United Airlines last Boeing 747 completes its final flight
USA - It is known as the Queen of the Skies - the world’s first jumbo jet that forever changed the face of plane travel. And on Tuesday United Airlines’ last Boeing 747 was given a send-off befitting royalty as the last aircraft in the company’s service completed its final flight. United Flight 747 took off from San Francisco airport around midday bound for Hawaii, the same route the company’s first version of the aircraft flew back in 1970. Tickets for the specially chartered voyage sold out within hours of being released, according to USA Today, despite selling for upwards of $550 for a one-way trip. The voyage the travelers took was not just across the Pacific Ocean but also back in time, as United put on a special Seventies-themed trip including a retro menu and cabin accessories. Air crew were dressed in vintage uniforms while some passengers also came in costumes recalling the golden age of jet travel. One man even held a fake cigarette in his lips - a throwback to when smoking was allowed on board. United CEO Oscar Munoz was even present for the occasion, speaking to passengers from the aircraft’s bulbous upper deck - perhaps its most iconic feature - before takeoff. ‘It’s a grand finale, no question,’ he told those on board. ‘A fitting send-off in the most dignified way for the “Queen of the Skies”.’ The Boeing 747 was introduced in 1970 and completed its first ever flight with Pan Am, which had commissioned the airliner four years earlier to replace the diminutive 707 amid rising passenger numbers and airport congestion. It was to be the first ever wide-body aircraft, nicknamed a ‘jumbo jet’, and designed to hold 150 per cent more passengers than the 707. This was partly achieved by the introduction of a raised upper deck at the front which gave the aircraft its bulbousnosed look. The extra weight would be carried by four jet engines - another distinguishing feature. Boeing anticipated it would become obsolete before the Nineties, believing that supersonic jets would overtake conventional aircraft. In fact the 747 is still in production with current orders placed by a number of developing countries which will potentially see it serving into 2030. While the aircraft’s life is limited in the US - with Delta the only airline still flying the craft and due to retire it later this year other major carriers will continue operating it well into the next decade. British Airways, which now operates 36 of the aircraft, more than any other airline, has confirmed it will be phasing it out - but will not part ways with it entirely until 2024. Even once it has disappeared from passenger routes, it is expected the 747 will go on to serve many more years as a cargo plane.
(dailymail.co.uk)