assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, race riots and social unrest over Vietnam, the first flight of the Boeing 747, and Apollo 8 orbiting the moon. It was all happening in the United States of America.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in the southern hemisphere, Trans-Australia Airlines (TAA for short!) was touting their new Club Snacks in first class. These were available on “TJet and Electra services round Australia” according to the advertising. So just what are TJets and were the club snacks any good?

TAA TJets and Electras

In 1968, TAA operated the Boeing 727 on mainline domestic jet services, along with the Lockheed Electra. These were supplemented by Douglas DC-9s operating various thinner routes.

When the jets were introduced to Australia in 1964, the livery had a giant T on the tail. That’s for TAA, don’t you know! That plus the fact that 727s and DC-9s had T-tails meant the advertising boffins of the time decided to market them as TJets and there we have it. The turboprop Electra’s didn’t have a T on the tail, even though they were technically jets too. Yes really, turboprop engines feature a propeller driven by a turbine, but you knew that, didn’t you?

Club Snacks, Anyone?

In what must be a historical version of cost cutting, TAA introduced Club Snacks in first class. These were alternatives you could have instead of the hot meal. Now I can’t see why people would avoid the hot meal, but according to the advertising copy, the introduction was “a flying success” – get it?

Available on both luncheon AND dinner flights, the August 1968 advert touts how there are now 10 Club Snacks. Some of these would be a little different to what we’re used to today, such as “Breast of turkey, Rolled anchovy and ox tongue with egg”. Who doesn’t love ox tongue? With egg?

All is not lost though, there are some higher end ones, hell, even black caviar makes an appearance in two of them. Once in a trio including “Prawns with sauce” (What sauce? My curiosity is piqued!) and “Piped cream cheese canapes”, and once with, “Fillet beef. Sliced tomato and fillet steak with black caviar”. Not sure who was responsible for the pairings, but they’re certainly interesting.

The biggest smile from me was this one, “Smoked ham with slices of egg. Oblong canapes with Mettwurst.” I remember being a kid in Australia and we were taught about oblongs, but we have always referred to them as rectangles since. Not knowing what Mettwurst is, Wikipedia explains it, “is a strongly flavored German sausage made from raw minced pork preserved by curing and smoking, often with garlic.” Reminds me of SPAM, really!

Overall Thoughts

Australian tastes have certainly changed since oblong canapes and caviar paired with fillet steak. The good people at TAA catering were obviously following the trends of the day. I’m sure someone like me will be smirking at today’s airline food in 50 years time.

I really enjoy seeing blasts from the past like this, as regular readers will know – I once wrote about TAA TV commercials, for goodness sake. I low key would like to see some of these old school foods served on board flights today, if only to see people’s reaction.

What do you think of this TAA ad and the Club Snacks? Perhaps you actually got to try them back in the day? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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Featured image by Joseph Favazza.
Boeing 727 by TAA, Electra by Ruth AS via Wikimedia Commons.
Magazine ad from Time Magazine 30 August 1968.