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Official: Final United Boeing 747 Flight Was SFO-HNL on 7 Nov 2017 {SOLD OUT}

Old Sep 18, 2017, 1:29 pm
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Last edit by: expert7700
News Release Issued: September 18, 2017 (3:17pm EDT)
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"Friend Ship" Will Recreate the Journey of the First United 747 Flight from 1970

United's final international 747 flight from Seoul to San Francisco departs October 29

CHICAGO, Sept. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of United Airlines retiring the Boeing 747 from its fleet, United flight 747, on Tuesday, Nov. 7 from San Francisco to Honolulu will be the airline's farewell flight to the 747 fleet.

This journey will serve as the ultimate throwback for customers, employees and invited guests as it recreates the first 747 flight operated by United in 1970. From a 1970s-inspired menu to retro uniforms for flight attendants to inflight entertainment befitting of that first flight, passengers will help send the Queen of the Skies off in true style. The original United 747 aircraft that first made this journey from San Francisco to Honolulu was named the "Friend Ship," the same name bestowed on this farewell flight.

Seats on this special, one-way trip, United flight 747, are available for purchase now at united.com or through the United app. The seats in the upper deck will not be sold, giving all guests the opportunity to spend time in this iconic space.

Customers seated in United Polaris first class and United Polaris business class will be entered into a drawing that will take place at the gate prior to boarding for an opportunity to occupy one of a select number of seats in the upper deck during the flight.

The journey will begin with a gate celebration at 9 a.m. local time at San Francisco International Airport, featuring a Boeing 747 gallery, remarks from United employees and executives, as well as refreshments. The flight will depart San Francisco International Airport at 11 a.m. local time, landing at Honolulu International Airport at 2:45 p.m. local time. Upon landing in Honolulu, local employees will welcome the aircraft with final festivities to close out the historic day. Customers and fans of the Queen of the Skies are encouraged to use the #UA747Farewell hashtag in social media posts.
United and the Boeing 747 through the Years

April 13, 1966: Boeing announces it will build a 490-passenger 747 transport. Construction is set to begin in June on a new plant in Everett, Washington.

January 3, 1967: The first production workers for the 747 program arrive in Everett. The 50,000 who would produce the world's largest civilian airplane were known as The Incredibles, and they earned the label by bringing the Jumbo Jet dream to reality in only 16 months.

September 30, 1968: The first Boeing 747-100, City of Everett, is rolled out at their Washington plant, painted with the insignias of the 27 airlines that had already ordered the aircraft including United.

February 9, 1969: The Boeing 747-100 makes its first flight.

January 21, 1970: The Boeing 747 makes its first commercial flight from New York to London for Pan American World Airways.

June 26, 1970: Continental Airlines becomes one of the first carriers to put the Boeing 747 into U.S. domestic service, flying from Chicago to Los Angeles and onward to Honolulu.

June 26, 1970: United Airlines receives its first Boeing 747-100 complete with a christening ceremony fit for a luxury liner.

July 23, 1970: United makes its first Boeing 747 commercial flight, with a trip from San Francisco to Honolulu.

January 1977: A modified Boeing 747-100 is delivered to NASA to serve as a carrier vehicle for the Space Shuttle.

April 22, 1985: United announces its plan to acquire Pan Am's Pacific routes, as well as 11 Boeing 747SP planes. The 747SPs feature a 48-foot-shorter body and fly higher, faster, and farther than standard 747 models.

January 29-30, 1988: Friendship One, a Boeing 747SP owned by United Airlines, sets the around-the-world air speed record of 36 hours, 54 minutes, and 15 seconds. This special flight raises $500,000 for children's charities through the Friendship Foundation. Tickets cost a minimum of $5,000, and special guest passengers included astronaut Neil Armstrong, famed test pilots Bob Hoover and Lieutenant General Laurence C. Craigie, and Moya Lear, the widow of Lear Jet founder Bill Lear.

June, 1989: United Airlines receives their first Boeing 747-400 which provides increased range.

August 23, 1990: The first of two modified Boeing 747-200Bs is delivered to the Air Force for presidential transport. Better known as Air Force One, these planes still serve the president today, having replaced the Boeing 707-320Bs that had served as the presidential aircraft for almost 30 years.

September 1996: A 747SP previously flown by United is transformed into NASA's SOFIA, or Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, which carries a 17-ton, 8-foot-wide infrared telescope mounted behind an enormous sliding door.

June 28, 2014: Boeing delivers the 1,500th 747 to come off the production line. The 747 aircraft is the world's first wide-body airplane in history to reach the 1,500 production units milestone.

