[Jim W N]

Dunno that much about these things, but it seems the 747 had an absence of substantive complaints which itself says a lot about it.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Presumably, if they had the orders to keep the line running, they would.

[Lower Deck]

Stick to planes that WORK! Like the 737...

With that logic not only would we have had 747's to begin with, we'd still be flying around in DC-3's.

[katana]

The 747 will always be the Queen of the Sky to this frequent traveler.

[ichabod1]

What’s wrong with the 787? I’ve flown all over Asia on them. Awesome planes, those.

[chit*chat]

You can’t tell McDonnell Douglas,ahem Boeing, anything. They know it all.

[DuncanWaring]

He may be referring to the last “all-aluminum” 747 ... the carbon-fiber version (747-8) appears to remain in production.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_747-8

[Mr. Douglas]

My father worked in Everett before being transfered to AWACS at Boeing field. The 747 is quite a plane, but it is a rather old design.

Nothing lasts forever. Except, of course, The B52. :-)

[TRY ONE]

What other jumbo jet can fly from Sydney, AU to Dallas, TX?

It was my understanding that the 747 was the only jumbo that could make it that far -— one of the longest commercial flights around!

[Paulie]

A year or so ago I think I read, with sadness, that the 747 was on it’s way out, only to learn later that was not quite the true. I hope this time is no different, although at some point the Jumbo will have to give up the ghost (so to speak).

I have a special place in my heart for the 737 as well.

Nothing against the other Boeing aircraft - they are all outstanding.

[uncbob]

I remember going up to JFK the second week of PAA 747 service
Still think it the best sight in the air almost 50 years later
Took many slides of it over the years

[Moonman62]

There’s very little demand for the 747 anymore. Planes with four engines have been on the decline for many years. Engines are more reliable and powerful these days, so only two are needed and much more economical than four.

[oh8eleven]

Only did one round trip on a 747 (NY-Tokyo), but compared to all of the many jets I've been on, it was one sweet ride.
Most impressive was the take off ... wheels off the ground and whooosh straight up!

[discostu]

Time marches on, old airframes become post dated, orders switch to the new frames, icons become dinosaurs.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

I e always enjoyed flying on the 747. It was just incredible in the early 70s. I remember taking the Everett plant tour around 1975 and seeing them getting built. I still can see the videos of the wing stress tests and the test takeoff with too much rotation and the tail dragging a couple of hundred yards down the runway. Spectacular!

The FAA rerouted international flights in the SF Bay Area and I’m now treated to several a day making u-turns over my house at 5,000 feet. Good God they are LOUD.

[DFG]

If it ain’t Boeing, I ain’t going.

[The KG9 Kid]

The flight I took to Europe on a 787 Dreamliner is by far the best flying experience I've ever had. San Francisco to London in United Business First sleeper cabin.

The 787's LED interior lighting that simulates the position of the sun in your destination's time zone and the cabin pressurization that is tuned to simulate 4500' altitude instead of 7500' altitude makes for a cruise ship-like journey. I think the 787 is the passenger jet by which all others are judged.

Only other long distance flight I've had that was as comfortable was flying a Dutch KLM red eye flight in an nearly empty 747 that was apparently ferrying cargo to Amsterdam instead of passengers. First class was filled, but the rest of the plane had maybe twenty passengers onboard. I took a whole six-person row to myself and made a little fort out of pillows and blankets. Like flying to Europe sleeping on a living room couch. Wasn't bad at all. The cabin crew were really happy to be going home with very little to do so they just uncorked a few bottles of champagne and set it out for "Serve yourself" while they slept.

I've had some pretty miserable flights too, I admit.

[Cheerio]

Truly a sad event - I remember standing on the floor in the Everette hanger in front of the first aircraft before it had rolled out. IT WAS THE MOST IMPRESSIVE SIGHT I HAD EVER SEEN back then. I thought the nation needed to cut CO2 releases and yet it would take 3 or more B-737 fights to carry the same number of passengers as a B-747 from point A to point B. I will never fly over the ocean on a twin - EVER.

The second most impressive site was viewing the space shuttle's external tank and taking in it's size (could not see to the other end through the viewing port for the exhibit) and the size of it's "sewer pipe size" fuel line (draining 526,126 gallons in approximately 8 min)

[Rummyfan]

A heckuva plane. An engineering marvel really, that revolutionized air travel.

[Rockingham]

As good as the 747 was when developed in the early 1960s, it long ago reached the limits of its design and of its air frame and engine technologies. Today, carbon composites, high efficiency turbofan engines, greater use of electric control and service technologies, more aerodynamic designs, and decades of other innovations make newer airliners far better than the 747 in fuel efficiency, passenger comfort, and reliability -- along with the lower maintenance and operating costs essential to airline operators.

In addition, the airline industry is evolving away from the hub and spoke route design that favors the 747 and other large capacity designs. The new model for the industry is to provide longer and more direct flights in efficient twin engine aircraft with upgraded seating and greater passenger comfort. Boeing and Airbus are both aiming at this market.

And, for all the tears shed at Boeing about the shutdown of 747 production, Airbus will soon be shedding far more tears -- and red ink -- due to the failure of its massive A380 to find enough buyers to continue production for much longer. Boeing suffered heavy costs due to its troubles with the development and production of the 787, but at least it has a fine aircraft to show for it, with a long and eventually profitable production run ahead of it. Meanwhile, Airbus's A380 is a technological marvel but a commercial failure.