The Boeing 767 is old. Like, "first flight in the early eighties" old. Yet, if you’ve spent any time looking at charter schedules or long-haul leisure routes lately, you’ll notice that My Travel Airways 767 operations—and the legacy they left behind—still define how we think about "holiday" flying. It’s a weirdly specific niche. You’ve got this wide-body jet that was originally meant to kill off the gas-guzzling tri-jets, and somehow, it became the backbone of European sun-seekers heading to the Caribbean or Florida.
Most people don't think about the airframe. They think about the legroom. Or the lack of it. But the 767-300ER, which was the staple of the My Travel fleet before the various mergers into Thomas Cook, was a beast of efficiency for its time. Honestly, it changed the economics of getting from Manchester to Orlando.
The Reality of Flying the My Travel Airways 767
When My Travel Airways (formerly Airtours International) was at its peak, the 767 was the crown jewel. These weren't your standard United or Delta configurations with massive first-class suites. No way. These were high-density machines. We are talking about a 2-3-2 or even a 2-4-2 layout in some charter configurations that made things feel... cozy. Very cozy.
It’s actually fascinating how these planes were utilized. The Boeing 767-300ER has a range of about 5,980 nautical miles. For a charter airline, that is the sweet spot. It allowed My Travel to hit Phuket, the Maldives, and the US West Coast without needing the massive overhead of a Boeing 747. It was the "Goldilocks" plane. Not too big to fill, not too small to make the fuel-burn-per-seat ratio look terrifying to the accountants in the head office.
Did it feel premium? Rarely. Was it reliable? Almost always. The GE CF6 engines on those birds are legendary for their "on-wing" time. You’d see these planes doing a quick turnaround at Gatwick—literally landing from Cancun and being back in the air for a Mediterranean hop three hours later. The utilization rates were insane.
Why the 767 Layout Still Beats Modern Dreamliners
Here is a hot take: the 2-3-2 seating on a standard 767 is better than the 3-3-3 on a modern 787 Dreamliner. Seriously. If you’re traveling as a couple on a My Travel Airways 767 (or its successors), you only have one person to climb over to get to the aisle. In a modern "efficient" jet, you’re often stuck in a middle seat between two strangers.
The 767 feels more human. It’s narrower, sure, but the proportions don't feel like you're being loaded into a pressurized shipping container.
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The Engineering That Kept Them Flying
The 767 was the first Boeing wide-body to be designed with a two-crew cockpit. No flight engineer needed. That was a massive deal for My Travel's bottom line. By stripping out that third person in the cockpit, the operating costs plummeted. They also utilized ETOPS (Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards).
Before the 767, if you wanted to fly across the Atlantic, you basically needed three or four engines for safety. The 767 proved that two engines were perfectly fine, provided they were maintained to a meticulous standard. My Travel’s maintenance teams had to keep those GE or Pratt & Whitney engines in top shape to maintain their ETOPS certification, which allowed them to take the direct "great circle" routes over the ocean rather than hugging the coastline. It saved hours of flight time and thousands of pounds in fuel.
What Happened to the My Travel Fleet?
Aviation is a messy business. Companies merge, get bought out, go bust, and then get rebranded. My Travel eventually merged with Thomas Cook in 2007. The 767s stayed, but the liveries changed. Some of those specific airframes—like G-DAJC or G-DIMB—became icons of the British holiday scene.
If you look up the tail numbers today, most are either scrapped in the desert or converted into freighters. That’s the "afterlife" for a 767. Since the floor is incredibly strong and the diameter is just right for standard pallets, companies like Amazon Prime Air and FedEx buy up old passenger 767s and give them a second life. It’s actually a bit poetic. The plane that used to carry your suitcases to Vegas is now probably carrying your overnight delivery from an online warehouse.
The Maintenance Nightmare of Older Jets
Let’s be real for a second. Operating an aging 767 isn't all sunshine and low lease rates. As these planes hit the 20-year or 25-year mark, "D-Checks" become incredibly expensive. A D-Check is basically where the engineers take the entire plane apart, strip the paint, check for microscopic cracks in the wing spar, and put it back together. For an airline like My Travel, there came a point where the cost of the check was more than the value of the plane.