January 11, 2017: United announces that it will retire the Boeing 747-400 fleet in the last quarter of 2017.

July 28, 2017: United schedules a special domestic flight from Chicago O'Hare to San Francisco to allow more people to say farewell to the Queen of the Skies.

October 29, 2017: United flies its last international 747 flight from Seoul to San Francisco.

November 7, 2017: United celebrates the retirement of the Boeing 747 with a fitting full-circle moment. A special retro event sees the aircraft flying from San Francisco to Honolulua nod to its first-ever flight back in 1970.
Flight Status Link
(May require multiple attempts to load; close and re-click if website errors.)

ARE YOU ON THIS FINAL 747 FLIGHT?

FT Handle -- seat (optional)

ORD4R - 2A
tcdtcd and son - 450pm return to ORD - 2K/3K
kevanyalowitz - 3H (will trade for 1A/K!)
jdivenere - 4A
UA1flyer - 4C
CO FF - 6K (return to LAX on HA2 @ 3:45pm or UA 534 @ 9:45pm)
ctownflyer - 7A
JSpira - 9K
EWR764 - 19G - return @ 420pm to EWR UA62
ChiTownMuggle - 20D
Ruhr - 20H
pushmyredbutton - 20K
greg99 - 21D
BThumme - 22A - return @ 945pm to LAX
goldelite8 - 22G
Trijet1011 - 24A
MRY Flyer +1 - 24 H&J
Cybertronic - 25H
Sykes - 33C
ZRS70 - 33H
eklapper - 34A
plc44 - 34K
Pat89339 - 35C
CaptKornDog - 36C
eap+1 - 40HK
ual763 - 51k
expert7700 - 36K



Seatmap below shows FTers in red. Valid as of 11/6.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/rrwq0gdcdb...FTers.jpg?dl=0

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Official: Final United Boeing 747 Flight Was SFO-HNL on 7 Nov 2017 {SOLD OUT}

Old Sep 26, 2017, 3:53 am
  #166  
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Originally Posted by 747FC
Attachment 40531

Attachment 40532

Despite the above:

F0 A0 J0 C0 D0 Z0 P0 Y0 B0 M0 E0 U0 H0 Q0 V0 W0 S0 T0 L0 K0 G0 N0
someone uppost already mentioned they are holding some 47 seats for the media.
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Old Sep 26, 2017, 7:09 am
  #167  
 
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Just got my first "no" email reply from a representative (or at least admin assistant) of contact center management. No additional info in it, was a pretty short message.
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Old Sep 26, 2017, 6:44 pm
  #168  
 
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UA is saving a couple seats in E for someone. not terrible right now but it'll get too rich for my blood before it closes.

http://exclusives.mileageplus.com/Li...arewell-flight
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Old Sep 26, 2017, 6:58 pm
  #169  
 
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Originally Posted by AceReport
UA is saving a couple seats in E for someone. not terrible right now but it'll get too rich for my blood before it closes.

http://exclusives.mileageplus.com/Li...arewell-flight
"Heres your chance to be the first customer to board Uniteds famed 474, Friend Ship as she makes her final United Airlines revenue flight."

pushmyredbutton is online now  
Old Sep 26, 2017, 8:11 pm
  #170  
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Originally Posted by AceReport
UA is saving a couple seats in E for someone. not terrible right now but it'll get too rich for my blood before it closes.

http://exclusives.mileageplus.com/Li...arewell-flight
I can see this easily going to 500K miles or more.

Last edited by Repooc17; Sep 26, 2017 at 8:18 pm
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Old Sep 26, 2017, 8:15 pm
  #171  
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Originally Posted by AceReport
UA is saving a couple seats in E for someone. not terrible right now but it'll get too rich for my blood before it closes.

http://exclusives.mileageplus.com/Li...arewell-flight
One commemorative piece of a Boeing 747 Queen of the Skies plane that will be delivered to your home
... Do I get to pick? I don't think I'd have any place to put a wing. I've always wanted my very own seat 1K in my living room...
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Old Sep 26, 2017, 8:55 pm
  #172  
 
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Originally Posted by jsloan
... Do I get to pick? I don't think I'd have any place to put a wing. I've always wanted my very own seat 1K in my living room...
Oh I'd be in for the captains seat for my desk
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Old Sep 26, 2017, 9:27 pm
  #173  
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UA flight 747 is sold out. BUT

NZ 9145 (code share to UA 747) shows inventory. Theoretically, one can buy SFO-HNL-(AKL).

UPDATE: TICKETED VIA AIR NEW ZEALAND!!!!!

