The announcement hit the airwaves and other news outlets exactly as the airline had intended. British Airways was to retire its fleet of Boeing 747s with immediate effect. The collapse in demand for air travel as a result of the pandemic was cited as the reason.

What followed were lots of instant tributes to this iconic jet. It was truly the end of an era. It made air travel affordable for all, it brought the world closer together.

What nobody picked up on was that accompanying this announcement was a brutal email and hard copy letter to hundreds of pilots and senior cabin services staff. The airline was terminating their employment with immediate effect. 

Captain Ali McRae heard the news on the radio, it wasn’t surprising but the speed and finality of the decision was. He logged onto his personal email and sure enough, there was a new message from his employer. Attached was an ominous-looking PDF. He didn’t see any need to open it, he knew what it would say.

His phone started pinging and bleeping. The texts, WhatsApps and Messenger Apps were going into overdrive. He clearly was not the only one to have got the email.

Ali created a WhatApp group and suggested that everyone join it. He also said that because all the pubs were still closed then he would be throwing open his house and garden for anyone who wanted to meet.

He called a friend who had retired from flying a decade ago and had started his own microbrewery nearby. Yep, he had plenty of beer available and in light of the news and in solidarity with his former colleagues, he would get a few pallets delivered to Ali’s house later that morning, at a substantial discount.

Justine, Ali’s girlfriend, came downstairs. The short white silk robe contrasted with her dark skin, she was clearly naked beneath it. They kissed, hugged and gazed lovingly at one another. Yesterday, like many other days before it during this furlough, had been spent in Ali’s secluded garden. They had made love, eaten, drunk wine and tended to the flowers. Last night after dinner they had retreated upstairs early and fucked each other’s brains out.

“You need to check your email,” Ali warned Justine as he handed her a coffee.

“Is it bad?” Justine inquired

“The whole fleet grounded with immediate effect,” Ali replied

“I wondered why my phone was melting, I’ve not checked any messages yet,” Justine answered, her voice was sad rather than angry.

“I have said we are throwing the house and garden open to anyone who wants to meet, seeing as how all the pubs are still closed,” Ali suggested that Justine invite her cabin crew friends as well. He forwarded her the WhatsApp group details.

After they had finished coffee and had some breakfast they headed upstairs to shower together. Even though the news was somber and the future far from certain the sight of Justine’s naked body soon had Ali erect.

He pushed his cock into her from behind as the shower soaked them both. Justine responded well and pushed herself back onto Ali. Justine started to rub her clit as Ali fucked her from behind. Both climaxed quickly and the day seemed better already.

Normally the first fuck of their day was just the prelude, this had certainly been the case during the lockdown. Today they had colleagues coming so they had to get ready. 

Ali and Justine had been together for a couple of years now, they had flown together for years and as their careers progressed they became good friends. Friendship had led to intimacy during stopovers on long flights. After Ali’s wife had cleared off, Ali turned to Justine and things just progressed from there. Justine had broken up with her partner after his business developed more cashflow problems. In all honesty, she was tired of bankrolling him. There was nothing formal in their relationship just two good friends who complimented and comforted one another. 

Both Ali and Justine had received dozens of messages while they had been fucking. It looked like it was going to be quite a gathering.

The beer arrived, and Tom, Ali’s old colleague, had thrown a couple of cases of wine onto the van just in case. He let Ali and Justine have them on a sale or return basis. They enjoyed coffee and talked happily of their time flying the 747 fleet together. 

The first cars began to arrive shortly after eleven. Men and women, couples and singles. They all knew one another and had worked and flown alongside each other for decades. Conversation between them was easy.

The reaction to the news was mixed some were angry, some were worried, most knew that given the scale of the downturn then something like this was inevitable. The airline had made no secret of the fact that it had wanted to get rid of its senior and more experienced staff for a while now. 

More friends arrived, there was nobody under fifty, but every one of them looked good. Cabin crew was hard work requiring strength and stamina and the ability to work long shifts, often overnight. The women had also always taken a great deal of pride in their appearances, especially when they were flying the flag. The pilots were required to pass an annual medical without which they would be grounded. They also all looked good for men of their age.

The flirting started almost immediately, they were among friends, many had been intimate before in the course of their long careers. It was clear that they all needed to open the pressure valve. The weather was good, the booze was flowing. It was going to be an aircrew party like the good old days.

Ali and Justine circled their friends and colleagues like the perfect hosts they were. Justine clearly wasn’t wearing a bra and her dress did little to hide her superb figure. She wasn’t alone, there were some outrageously skimpy sundresses and some seriously sexy lingerie visible under linen trousers. Some of the men made no attempt to hide the fact that they were becoming aroused.

