Airlines United Airlines takes farewell of its Boeing 747
47 years after the very first flight of the Boeing 747 for United Airlines from San Francisco to Honolulu, the airline recreated this event on November 7, 2017 for the very last flight if this type of aircraft. For the carrier and for Boeing, this was a historic farewell journey. The last United Airlines Boeing 747 flight departed under the flight number UA747 from San Francisco to Honolulu with more than 300 passengers, employees and distinguished guests on board.
47 years after the very first flight of the Boeing 747 for United Airlines from San Francisco to Honolulu, the airline recreated this event on November 7, 2017 for the very last flight if this type of aircraft. For the carrier and for Boeing, this was a historic farewell journey. The last United Airlines Boeing 747 flight departed under the flight number UA747 from San Francisco to Honolulu with more than 300 passengers, employees and distinguished guests on board.
After announcing this farewell celebration, the tickets for the last flight of the “Queen of the Skies” were sold out within 90 minutes. The meal and the uniforms were inspired by the 1970’s. The Boeing 747 Jumbo jet will be replaced by modern aircraft. "The iconic 747 is a remarkably special aircraft that signalled a new era of air travel and was equally recognizable and beloved by our customers and crew alike," said Oscar Munoz, CEO of United. "While today is bittersweet, we'll continue to honour the Queen of the Skies' game-changing legacy of connecting people and uniting the world with our next-generation of long-haul aircraft."
Boeing 747-400 Facts
- The 747-400 ranks as the commercial airliner with the largest passenger interior volume, at 31,285 cubic feet.
- At 231 feet, 10 inches from nose to tail, the 747-400 is roughly as long as five humpback whales end-to-end.
- The wingspan (211 feet, 5 inches) is about 10 feet wider than the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
- Its wings have a surface area of 5,650 square feet, bigger than a standard size NBA basketball court.
- A typical trans-Atlantic flight uses over 5.5 tons of food supplies — more than the weight of a large Asian elephant.
- The tail height is 63.8 feet, equivalent to a six-story building.
- The aircraft contains 171 miles of wiring, enough to connect New York City to Baltimore.
- The 747-400 is one of the fastest passenger aircraft in service, with a cruise speed of 565 mph, more than twice as fast as a Formula One car.
This special day for United Airlines began with a gate party featuring a 747 gallery, 1970 costumes for use in a retro photo booth and much more surprises for the participants. The 747 was over several decades the largest passenger aircraft worldwide and it is also one of the fastest planes at the sky. It comes typically with an upper deck, which is usually used for first class passengers. In the last years more and more carriers retired the Boeing 747 fleet due to high operational costs. The Boeing 747-400 successor, the Boeing 747-8 was introduced in 2012 but did not share the success of its predecessor. Until now only 135 Boeing 747-8 have been ordered.
United Airlines, founded in 1926 is an American airline with its headquarter in Chicago-O’Hare. The carrier has its hubs also in Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco, Washington-Dulles, Guam and Tokyo-Narita. United Airlines and United Express operate approximately 4500 daily flights to more than 337 airports over five continents. In 2016 both airlines transported more than 143 million customers with 1,6 million flights.
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