What ranges from 1-7/8 inches to more than 4 inches, is round, and used by airlines worldwide? The answer is simple: butter pats. Depending upon the manufacturer, they have different names: Butter, Butter Chip, Butter Dish-Coaster, Butter Pad, Butter Pot, Butter Tray, and Individual Butter. No matter what the name, they’re ALL butter pats.
However, butter pats can and are used for more than serving butter. They are also used for serving nuts or sauces in first and business classes on international flights. For this reason, some have a side wall that measures from 3/8” to 3/4” deep.
While some butter pats have only a front design, others are marked (back-stamped) with the manufacturer and airline name. While other forms of transportation have used butter pats, the airline variety is usually much lighter in weight and commonly made of bone china or fine porcelain.
A collector may ask, why does an airline bother to order butter pats from china companies? A butter pat adds a special touch to the meal service. For some airlines, particularly carriers that use a combination butter or nut dish, this ware permits multiple uses that provide cost savings.
Basically, there are three companies that supply butter pats to most of the world’s airlines. They are Royal Doulton and Wedgwood of England, and Noritake of Japan.
While it is not an absolute division of the market, it seems Royal Doulton has carved out its territory in Europe, Canada, the Middle East, some of the African continent, and New Zealand. Wedgwood caters to some of the smaller airlines of the world while Noritake has a foothold along the Pacific Rim, in South America, and in the United States.
Royal Doulton often features pinstripes and logos although it certainly has the capability of producing some very unique designs. Noritake often incorporates colorful floral designs which appeal to some of the Asian airlines. All three companies produce high-quality, fine bone china. Another strong contender for the airline china market is Hutschenreuther of Germany.
While COVID has altered airline travel and in-flight service, china is still being used.
Rich Luckin displays most of his airline butter pats in this wall-mounted display case. They represent over 40 years of collecting.
Founded in 1929, Cubana is Cuba’s flagship airline as well as the country’s largest one. This china is used in Club Class.
Business Class passengers on Air Malta are served their meals on Royal Doulton china. The airline operates flights to destinations in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
Royal Nepal Airlines was founded in 1958. The airline is now called Nepal Airlines and serves 36 destinations. This china was made by Noritake.
Known as the “Hibiscus” pattern, this china was used in First Class class service on Malaysia Airlines. Japanese china maker Noritake produced this floral design.
Iran Air was created in 1962 by the merger of other airlines. The pattern is called, “Simorgh” after the flying god of ancient Persian legends. Noritake also produced this pattern.
British Airways used this repetitive design for their Concorde service. Manufactured by Royal Doulton, this was the first china designed exclusively for the airline’s Concorde service.
Laker Airways operated two DC-10s for their transatlantic flights. The airline offered a “Regency Service” in 1966 where this butter pat was used.
Wedgwood of England supplied this bone china. Laker Airways ceased operations in 1982.
Malaysia Airlines is the flag carrier of Malaysia and it was formed in 1947. Manufactured by Noritake, this colorful pattern is known as “Golden Club” and was used in business class.
This is one of the oldest butter pats in my collection. Aeroflot was founded in 1923, making it one of the oldest active airlines in the world.
Ghana Airways was the flag carrier of Ghana. The airline ceased operations 2004. This butter pat was made in Thailand.
Pakistan International Airlines was founded in 1946. I believe this is a current pattern used in First Class service.
It’s always a bonus when a butter pat is marked with the airline’s name on the back. This one was made by Cera-e-Noor which claims to be the world’s oldest crockery manufacturer.
Shanghai Airlines was founded in 1985 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Eastern Airlines.
China Airlines is the state-owned national carrier of the Republic of China. The airline operates over 1,400 flights weekly to 102 cities.
This pattern, known as “Golden Dragon Service,” was used by Continental Airlines in 1978 in First Class service between Los Angeles and Taipei, via Honolulu and Guam. The airline used this unique pattern for 6-9 months. It was a stock pattern but the Contrails Logo in red was back stamped on each piece.
Backstamp for the Continental “Golden Dragon Service” butter pat.
Western Airlines used this butter pat with their brand mascot, Wally Bird. The airline merged with Delta Air Lines in 1987. The piece was made by Mayer China Company.
The Western Airlines butter pat has a full backstamp.
A gold-trimmed butter pat was produced for Peru’s President Alberto Fujimori. They were used until 1990 on his presidential Boeing 757 aircraft.
England’s Royal Air Force uses fine bone china for their VIP service. The planes are catered at Royal Air Force Brize Norton Base in Oxfordshire, located about 75 miles northwest of London.
