Scouse Express

If you have ever wanted to take a ride on a British Airways Boeing 747, you had better start making plans. They are starting to be withdrawn in large numbers, with 50% of the remaining 747s due to be gone in a couple of years.

I'll probably have a ride on one in July.

Jim

https://onemileatatime.com/british-a...irement-plans/

SultanOfSwing

Looks like they're going to be replacing them with the A380 for the Chicago-LHR route, was checking out flight prices in October and that's what came up.

Lion in Winter

I once flew in the top deck of a 747 (before they were all converted to business class, I flew tourist) and it was very nice. Quiet, spacious, just nice. Ah the good old days.

materialcontroller

I'm flying on one at Easter weekend. Also taking Lufthansa's 747-8i in the summer.

SultanOfSwing

Those 747-8s are great looking planes. Lufthansa are supposed to be a great airline too, that should be a very nice flight.

scrubbedexpat091

I am going to miss seeing passenger 747's when they are all gone, they are mostly gone from Vancouver, BA still brings one in part of the year, as does LH, QF seasonally also brought one in, but Qantas pulled the plug so wont be seeing them anymore.

We have a lot of 787's though.

Flew a 747 once in 2000 on Qantas when I went to Australia, nice place to fly on, wish I had the chance to fly on one more the once.

SultanOfSwing

I'm glad the freight industry is keeping them alive, and the fact that I live so close to O'Hare means I'll still see plenty of freighters coming and going but it is going to be weird living in a post-747 world since they were so ubiquitous when I was really getting interested in aviation growing up in the 80s. I do like the 787, and the A340/380 but the 747 was always my favourite for reasons I'll never quite be 100% sure of. Such a shame I never got to fly on one, as nice as BA's 777s are of course, and now it looks like the timing won't work out for me to have a chance.

scrubbedexpat091

The first time I saw a 747 was when it was coming into the gate next to the one I was working a flight on (Md-80) and looking up and realizing the plane was taller then the terminal building. The 747 really looked out of place at the San Diego airport back then (may still, haven't been there in years) as the airport was never designed for such a plane, the only way it could taxi to the end of the runway was for them to close the runway so it could taxi up the runway and get into position, the wings were too long for the taxiway, could hit light posts and fencing.

The 787 has opened up routes airlines would never have been able to fly so its really done a lot for the industry as well.

Scouse Express

I should also point out that some ex-Singapore Airlines A380s are also in the process of being scrapped;

https://www.forbes.com/sites/michael.../#5792565f1d65

Jim.

materialcontroller

I'm really looking forward to it, Sultan. Frankfurt to Buenos Aires and return (going to watch the solar eclipse in Argentina). I'll also be checking out LATAM's 777 on the short 2 hour hop between Santiago and Buenos Aires while I'm in South America.

Got Easter weekend to look forward to before then however. LHR to JFK return on BA's 747-400. Funny how I've only travelled with British Airways once before, and that was 15 years ago, but this will now be my third flight with them in six months after going to Berlin in November and Hamburg (in Club Europe on an A321, which was very nice indeed) for New Year's.

BritInParis

End of an era but needs to be done. Those BA 747s are getting really tired now.

GeniB

Last 747 we flew on was very tired and pretty noisy. in comparison to A380.. Also very much preferred the A340. So it was time to go for me

Expatrick

Can't see the A380 achieving anything like the longevity in service of the 747.

BritInParis

Agreed. The A380 is a magic carpet ride in terms of noise and vibration compared to a 747.

joto