Want to fly on a 747?

Malcolm Ginsberg, Editor-in-Chief of Travel News Update (TNU), first flew on Iran Air 747 (series 100 with an upstairs lounge) 11 February 1979, the day The Shah was deposed.

If you’ve never flown on a Boeing 747, the original jumbo jet, you have missed out on a historic aviation experience. The Queen of the Skies defined an era and fundamentally changed air travel forever, dominating long-haul flying for decades.  1,574 were built, the final delivery a pair of Air Force One’s that are still fitting out. (See AND FINALLY).

In the UK, British Airways (BA) and Virgin Atlantic were among the last operators of the aircraft with BA having the largest fleet in the world at one time. Both retired their 747s in 2020 during the pandemic, sharply reducing your chances of ever flying one again.  Whilst its erstwhile, but much later, competitor, the Airbus A380 will be around for a long time yet, the Boeing, with its exclusive upper deck, is simply different.  

Fortunately, all is not lost. There are still a number of Boeing 747s in passenger service, although your options are limited to just five airlines. In Europe, Lufthansa continues to fly a fleet of 747-400 and 747-8i (the newer version with the larger upper deck) whilst Air China, Asiana, Korean and Saudia also offer on certain scheduled and charter operations.

If you are keen to give the 747 a go before she disappears completely from passenger flying, TNU here links to a full list of routes for the current summer 2023 flying season.

Whilst aircraft can never be guaranteed due to last minute swaps or engineering issues, the following routes are currently due to be flown with a 747.

Lufthansa’s 747s operate exclusively from Frankfurt and will be refurbished with the new Allegris Business Class and First Class cabins.  The routes include Bangalore (747-400, until the end of May), Buenos Aires, Chicago, Delhi, Houston, Johannesburg, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Miami, Newark, San Francisco, São Paulo, Singapore, Seoul, Shanghai Pudong, Tokyo Haneda, Toronto, Vancouver and Washington DC.

www.airportspotting.com/boeing-747-passenger-routes-update

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READERS' COMMENT

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David Duthie, Nantwich

I first flew in a B747 in August 1972, a South African Airways flight from Johannesburg to London, and flew on many others over the following years including BOAC/BA, Lufthansa, Thai and KLM. My last 747 flight was the last commercial flight of BA’s G-CIVK arriving LHR on 19 March 2020 after a 24 hour delay in CPT. It went to maintenance after disembarking passengers and next flew in May for scrapping.

Peter North, United Kingdom

My first 747 flight was with TWA out of Los Angeles in February 1970. The airline referred to the event as "the new era of Space in Flight". Which it certainly was particularly after flying on the single aisle planes of the day. PanAm's 747's were also a real pleasure to fly with on the route to LHR from LAX. Sadly both carriers no longer with us but happy memories.