This Royal Air Force butter pat was produced by Royal Doulton of England.
For this older Air France butter pat, the pattern name is known as “Hippocampe.” The logo was used until 1976. Haviland China of France produced this butter pat.
Ethiopian Airlines was founded on December 21, 1945. It is the country’s flagship carrier. This piece was made by Rosenthal of Germany.
Iberia is Spain’s national airline and was founded in 1927. Kaelis, who supplied this piece, is the world’s leading independent provider of onboard products and services.
Transaero was founded in 1990 in Moscow. It ceased operation in 2015. Imperial Porcelain produced this butter pat.
Since EL AL’s first scheduled flight in July 1949, it has issued numerous labels (sometimes called stickers) for promotional and identification purposes. Airline labels appeal to aviation enthusiasts as they form a historical record of the development of an airline’s logos and advertising themes.
I have more than 200 different EL AL labels in my collection, and even more exist. Each has an adhesive side, typically on the back, for placement on baggage, cargo, stationery and other items, while a few have adhesive on the front for affixing to windows. This article features a selection of some of my favorites.
EL AL’s earliest labels feature its first logo: a six-pointed star with added flying wings, designed by the noted Israeli artist, Franz Krausz. The six-pointed star has served as a Jewish symbol for several centuries, and some say it recalls the star symbol on the shield of the most famous Israelite monarch, King David. The star has adorned the tails of each EL AL aircraft since the founding of the airline shortly after the birth of the modern State of Israel in 1948. The logo with added flying wings remained EL AL’s principal logo from 1949 until the creation of the EL AL “block” logo in 1962.
Let’s start with EL AL’s first four non-cargo labels.
EL AL’s first label, designed by Israeli artist Franz Krausz, 1949. 9.7cm. diameter. This beautiful label is still surprisingly common today and can be obtained on eBay at a relatively low price. Reproductions of this label (and of the next two shown) are also being sold, so if you want an original, check the description carefully.
EL AL’s second label, 1951, features its third aircraft type, a Lockheed Constellation (its first two types being the Douglas DC-4 Skymaster and Curtiss C-46 Commando). Designed by Franz Krausz. 10cm. diameter. This label is still fairly common, but less common than the first one.
EL AL’s third label and its first vertical one, early 1950s. Designed by Franz Krausz. 9cm. width x 12cm height. There are two printings of this label, with different type fonts and wing details. The one shown is by Artone Press and is uncommon. The other printing is by Rand Litho and is fairly common.
EL AL’s fourth label not designed expressly for cargo. 12x8cm. Uncommon.
EL AL started all-cargo flights in 1950 and introduced several cargo label types to give special handling instructions and to identify cargo destinations.
In the early 1950s EL AL issued its first set of special instruction cargo labels, each with the same typeface of “EL AL” on the bottom. This one was placed on containers holding animals. 13.8×8.5cm. Other such labels stated “Danger. Do not load in passenger planes”; “Must Ride. Do not offload on route”; ‘Fragile”; and “With Care”. Each is very uncommon.
On the left is the style of EL AL’s first cargo destination label. Early 1950s. The destination would be filled in by a printed stamp or handwriting. 10.2x14cm. Very uncommon. On the right is the style of EL AL’s cargo destination label that replaced the left one later in the 1950s and into the 1960s. 10.2×14.5cm. These have the destination pre-printed. I have 17 different destinations in this set – Amsterdam, Athens, Cologne, “Diseldorf”, Geneve, Hamburg, Istanbul, Johannesburg, London, Munich, New York, Nicosia, Paris, Rome, Teheran, Vienna and Zurich — and there probably are more. Uncommon.
In 1961 ELAL introduced Boeing 707s to its fleet and issued the left label in the shape of an EL AL 707 tail. 6.2×8.3cm. In 1962 Otto Treuman of the Netherlands and George Him, EL AL’s design consultant, created a new block logo for EL AL that became its principal logo, and soon thereafter EL AL revised its 707 tail label to include the block logo as seen on the right. The left label is uncommon. The right one was included in seat packets in-flight and is more common.
In 1963 EL AL’s design consultant George Him created a logo that placed the EL AL block between the words ‘”EL AL” in Hebrew (read right to left). This label shows that logo with an outline of a 707, EL AL’s main aircraft type at the time. An identical label exists with a mint green background. 11.5×7.3cm. Uncommon.
About 1965 George Him modified the original EL AL flying star logo, giving it a more modern look. His revision appears on this label, along with the EL AL block logo introduced in 1962. This label was issued in at least three background colors, blue, white and red, and a similar label issued after 1970 also shows an EL AL 747. 6.5×11.5cm. Very uncommon.