Last edited by zrs70; Sep 26, 2017 at 10:05 pm
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Old Sep 26, 2017, 9:37 pm
  #174  
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Originally Posted by pushmyredbutton
"Here’s your chance to be the first customer to board United’s famed 474, “Friend Ship” as she makes her final United Airlines revenue flight."

And there is more
FAQs has number of interesting statements
What additional charges might I incur?
Transportation to/from the United Training Center

Can I give this event as a gift?
Yes. MileagePlus program member must provide name of recipient and/or guests in the check-out form.

Can I bring a child?
The minimum age for this event is 12.

What should I wear?
We recommend wearing comfortable shoes. We also recommend wearing pants and socks if you wish to go down the emergency slide.

What do I need to bring?
You will need to bring a US Government issued ID or a foreign passport to clear security.

Where does the event take place?
The event takes place at United's Training Center in Denver. We will provide detailed directions upon purchase.
Appears to have used a template of one of the auctions for simulator trainer.
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Old Sep 26, 2017, 9:59 pm
  #175  
 
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This was at the bottom of the United Exclusives auction page: "*There is no option to upgrade to Premium or EconomyPlus on this special flight." So, you bid a mountain of miles, and you + companion are in middle seats near the back galley??? You'd think they'd offer to let you board LAST to minimize the time spent in the bowels of the aircraft.

...although I will say that I wouldn't pay anything to sit in the Coach cabin of a UA 747. Too many uncomfortable experiences back there in my early flying-consultant days.

Last edited by WineCountryUA; Sep 26, 2017 at 10:04 pm Reason: merging consecutive posts by same member
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Old Sep 26, 2017, 10:03 pm
  #176  
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Originally Posted by Lori_Q
.... So, you bid a mountain of miles, and you + companion are in middle seats near the back galley??? ...
If you check the seat map, there are many unassigned aisle seats. Additional UA may have block seats for this auction (and the 47 travel agents who are in a lottery).
Who knows what seats this auction will get you.

Originally Posted by Lori_Q
You'd think they'd offer to let you board LAST to minimize the time spent in the bowels of the aircraft.
Doubt there are going to force you to board early.

Originally Posted by zrs70
UA flight 747 is sold out. BUT

NZ 9145 (code share to UA 747) shows inventory. Theoretically, one can buy SFO-HNL-(AKL). ...
Maybe there is some contractal required minimum number of seats for NZ for SFO-HNL flights ????

Last edited by WineCountryUA; Sep 26, 2017 at 10:10 pm Reason: self-merge
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Old Sep 26, 2017, 10:04 pm
  #177  
 
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UA has no Aloha for Hawaii!

Originally Posted by AceReport
UA is saving a couple seats in E for someone. not terrible right now but it'll get too rich for my blood before it closes.

http://exclusives.mileageplus.com/Li...arewell-flight
Unbelievable slight to Hawaii and to all loyal UA-flying Hawaii residents. Terms and conditions of this offer excludes flying the winner from Hawaii to meet up with the commemorative flight. Every other state is OK, just not the Aloha State.
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Old Sep 26, 2017, 10:28 pm
  #178  
 
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Originally Posted by WineCountryUA

Doubt there are going to force you to board early.
Well, they do seem to be saying that's part of the deal, although I agree they probably won't force you...

"You and your guest will go down in history as the first customers to board the United 747 farewell flight before it departs SFO"
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Old Sep 26, 2017, 10:51 pm
  #179  
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Originally Posted by zrs70
UA flight 747 is sold out. BUT

NZ 9145 (code share to UA 747) shows inventory. Theoretically, one can buy SFO-HNL-(AKL).

UPDATE: TICKETED VIA AIR NEW ZEALAND!!!!!
Wow. Congrats.
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Old Sep 26, 2017, 10:56 pm
  #180  
 
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Originally Posted by zrs70
UA flight 747 is sold out. BUT

NZ 9145 (code share to UA 747) shows inventory. Theoretically, one can buy SFO-HNL-(AKL).

UPDATE: TICKETED VIA AIR NEW ZEALAND!!!!!
Ughhhh. Just tried this, doesn't show up here. Did I seriously miss the shining light for a ticket by mere moments, AGAIN? (however, that's awesome, congratulations you got a ticket!)

I'm truly running out of ideas, and I guarantee the mileage bidding will be far too rich for my account by morning. Maybe I'm missing it but there are two auctions, I can't tell the difference - one lets you be the first to board?

Last edited by CaptKornDog; Sep 26, 2017 at 11:11 pm
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