United Airlines 747 Sendoff

The 747 is doomed sadly, just like the rest of 4 engined airliners... the A380 isn't doing that much better.
More modern fuel efficient aircraft like the A350 and B787 are what's hot, and the new versions of the A320 and B737 family.
 
Since 747s where originally designed as passenger AND cargo planes, this seems right.

The cargo design aspect is what moved the cockpit above the main fuselage, so that large freight can be loaded through the nose.
 
Carriers also find that instead of having large airplanes that can hold a lot of passengers at once, they have more flexibility scheduling with smaller airplanes that can add more flights and/or serve more cities.
 
What a coincidence, took a picture of one a few hours ago returning troops to Fort Bragg. Much nicer looking than the one I flew on from Chicago when I PSC'ed to Hawaii in 1995.

mBrv6vI.jpg
 
I was in a 747 last week flying back from Germany on Lufthansa. Plane looked very new on the inside. Looking at it from the terminal, it's a beast of a plane. Huge! Very comfy in business class. Flew an old 747 in economy to China 5 years ago. Not so comfy.
 
The 747-8F/I will stick around for a bit, BA hasn't retired their 744s... yet. The newer examples of the 400s will keep flying for a bit.

Boeing was converting passenger 744s to cargo config, but it looks like the 777 Freighter is making inroads at FedEx and UPS.
 
Originally Posted By: 6starprez

http://i.imgur.com/mBrv6vI.jpg

I have to say, it's been a long time since I flew United. 20 years ago on a SFO-SYD round trip with the old grey paint scheme and "tulip" logo.

The new United, well Continental scheme looks great on an old plane.
 
I'm on an United Dreamliner long haul flight next week - they are good - and even though I have been on several A380's I don't like the Middle East "hub" concept - more options on direct flights is what I look for ...
 
Big airplanes with hub and transfer is not as desirable as point to point, more frequent flights. P2P flights can charge more, and more frequent schedule reduces your "blast radius" from delays and cancellations.

I usually am willing to pay $50 more for p2p flights over a transfer for a domestic, international probably $100 more.
 
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The 747-8F will still be around. I've seen a couple of the few 8Is that are flying, but no domestic carrier has ordered them.

I've been lucky enough to have unimpeded access to a 400 while it was in the maintenance shed. Fabulous plane, and as graceful as the A380 is not.

But for most people, they're all pretty much the same, especially if you're stuck in economy.
 
Happy to see United is doing the 747 a good service with their sendoff.

I work at a company that is adjacent to KSDF, Louisville International Airport. UPS airliners are coming and going almost constantly. It's a real treat to see the 747's fly in and take off, thought it's seldom. I think they fly mostly 757, A300, MD-11 and perhaps 767 from what I've seen coming and going.

Once in a great while I'll see an unmarked (all white) 727 take off, no idea who operates it-- you can tell it's taking off before it gets off the runway, sounds like a fighter jet.
 
Originally Posted By: DeepFriar
UAL is doing something nice to mark the passage of the 747 from passenger revenue service - A last flight from San Fran to Honolulu which was the first flight almost 50 years ago. Quite a run.


https://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/United-Gives-747-Special-Send-Off-229647-1.html


The article has an error. They mention United was the launch customer of the 747.

Not true. Pan Am was the airline that approached Boeing for a larger jet and was the initial organization that launched that airframe in PAX service.
 
Originally Posted By: timish
Originally Posted By: DeepFriar
UAL is doing something nice to mark the passage of the 747 from passenger revenue service - A last flight from San Fran to Honolulu which was the first flight almost 50 years ago. Quite a run.


https://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/United-Gives-747-Special-Send-Off-229647-1.html


The article has an error. They mention United was the launch customer of the 747.

Not true. Pan Am was the airline that approached Boeing for a larger jet and was the initial organization that launched that airframe in PAX service.



The AvWeb article has been updated by a paragraph at the end noting that both PanAm and Continental operated the 747 before United.
 
As much as I love the 747 (and miss the old red tail Northwest Orient 747-200Fs coming through PANC), I will always have a soft spot for the tri-jet heavies. The DC-10, MD-11 and especially the old Lockheed L-1011s.

A couple years ago I saw the cleanest, most beautiful L-1011 parked on the ramp at Anchorage International--this thing was absolutely gleaming! I did some quick research on it, and discovered it was owned by the Sands Corp. casino out of Las Vegas. They also operate (or did at the time anyway) a 767 and one or two 747-200SPs. The SPs were the short 747s originally operated by Pan Am and Qantas, and are pretty rare to see these days. Of course so is the L-1011!
 
I have two favorite anecdotes about flights I've had on the 747. When I got back from SEAsia in '71 I got booked on a Delta 747 from SFO to Atlanta. I had been awake for pretty much three days and daze is what I was in and must have looked it. When I boarded I turned right to find my seat. The flight attendant stopped me and said that my seat was in First Class. Somewhere along the way from Travis AFB through check-in and showing up at the gate some kind soul took pity on a tired looking guy in a wrinkled blue uniform that had not been worn in a year. The upper deck was still a "lounge" at that time so myself and five Japanese businessmen enjoyed the free drinks and, so help me, a stewardess who played a guitar occasionally. It was surreal.

Fast forward 20 years or so and the other anecdote was getting on a Pan Am 747 from Tampa to Dulles where I was one of five passengers on the whole airplane - two couples and me. The kicker was that one of the couples were former coworkers of mine, since retired, that I had not seen in ten years! Surreal, like I said.

Like so many others, I'm going to miss that plane.
 
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