747 End of Production (?)

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I'm not throwing stones at you, OP, but Boeing claiming they lost $40M on every 747 they made since 2016? That's hilarious. That loss is all accounting trickery, wires and mirrors, shifting cost from one area to another. Sticking each 747 with a $40M hit is probably nothing more than Boeing attempting to paint the 737 MAX as a profit generator.

Scott
 
Nobody wants to fly aircraft with 4 engines. 747 too big for airlines when there's more fuel efficient aircraft.

Air Force One (and back up aircraft) will probably be the last 747s built before a great chapter of aviation history comes to a close.
 
Originally Posted by SLO_Town
I'm not throwing stones at you, OP, but Boeing claiming they lost $40M on every 747 they made since 2016? That's hilarious. That loss is all accounting trickery, wires and mirrors, shifting cost from one area to another. Sticking each 747 with a $40M hit is probably nothing more than Boeing attempting to paint the 737 MAX as a profit generator.

Scott


I don't doubt that they lost money since each one sold when sales are low is going to bring less profit. Maybe it wasn't a negative cash flow, but simply that they had to sell them for way less money than they could have sold them for (ie, "MSRP" vs actual sale price).

Regardless, there's a reason why Boeing or any other company discontinues producing a product ... it's not a good "money maker".
 
Originally Posted by ZeeOSix
Originally Posted by SLO_Town
I'm not throwing stones at you, OP, but Boeing claiming they lost $40M on every 747 they made since 2016? That's hilarious. That loss is all accounting trickery, wires and mirrors, shifting cost from one area to another. Sticking each 747 with a $40M hit is probably nothing more than Boeing attempting to paint the 737 MAX as a profit generator.

Scott


I don't doubt that they lost money since each one sold when sales are low is going to bring less profit. Maybe it wasn't a negative cash flow, but simply that they had to sell them for way less money than they could have sold them for (ie, "MSRP" vs actual sale price).

Regardless, there's a reason why Boeing or any other company discontinues producing a product ... it's not a good "money maker".


4 engines sucking fuel is the answer.
 
I think this news has been known for some time. Boeing was waiting for the Air Force One replacement contract before officially shutting things down.

The new 777x is going to be the big plane going forward. She is a great looking aircraft.
 
Originally Posted by Mr Nice
Nobody wants to fly aircraft with 4 engines. 747 too big for airlines when there's more fuel efficient aircraft.

Air Force One (and back up aircraft) will probably be the last 747s built before a great chapter of aviation history comes to a close.


The reason for 4 engines never was for efficiency, but only for safety whenever crossing an ocean.
The airlines lobbied to have 2 engines as they burn less fuel, same as they did away with the flight engineer, one less person on the payroll.
I'd gladly go back to 4 engines whenever crossing water.
 
Sad to see the Queen of the Skies begin the end of its journey. I wouldn't write its epitaph just yet, though. It still has one HUGE advantage in the air cargo market with which nothing else can compete....the ability to load through the nose.

Glad I got to ride on one once, from Shanghai to Chicago. It was an old United bird that was nearing retirement, but it was still a great ride.

It probably is true, but I'll wait to hear it straight from Boeing before mourning its passing.
 
Glad I got to fly on a 744 between SFO-SYD as a kid. Back when United and the legacy carriers provided a decent product.
 
Originally Posted by Mr Nice
Nobody wants to fly aircraft with 4 engines. 747 too big for airlines when there's more fuel efficient aircraft.

Air Force One (and back up aircraft) will probably be the last 747s built before a great chapter of aviation history comes to a close.


I think both were actually built for some other customer, customer bailed out (I think, not sure) and then bought by the US government and are being retrofitted.
 
Originally Posted by Pelican
Originally Posted by Mr Nice
Nobody wants to fly aircraft with 4 engines. 747 too big for airlines when there's more fuel efficient aircraft.

Air Force One (and back up aircraft) will probably be the last 747s built before a great chapter of aviation history comes to a close.


The reason for 4 engines never was for efficiency, but only for safety whenever crossing an ocean.
The airlines lobbied to have 2 engines as they burn less fuel, same as they did away with the flight engineer, one less person on the payroll.
I'd gladly go back to 4 engines whenever crossing water.

Yep, ETOPS, and reason why DC10 and L1011 were developed. But, honestly, last time there was an issue with both engines failing in flight was issue with heat exchanger on those RR engines on 777.
 
Originally Posted by edyvw
Originally Posted by Mr Nice
Nobody wants to fly aircraft with 4 engines. 747 too big for airlines when there's more fuel efficient aircraft.

Air Force One (and back up aircraft) will probably be the last 747s built before a great chapter of aviation history comes to a close.


I think both were actually built for some other customer, customer bailed out (I think, not sure) and then bought by the US government and are being retrofitted.





TransAero has ordered them and backed out. That's what I've heard. They are being retrofitted for AF1.
 
Originally Posted by jeepman3071
If this is true, Boeing as a company is dumber than I originally thought. No wonder they needed a bail out.


When did Boeing "need" a bail out ... and when have they ever taken one? Since they didn't take one, then obviously they really didn't "need" one.
 
Originally Posted by ZeeOSix
Originally Posted by jeepman3071
If this is true, Boeing as a company is dumber than I originally thought. No wonder they needed a bail out.


When did Boeing "need" a bail out ... and when have they ever taken one? Since they didn't take one, then obviously they really didn't "need" one.


Of course Boing does not need bail out.
It is called government contracts.
 
One of the more memorable flights the wife and I took was one from Manila to San Francisco on a 744. When we got to our economy seats we discovered that they had been double booked. We ended up on the upper deck, 1H and 1K for the 12 hour flight.
 
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