As more colleagues arrived the hugs became more intimate, to hell with social distancing on the day you had lost your job. There was kissing, plenty of it. Hands could be seen dropping as old friends caught up with one another and had a feel for old time's sake.

With that came the war stories. Stories of outrageous acts performed in flight and at hotels all over the world. Pop stars, racing drivers, long-forgotten politicians all had been caught over the years. There were tales to be told. How generous and kind and down to earth some megastars were and how some were the complete opposite.

A favourite anecdote was, how unbelievably rude minor royals could be. There was more than one story about a famously boorish “spare” Prince. Nobody liked flying with him, it was never fun. More than once there was a suggestion that he may be sweating now that the FBI had linked him to a notorious American paedophile. 

There were stories of a much more personal nature too. Karen Hastings, a senior Purser, told of how furious she was when a last-minute roster change meant that she had to miss her fortieth and her sons fifteenth birthday to fly to New York and how it had all come good when on the return flight her colleagues persuaded David Bowie to lead them all singing happy birthday to her in the galley somewhere over Iceland. 

Two pilots were reminiscing about a favourite passenger, the South African travel writer Sandy Evens. Clearly, they had both been intimate with her and had enjoyed her company. 

Deborah Thomas, one of the most proper Cabin Services Directors, overheard them.

“Are you talking about Sandy Evens?”

They admitted they were.

“She came into the galley one night on our way down to Cape Town, said she was looking for an aspirin. She grabbed my arse and gave me a kiss. After we landed she invited me to her apartment. That was the first time anyone had ever used a strap-on on me. What a lay-over that was. Now, will one of you be an absolute darling and get me some more wine?”

Both pilots reached for the same bottle while they got their jaws off the floor. 

The sun was now high over the secluded garden and the booze had been flowing for a few hours. Inhibitions were being lost.

Justine noticed Paul Telling getting his cock sucked in the hallway. What surprised her was that it was Matt Clarke on his knees. They were both pilots she had flown with.

Outside on a sun lounger, Paula McKay was getting her bald pussy licked by Louise Matthews, Paula was also sucking Terence Higson’s cock, she had flown with all three many times.

Ali found Justine in the garden, All around them, couples and larger groups were cavorting. Ali put his hand up Justine’s dress and encountered her pussy, She was not wearing any underwear.

“I want to fuck you right now,” he announced, “In fact, I want to fuck your arse.”

“Later baby, later.” She kissed him fully on the lips whilst at the same time unzipping his shorts. Ali was hard and delighted when Justine sank to her knees and took him in her mouth.

Watching them both from a few feet away was Helen O’Toole, a flame-haired beauty. She opened her white linen trousers and stuck her hand inside her tiny blue silk knickers. Ali watched as she felt for her clit and thrust his cock into Justine’s mouth. Ali had not seen Helen for a few years but he vividly remembered fucking her regularly on a long trip to New Zealand. Those were the days when you could be away for nearly 10 days with stop-overs.

Ali felt his balls tighten and released a huge load into Justine’s mouth. She swallowed most but some dribbled down onto the dark skin of her chin.

Helen was clearly not done and was frigging her pussy wildly. Graham Walker approached her with his cock standing to attention. Clearly, they were comfortable with one another. Graham sat in a recliner. After removing her trousers and knickers Helen lowered herself onto his throbbing cock. 

Justine and Ali circulated among their friends and colleagues. It was obvious that there was a need for food. The most sober pilot was despatched in an Uber to the local branch of Waitrose to get steaks. A massive order for pizza was also phoned in. The airline company credit cards were being used for the last time before they could be blocked.

Ali caught sight of a colleague he had flown with many times, he had only just been promoted to Captain, they had always got on well.

They hugged.

“Tell me, there is always something I wanted to ask you?” Ali looked his colleague straight in the eye.

“We flew to Chicago many times together, but we never came home on the same roster, every time we did Chicago you took some local leave. What was going on?”

Chris Taylor looked Ali straight in the eye, “I had a friend, a special friend, as soon as we landed I would jump on the American Eagle and fly down to Kentucky. I would enjoy some of the legendary hospitality. Louisville, a wonderful city with a very special lady.”

Ali and Chris bonded again, they had always worked well together. Ali fired up his grill in anticipation of the steaks arriving.

The afternoon became evening. Some friends left, some passed out, some went upstairs to fuck in private. Ali and Justine looked after their guests, they were good friends, today had been tough and nothing would ever be the same again. It really was the end of an era.