Posted on 12/30/2018 9:48:00 PM PST by Simon Green
About a year ago, a Boeing 747 operated by Delta Air Lines DAL, took off from Atlanta for a three-hour flight to Pinal Airpark, a boneyard for unwanted aircraft in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert.
The once celebrated giant of the sky, which had transformed international travel with its size and range, had flown its last flight for a U.S. airline.
Delta has replaced its fleet of jumbo jets with Airbus A350s, one of a new breed of smaller, ultraefficient long-range airliners. Nearly every other airline in the world is doing a version of the same thing, replacing huge jets with smaller ones.
The newer planes, which include the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, are redrawing the map for global air travel. They can fly just as far as the jumbos, but often are less expensive to operate on a per-seat basis. They allow airlines to offer multiple flights on routes that once justified only a single big aircraft. That helps fill seats and boost profits.
For passengers, this is a mixed blessing. As planes get smaller and flights more frequent, long-haul travel is taking on some of the cattle-car characteristics of domestic travel—inexpensive tickets, cramped seats and no free meals.
(Excerpt) Read more at marketwatch.com ...
2 engines are far cheaper than four.
Not only that, but 747s engines are less efficient that the newer designed engines that have more power and better fuel economy.
Then add on lighter plane weight due to composite body design...
My only time on a 747 was on the Braniff orange one from Dallas to Honolulu in the mid 1970’s.
747 was queen of the air.
727 was the king.
40 years in the air was a good run.
They were still flying DC-3s.
I am told the 747 is still the king of air freight.
There are still DC-3s flying and making money for small airlines. Take a lot more than a 40-year run to beat that record.
My airlines of choice then were Braniff, Air Canada, and American.
Yes. There are 747s with, “FedEx” markings at LAX
In a few years, after a short period of airline profitability, brought on by lower fuel prices, is crushed by foolhardy union demands, the price of fuel will go up, the cost of flying will rise due to new union contracts and higher fuel prices, and the amortization of the costs of the new jets, so they'll try to boost ticket sales by removing seats. It's almost as if this has happened before. When Frank Borman ran Eastern Airlines, he guessed wrongly that the price of airline fuel was going to remain high, even go higher over time (peak oil nonsense), and "invested" in fuel efficient airframes. Between that wrong move, and the vitriol from the head of one of the unions, Borman was out, and Leastearn Airlines (euphemism) collapsed.
They've got large cargo capacity, and at this point the used ones will have nice low prices. And for their use, they have great range.
I was working as an intern for Phillips Petroleum in 1971. Part of my job was fuel maintenance systems at Stapleton airport in Denver, Colorado. They brought in 747’s while I was working there. They had to rework the runways and ramps in order to hold the weight.
Since we were running around at ramp level, all we could do was look up at the gargantuan beasts. During the first month, one of the airline fueling guys took a couple of us up the outside stairway of a parked 747 and gave us a look around the front of the plane and into the cockpit.
During my career, I have flown over a million miles. Some of the most pleasant have been business class on 747’s between the States and Europe and Japan. The upstairs cabin was nice going to Japan. I laid out on the floor behind the seats in order to take a nap.
I went on a Constellation they’re re-doing in Missouri. Very nice for the era.
Nearly 2M business air miles under my tush, much of it Seattle to Asia. I used to go out of my way to fly a 747 business cabin (upstairs). It was a great ride. I’ll miss the Queen of the Skies!
Spent a significant part of my life aboard 747’s. Still queen of the skies, in my book.
boost ticket sales by removing seats.
I worked for Trans-Texas Airways ‘63-’65, at Dallas Love Field. DC-3s were the main fleet. Most of the aircraft had placards showing they were made in 1935-37, over 80 years ago. ..........Designated as C-47s for the military in WW II, they were workhorses!
The back end of a 747 is just as much cattlecar as any other airliner. Flew BA to continental europe in ‘ 81
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