Despite today's air routes being packed with a succession of bland jetliners, the classics of yesteryear are still earning their keep with charter and cargo operations across the globe. Boeing 707s and 727s, Douglas DC-8s and DC-9s, Caravelles and Tupolev Tu134s have all found homes with smaller carriers based in Africa, the Americas and Eastern Europe. Even some of the big operators in the US like American Airlines, United and Delta still retain an ever-dwindling fleet of 'classics'.