That’s why you see the shift to the Airbus A330 or the Boeing 787. They are "plastic" planes—composite materials don’t corrode like the aluminum on the 767. But the 767 had a stiffness and a "tank-like" build quality that many pilots still miss. It handled turbulence like a heavy Cadillac rather than a light sports car.
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Surprising Details Most People Miss
People forget that My Travel was actually quite innovative with their cabin service for a while. They were one of the first to really push the "Premium" economy concept on charter 767s. They knew that people would pay an extra £200 for a few more inches of legroom on a 10-hour flight to Goa.
- The 767-300ER used by My Travel had a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of roughly 187,000 kg.
- The cabin altitude was often kept a bit higher than modern jets, which is why you felt so dehydrated after a flight.
- The overhead bins were tiny compared to what we have now. If you brought a "modern" carry-on onto a 1990s-era 767, you were going to have a bad time.
There was also the "Airtours" legacy. Before the rebrand to My Travel, the planes were bright, colorful, and felt like the vacation started the moment you saw the tail at the gate. By the time they transitioned to the My Travel 767 branding, the industry was becoming more "corporate." The fun was being squeezed out by fuel surcharges and baggage fees.
Lessons from the 767 Era
We can learn a lot from how My Travel operated those 767s. They proved that you could run a successful long-haul business on thin margins if you had the right aircraft.
Reliability over flashiness. The 767 wasn't the sexiest plane. It didn't have mood lighting or massive windows that dimmed at the touch of a button. But it worked. It got 300 people to their destination safely, day in and day out.
Niche matters. The 767 allowed My Travel to fly into smaller airports that couldn't handle a 747. This opened up destinations that were previously "off-limits" for direct flights from the UK.
How to Track Down This Legacy Today
If you’re a total aviation geek and want to see what’s left of the My Travel Airways 767 era, your best bet is looking at the cargo hubs. Cincinnati (CVG) or Liege (LGG) in Belgium are hotspots for converted 767s. You can use sites like Planespotters.net or FlightRadar24 to track specific MSN (Manufacturer Serial Numbers).
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Search for the old registrations. You might find that a plane you flew on to Cyprus in 2004 is currently flying car parts across the Midwest. It’s a strange feeling.
For those looking to fly on a 767 today, the options are shrinking. Delta and United still operate them on transatlantic routes, but they are being phased out fast. If you want that classic 2-3-2 experience, you better book it soon. Within five years, the 767 will likely be an all-cargo bird, at least in the Western world.
Moving Forward: What to Look For
When booking your next long-haul trip, don't just look at the price. Look at the aircraft type. If you see a 767 listed, realize you’re flying on a piece of history.
- Check the seating map. Use a tool like SeatGuru to see if it’s a refurbished interior. Some 767s have been gutted and fitted with modern tech, making them feel brand new.
- Understand the baggage limits. Older planes have smaller overhead bins. If you’re flying on an older wide-body, pack lighter to avoid the "gate check" scramble.
- Appreciate the windows. The 767 has great window alignment. Unlike some newer jets where the seats and windows don't line up, the 767 usually gives you a perfect view of the GE engines.
The My Travel Airways 767 might be a memory, but its impact on making long-distance travel affordable for the average family is undeniable. It bridged the gap between the expensive "glamour" age of flight and the ultra-low-cost "bus in the sky" era we live in now. It was a rugged, dependable middle ground that got the job done without any ego.
To truly understand the current state of aviation, you have to look at the retired tail numbers of the My Travel fleet. They tell a story of a changing industry, shifting consumer tastes, and the relentless march of technology. Those planes didn't just carry passengers; they carried the hopes of millions of holidaymakers looking for a bit of sun. And honestly, that's a pretty great legacy for a bunch of aluminum and jet fuel.
Check your upcoming flight itineraries via your airline's app to see the "Equipment" section. If it says 767-300, take a moment to look at the wing design when you board—it's a classic for a reason. Compare the seat pitch to modern A321LR "long-thin" routes to see if the old wide-bodies actually offered a better experience. Finally, keep an eye on secondary market registrations if you are interested in the secondary life of these airframes as they move into the freight sector.