More than two decades after the collapse of Ansett Australia, former Canberra staff gathered at a reunion on Saturday night to catch up, reminisce and suggest, wistfully, that the airline should still be flying.
Now running an excavation business in Canberra, Garry Levien worked as a baggage handler for Ansett for 14 years.
He turned up to the reunion with an "Alan Joyce" name-tag, a dig at Ansett's arch-rival Qantas.
"Every time we come to one of these events, it's like a big family reunion," he said.
"Everybody knows everybody and we haven't forgotten anybody. And really I think we should still have the damn airline out there at the airport.
"We should be doing what we were doing 23 years ago because we'd be a far lot better that what's going on at the moment.
"I miss it and I wish that I was still doing it."
Ansett Airlines went into administration in September 2001, the same week as the 9/11 terrorism attacks, its last flight touching down in March, 2002.
The reunion on Saturday night, organised by Lisa Dube, who worked at check-in at the Canberra airport, was filled with laughter and some tears.
A common theme was that Ansett had been a family and people thought it was the best job they'd ever had. They'd be Ansett staff to the end.
"It's like a connection to your soul, it's really weird," Lisa said.
The reunion was a happier occasion than when the stunned staff gathered at the Kingston Hotel in 2001 after the airline was grounded, "because we had nowhere else to be".
"We thought it would be a job for life, but we're friends for life, so that's just as good," Lisa said.
Canberra real estate king Richard Luton was at the reunion.
He started working for the coach company Ansett Pioneer in 1979 and then worked at Ansett's Northbourne Avenue office and then at the traffic front desk at the airport.
"It's actually 30 years ago since I left Ansett to get into real estate but I had 15 great years at Ansett," he said.
Memorabilia at the reunion ranged from the air hostess doll backpack kids used to get on flights to a Golden Wing Club sign.
Julie Dawes worked for 26 years in the accounts department of Ansett.
"It was the greatest company that ever was," she said.
Tracy Wiseman, Lisa Dube's sister, worked in sales for Ansett for 10 years. She met her husband Peter at Ansett. They moved to Brisbane to work for the airline just before its collapse.
Tracy travelled from Brisbane for the reunion.
"I just feel like I'm home," she said. "I'm with familiar people and it was a crew that we loved and it was wonderful and I just feel so comfortable here."
Carmen Dobson-Corkhill worked in retail for Ansett with then ACT manager Sarah Lewis, who went on to be the manager of Canberra Ticketing at the Canberra Theatre.
Carmen moved to Australia from Canada and her first job was at Ansett.
"I have not put on a uniform since the day Ansett collapsed and I refuse to wear any other uniform. That's where my heart is," she said.
Murray Schroder worked for Ansett for 17 years in the Golden Wing Lounge, proudly wearing his Golden Wing lapel badge to the reunion.
"I find is so amazing that the faces are still recognisable, even though it's been 20 years. We have a few more wrinkles and a few more kilos and a few more grey hairs, but everyone's very recognisable," he said.
Mr Schroder said Qantas followed Ansett in many respects.
"Ansett was the first to have lounge membership, the first to have frequent flyer points. We were always first and the other mob was always second," he said.
"But, unfortunately, we were first to go broke too."
