I took my final 747 flight a couple of days ago PVG-SFO (UD). I have really mixed feelings about United retiring these. In some ways, I feel like a beloved pet or relative has died.
It is a truly iconic aircraft and there is nothing quite like the upper deck experience. But United has really let them go. The interiors are really showing their age and I've found many of the 747 crews are surly and inattentive. (Maybe there is no correlation here, but it's my impression)
My one regret is that I never even once flew in 747 GF. 1A/K will go as an unfulfilled bucket list item. Ah well, for now I will be content to fly 773 and the 787 fleet and catch the occasional glimpse of other carriers' 747s. They were always better to look at from the outside anyway.
To paraphrase a Ronald Reagan quote, "There's nothing as good for the inside of a man as the outside of a 747."
Goodbye.