More Airlines Say Goodbye to the Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet
Sharon Hsu August 21, 2018
Affectionately nicknamed “The Queen of the Skies,” the Boeing 747 jumbo jet was first introduced for commercial use in 1970. The first wide-body jet ever produced, the 747 can carry up to 660 passengers at a time in its single-class configuration and led the industry in passenger capacity capabilities for nearly four decades.
The days of the Boeing 747 ruling the skies may soon be behind us. Internationally, carriers known for their premium first class options, such as Korean Air and Lufthansa, are still choosing the 747 for its roominess. Most domestic U.S. airlines, however, including Delta Airlines and United Airlines, have been quietly retiring their 747s and not putting in orders for more. Of the orders that Boeing currently has in place, all are for the cargo variation of the 747.
So which passenger planes are these airlines turning to in order to replace their jumbo jets? Wheaton Business Journal reports the following:
1. The Boeing 777. With the capacity to carry up to 550 passengers, the 300ER model of the 777 rivals the 747 for space but at less cost to operate.
2. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Superior fuel economy leads some carriers to swap in this smaller model for the 747.
3. The Boeing 777X. Designed as the direct descendent to the 747, this plane can carry up to 400 passengers and is expected to debut in 2020.
4. The Airbus 350XWB. Similar in size to the 747, but with next-generation fuel efficiency, this has been the plane of choice for Delta as they’ve retired their 747s.
5. The Airbus A380. Air France and Singapore Airlines replaced their 747s with the Airbus A380, though recently this model has struggled to find purchasers, leading some to predict that it, too, will go the way of the 747 soon.
[Photo: Shutterstock]
So the headline says "More Airlines Say Goodbye to the Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet" But the article actually has nothing to do with the headline, as ZERO additional airlines are discussed in the article as "saying goodbye" to the 747. Delta and United are the online airlines mentioned which have gotten rid of 747's and they did so a year ago in highly publicized events covered on national news outlets as well as here on flyertalk.
I'd hardly characterize United's retirement of their 747's as "quietly," as the author contends. United conducted a system wide farewell tour for their last 747 with a finale flight to Hawaii. They still may be distributing their awkward Olympic metal "drum" amenity kits with 747 emblazoned eye shades. (can't wait till they run out of those!). As for the A380, no airline can economically justify dumping a plane that hasn't lived out its useful life, at least under current conditions.It's hard to imagine an Emirates 380 on a farewell tour anytime "soon."
Dont forget about BA,
Sad! None of the new airliners have the grace and beauty of the 747!
Despite being someone who works with airplanes all day, I'm a little ignorant about them. Why is the 777X the descendant and not the 77W? If the 77W can carry 550 in a 1 class and 777X can only carry 400, wouldn't the W be the closer comparison?