Flying Doctor

Interesting comments. We need one of the BA Pilot lurkers on here to comment but they may not want to. If there is no training for an aircraft type my understanding is that is the end because of the need for regular and repeated refresher training etc. If the simulator is getting removed then that is the end because don't Pilots have to do regular tests and pass and presumable they have to do it on the aircraft type they are licensed for but we haven't been told this yet.
I know some flights are packed in the latter part of this year but that is because of everyone rebooking endlessly. Once over that initial hump how much travelling do we really think will come back that quickly. It took years to recover after 9/11.
FD.

Richmond_Surrey

I'm glad I worked by Heathrow before sh... has hit the fan. At least, I got pictures of all interesting aircrafts and with special livery. The only one I missed was Qantas A380, as it was landing early and leaving late. And then when I went to photograph it in last days of service, it landed on the other runaway.

Tobias-UK

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Heathrow Tower

I really wouldn’t put too much store in what FR24 say, they’d have no idea of BA’s plans.

...and of course, all aircraft get ‘stored’ before they get ‘scrapped‘ anyway.

Given how changeable things are right now, I doubt anyone at BA has a definitive plan of ops for the next few years. Like any company they’re trying to reduce costs as much as possible.

pacenotes

I was cycling around Heathrow this afternoon and stopped to see her take off. It used about 1/4 of the runway and was straight up like Typhon. I just thought it was empty on a flight to NYC and continued with my cycle.

Here's a photo of it on my cycle last week when it was down at maintenance. Must of had to move a lot of planes to get her out of the car park.

george77300

This is a training suspension. This does not mean it’s A permanent retirement. Could just be for cost cutting if no 747s will fly for a little while. And even if they retire some aircraft, they could stop training some pilots as they won’t need it all. Training all the pilots every 6 months isn’t cheap.

At the very least they will need to train some 747 pilots to fly the aircraft from storage to retirement. I’m sure they will resume the training at some point, depending on if/how long the demand takes to return. This may just give them the option to retire them all by 2024 if demand doesn’t return. If it does return next year in some substantial way they can retrain and renew the pilots to fly them again.

GBOAC

Hugely sad day if this is the case.
I have logged 47 flights in the queen (across multiple airlines but mainly BA), thankfully including the upper deck, and 1A/1K (a wonderful experience), and a cockpit visit in flight above the clouds somewhere en route to Australia (on a 742)
I was hoping to get to 50 flights by 2024...
Please BA don't throw in the towl yet. Of all aircraft your 747 fleet deserve a proper farewell in 'normal' times.

mjuler

I've just had the one BA flight on a 747, returning from SFO to LHR at the end of our honeymoon. We were right at the back of WT in one of the twin window seats. I should of had one more, however the A380 was introduced a few weeks earlier than originally planned on the LHR to LAX route back in 2012.

Elsewhere I've had a Qantas 747 from LHR to HKG and a few days latee HKG to SYD. I seem to recall our aircraft from QF30 showed up again on QF128.

I've also had a couple of flights upstairs, however with Virgin on their LHR to EWR route at the time when they had a small economy cabin up in the bubble.

Will have to take a Lufthansa flight one day to experience the 800.

testycal

Not being too sentimental but have flown the 747 between Vancouver and Heathrow around 40 times last 10 years and enjoyed the travel very much ...mainly economy but upgraded to Word Traveller Plus from time to time. The last configuration I was on had me in seat 11 as I recall behind first class. Intended to go business once with Avios. Hope that happens. Felt safe in that plane and BA's pilots fly it well.

SKT-DK

You can also go CA for a slightly more ‘exotic’ experience

MickV

1a/k in old first was a special place to be. The ability to basically see forward out of the window because of the curvature was unique.

onobond

A proper farewell tour would be in place, if this really is the beginning of the end. Regardless how QF and KL handled their retirement of their last Queen of the Skies, respectively, CX took the Queen for a civilised and appropriate farewell tour around the Hong Kong harbour. The event was well advertised, and the local papers were packed with tips of where to have the best views.

Read about it here

Video here:

McG

In normal times I would agree that the 747 would see a similar send off to that which the 757 and Concorde got.

However in these times, it is more likely that the end will be confirmed in a non descript press release when the last 744 leaves LHR.

GBOAC

We can't let 50 years of history pass just because this is not normal times.
There there is the issue of securing the preservation in the UK of at least one BA 747 before they are all scrapped....

Flying Doctor

Sadly I think that with the current finances of BA/IAG they will just let it go - cost savings are the name of the game at the moment - 'sending things off' and celebrations etc will all be on hold.......
FD.