How can I fly on a Boeing 747 before they’re retired?
Q I was desperate to travel on a Boeing 747, and the news that British Airways has retired theirs makes me fear I have missed my chance (just as I did with Concorde, incidentally). Is there anything you can suggest to allow me to achieve this ambition?
Tom H
A In the past four months since the coronavirus pandemic struck, the Jumbo jet has gone from an aviation icon gracefully seeing out its days to an obsolete behemoth from a distant age. Both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, who had been enthusiastic users of the Boeing 747, have grounded their fleets of the fourengined jet as the crisis deepened.
They were already planes out of time: while the Jumbo revolutionised long-haul travel and dramatically expanded horizons for the average traveller, it was looking increasingly questionable in an age when the environmental impact of aviation is studied more closely than ever.
Having said that, there are still going to be plenty 747s flying for years. According to the data specialist Cirium, 338 are in service around the world. However, of these, only one in 11 is a passenger jet; the remainder are hauling freight around the world.
Absolutely the best chance is going to be with Lufthansa via the German airline’s Frankfurt hub. Lufthansa was one of the few airlines to buy passenger versions of the newest version of the 747, with the suffix -8 (BA and Virgin flew the -400). It has 19 in the fleet, with an average age of under seven years, and evidently the carrier thinks it has plenty of life yet.
You could take off tomorrow from Frankfurt to Chicago aboard LH930, except for the unfortunate fact that you would not be allowed into the US due to the presidential decree that took effect three months ago. But I am confident that it will be in service for several more years, and a wide range of other destinations are currently served – including Los Angeles, Shanghai and Mexico City.
So start planning; the Lufthansa website make it clear which aircraft is scheduled to operate the trip. But be warned that last-minute substitutions can be made, and if you end up aboard an Airbus A350 (which, incidentally, I much prefer), that would not be grounds for a refund.
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