In 1969, for its 20th anniversary, EL AL issued its ‘flower plane’ designed by ADVICO of Zurich with artwork by Ruedi Külling. It appears on this label as well as on EL AL desktop and wall posters. 2.5x4cm. Uncommon.
EL AL label publicizing service to the United States. Probably issued in the 1970s. Similar to a series of EL AL destination posters designed in the late 1960s by noted Israeli artist Dan Reisinger, where one of the letters in “EL AL” is transformed into a symbol of the destination. This label also was issued in poster form. 18×15.5cm. Very uncommon.
Several EL AL memorabilia, including this label, feature the Israeli character “Srulik,” created by the Israeli illustrator Kariel Gardosh, known as “Dosh.” Here Srulik. as an EL AL Captain, offers a flower welcoming visitors to Israel. Probably issued in the 1970s. 4×4.5cm. Uncommon.
The Boeing 747 entered EL AL’s fleet in 1971, and the airline issued this label featuring a 747 bearing the EL AL “linear” logo designed by Israeli artist Dan Reisinger. 25x5cm. The “linear” logo intertwines the English and Hebrew words for EL AL using the typefaces of the separate English and Hebrew block logos. The overall label design was created by Israeli artist Effi Ryvkind. This label also exists with Hebrew text and no 747 aircraft, and another variation was issued as a poster. Very uncommon.
Two EL AL labels issued in the 1970s with a play on words based on phrases from the Bible. 37.5×9.5cm. and 37.5x9cm. Very uncommon.
EL AL airmail etiquette probably issued in the 1970s. This is the only EL AL airmail sticker that I know of. 5x2cm. Fairly common.
Sheet of EL AL aircraft labels issued in 1979, with artwork by Israeli artist Danny Shalom. These scenes were also produced in postcard and poster form. Each label is 4×2.2cm. Fairly common.
Label publicizing EL AL’s inaugural flight to Cairo, March 1980. 8.3×10.3cm. Fairly common.
Label honoring 30 years of EL AL service between Tel Aviv and Frankfurt, June 11, 1992. 5x5cm. Uncommon.
EL AL cargo label featuring one of its open-nose 747-200 freighters. The Hebrew text says “EL AL – Cargo” and “Efficient. Fast. Reliable.” Probably issued in the 1980s. Another version of this label exists with different Hebrew text. 32.8×23.2m. Very uncommon.
Label issued in 1988/89 with EL AL’s 40th-anniversary logo. It features the four aircraft types in EL AL’s fleet at the time, the Boeing 757, 747, 767 and 737, each a -200 series. The label also exists without the 40th-anniversary logo, and both variants were also issued in see-through form with adhesive on the front for affixing to windows. 22.5x9cm. Each variation is common.
With the arrival of Boeing 747-400s in EL AL’s fleet in 1994, EL AL revised its aircraft fleet label to show its five aircraft types at the time, all Boeing: 757-200, 747-200, 767-200, 747-400 and 737-200. This label also shows that EL AL slightly modified its aircraft livery by changing the colors of the EL AL name from black and gold to light blue and dark blue, and by having the cheatline on all its 747s come to a point near the nose to conform with that change already introduced on its other aircraft types. 19.7×12.4cm. Fairly common.
At various times EL AL has served Eilat, the Israeli resort town at the southern tip of the country by the Red Sea, in either domestic or international flights. This label promoting Eilat was probably issued in the early 2000s. 10cm. diameter. Uncommon.
This label publicizes EL AL’s Boeing 787 Dreamliners, introduced In 2017 and serving as its main long-haul aircraft type. The 787 has EL AL’s blue and silver ribbons livery, first introduced in 1999 during EL AL’s 50th anniversary. Note also that the EL AL linear logo on this label has different typography, a change made by EL AL in 2006 and in continuous use since then. This label also exists in a see-through form for application to windows. 13.7x8cm. Issued in 2017. Uncommon.
In 2018 EL AL started promoting its proposed new nonstop route from Tel Aviv to Tokyo, originally set to start at the beginning of 2020, and this label was part of that promotion. The new route was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The airline now plans to start flights to Tokyo in 2023. The Hebrew text in this label says: “New! Direct Flights to Tokyo”. 20×9.7cm. Uncommon.
This label announces the availability of Wi-Fi on all of EL AL’s 787 Dreamliner aircraft. The Hebrew text says: “So you will also be connected in the air.” Issued in 2018. 11.8cm. diameter. Uncommon.
Article text copyright 2023, Marvin G. Goldman. All images from the author’s collection.
