![]() ![]() “The 747 is plummeting out of service far faster than anyone would have expected,” says Richard Aboulafia, an airline analyst with the Teal Group in Washington, D.C. “Like a good car, when it gets old and it’s time to replace it, you get sad, of course,” says Austin Cheng, president of Taiwan’s EVA Air, which, along with Air New Zealand, Cathay Pacific, Air India, British Airways, and Qantas, has been swapping 747s for smaller twin-engines like Boeing’s 777 and 787 and the soon-to-be-flying Airbus A350 XWB (“XWB” for “extra wide-body”). “I feel so sad to see its retirement.” But emotions are no match for economics, and the Japanese carriers join many others in ridding their fleets of the four-engine jumbo that gulps too much fuel and requires too many passengers to fill. There is no comparison,” says ANA’s chief executive officer, Osamu Shinobe, of the decision to drop the 747. ![]() Over the previous six months, All Nippon Airways had sent its 747-400s on a series of farewell tours, following by several years the final flights of Japan Airlines’ jumbo jets. That day, the last of the country’s passenger-carrying Boeing 747s landed at Tokyo’s Narita airport. She became a flight attendant and flew the last 747, the Queen.March 31 marked the end of an aviation era in Japan. The plane was already full of scribblings, inside and out, from the farewell flights and the sports charters, with passengers leaving a memory of the 747 or just scribbling their name and date on overhead bins, lavatory doors, emergency exit doors and assorted other places on the plane.Ī tribute near the entrance reads: "Once upon a time, there was a girl who dreamtof flying. If the wedding was the centerpiece of the final flight, those black Sharpies were the party favors. I wish you could have been there.'' Graffiti tributes "Captain Steve, this is the bride,'' she said. "It was awesome. Rick called him from downstairs to find out what city they were married over. Hanlon, who suggested the couple get married on the flight after dating for nine years, was in the cockpit and unable to attend. The officiant was Nancey Price, a Delta crew scheduler.ĭuring the champagne toast after their vows, Rick raised a glass "to the Queen of the Skies and us!'' Rick's bouquet was made of red roses and white carnations. Friends and family members carted on cake, cupcakes, gifts, decorations and fresh flowers. The in-flight wedding was the centerpiece of the final flight, kept secret to most passengers until the flight departed. "Not many non-airline people get to see this,'' he said.Īnother hidden feature: a small elevator that carries catered meals to the upper deck so flight attendants don't have to navigate the small stairs. "It's quite a big deal.'' Unknown detailsįluharty knows the nooks and crannies of the Boeing 747, showing off the 8-bed flight attendant sleeping quarters in the back of the plane and the pilots' rest area near the cockpit on the upper deck. "I thought I was the most glamorous person,'' he said. It was on a flight from Atlanta to Tokyo. Early versions of the 747 had a signature spiral staircase to reach the upper deck. The groom on the flight, Gene Peterson, starts training on his new aircraft Thursday in Atlanta.ĭelta flight attendant David Fluharty, who worked the flight Wednesday, wasn't emotional, but said he will miss so many things about the Boeing 747.įluharty, a 32-year veteran, didn't fly the 747-400 until the merger with Northwest and still remembers the first time he worked in the cushy 14-passenger Upper Deck, a signature feature of the plane, 13 steps and a world away from the main cabin. Gallaher is retiring after Wednesday's flight. Hanlon, who turns 62 Thursday, is going to fly the Airbus A350. "It's almost like graduating from college.We're all going to different airplanes.'' "Now we're going to be scattered,'' he said. "It's not just the airplane going, but its our (747) fleet. It's sad,'' Hanlon said before he boarded the flight. (Delta actually retired its own 747s in 1977 but merged with Northwest in 2008 and inherited its fleet of 18 747s). Gallaher flew it from New York to Tokyo, Hanlon from Tokyo to New York. They were the first Delta pilots to fly this particular Boeing 747 when it began passenger service in 1999. Wednesday's flight wasn't as much a wake as a heartfelt tribute to the workhorse with four engines and a flight range of 16 hours. ![]() ![]() View Gallery: Delta Boeing 747 takes last flight Scattering in different directions ![]()
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