A United 747 at Chicago O’Hare (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Although United won’t confirm it, it’s now being widely reported that the carrier is planning to retire its aging fleet of 747s earlier than expected. This could mean that its current fleet of 22 “queens of the sky” could fly away by the end of 2018– two years ahead of schedule.
But there’s one easy way you can jump on a United 747 on a rare domestic run…but more on that in a minute…
Delta has followed a similar, accelerated path to retiring its gas guzzling 747s. Last April it put six out to pasture, and plans to retire the final six by the end of next year, to be replaced by the newer, more efficient Airbus A350. Just last month, Air France celebrated the final flight of its last 747 after flying the plane as the mainstay of its intercontinental fleet for almost 46 years.
Brian Sumers, who first reported the United news, wrote: “For now, United flies 747s from San Francisco and Chicago. But this week, United also told pilots it will remove the 747 from Chicago in February 2017, leaving only San Francisco with 747 service.”
If you are feeling reminiscent about this beautiful bird, and fly frequent between Chicago and San Francisco, consider picking up a leg or two on an one of the few domestic 747 flights United is running this spring.
TravelSkills reader Daniel E emailed us this week with this tip: “Everyday from March 3 there is a 747 leaving SFO at 8:35am (UA1570) to Chicago, O’Hare. Then I dug around some more and there is another one returning from ORD to SFO, UA1213 leaving at 4:05 pm also from March 3. I’ve flown back and forth between San Francisco and Chicago A LOT in the last 10 years and wide bodies are rare, let alone a 747.”
We checked and sure enough, we found the 747 flights on SFO-ORD– and United confirmed to TravelSkills that it “will operate daily 747 service between March 3 – March 25 and then again from April 6 – May 25, 2016. The flights are loaded and available for purchase.”
Wouldn’t it be nice to ride on a gorgeous and graceful 747 instead of the standard 737s or A320s United normally flies on this route? Maybe upgrade for a sweet ride upstairs in the business class bubble?
Still plenty of business class seats on the flights we selected (Image: United.com)
What do you think about the retirement of the 747… on United or other airlines? Will you miss it, or have you found a newer, younger more efficient favorite? Please leave your comments below.
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Todd Tomorrow says
December 8, 2016 at 10:18 amI discovered the globe in my early 20’s by dropping out of college when I learned how to fly for free and often upgraded on Pan Am’s fleet of 747’s. At the time it was still the largest fleet of 747’s in the world. I’d sit next to business men who always told me ” Do this while you’re young”. With a glint in my eye I’d reply,” I am”. Some were in better shape than others in this first fleet run of 747’s. I remember one that shook so bad from JFK to Madrid from the very moment we pushed back from the gate, however, most were just perfect and sadly often virtually empty. The 747’s enabled people to travel that would have never been able to afford it which was why it was created by Juan Trippe. I for one smile every time I see one and will sadly miss it. The majestic Queen of the skies ruled with dignity for decades and was, well a symbol of America.
Hajime Sano says
March 2, 2016 at 6:26 pmI will really miss the B747. I rode them many times between LAX/SFO and NRT/KIX during the 1990s to go see my grandpa yearly before he passed. The angled seats in C class upstairs (who else remembers Connoisseur class) were a vast improvement for the 10-11 hour flights.
Christine Hall says
March 1, 2016 at 6:32 amSo very happy to have booked the Queen round trip for a birthday visit to San Francisco. I’ll be spending my birthday flying backwards on the upper deck of this beauty.
Kirk says
February 26, 2016 at 9:43 amThat’s ridiculous. UA is flying 747s on that route every day for almost 3 months. UA simply doesn’t have that many 747s to reposition or maintain. These are not repositioning flights
Brad says
February 24, 2016 at 12:22 pmI’ll miss seeing the Queen of the Skies, but as a coach passenger, I won’t miss flying on it. It was my plane of choice in its heyday, but they are wildly outdated these days with most cabins on their last leg. The A380 is my bird of choice these days.
ATLDavid says
February 24, 2016 at 5:55 amI will greatly miss the 747. The 747 offered the best ride in the sky. I enjoy the first class cabin in the front of the aircraft. It had extra space compared to first in the 777 or 767. The Lufthansa bubble mentioned below was great also, but they have removed first from upstairs. I will always remember our family trips in the bubble fondly.
Chuck Lowenstein says
February 24, 2016 at 12:52 amNothing quite like being upstairs on a DL 747-400’s. Unlike the United “bubble” which has 2X2 seating, DL’s have one seat on the left and one on the right – lots of room and privacy.
John R. Grout says
February 23, 2016 at 11:50 pmAirbus would kill to have the 787, so it’s not as if Boeing were hurting by having the bigger plane orders mostly going to the A-380.
BlueSkies35 says
February 23, 2016 at 10:52 pmI’ll miss them for two reasons: First, it’s one of the best aircraft Boeing ever built. Second, my late significant other, a captain for United, flew the 400. He flew a lot of United’s fleet, starting with the Viscount, DC8, 727, 737, & the 10. He loved the 400 the most.
Don Nadeau says
February 23, 2016 at 7:45 pmWhat a shame, indeed. So very special. Especially think of them when stuck in a 3 by 3 coffin tube on a long trip these days.
First was an Air France JFK – Orly 747, with economy dining that new travelers now can’t even imagine.
I miss Orly, too. No mega dreary ride into Paris from it,
Salvatore Johnson says
February 23, 2016 at 6:46 pmEnd of an era, what a shame.
Tim_Dick says
February 23, 2016 at 6:45 pmXajn – first the new 747-8 is a very efficient aircraft – its economics are great. Second, having a great & differentiated service can increase passenger loads and therefore profit – an American airline. The American legacy carriers are the same mediocre commodity. If one becomes markedly better, they will win customers and that’s profitable. Look at how profitable Emirates and Etihad are with their oustanding service because they can charge more.
John R. Grout says
February 23, 2016 at 6:36 pmThese are repositioning flights for maintenance. If they only fly the bird out of SFO, they never need to do that again… the maintenance base is here, right next to the airport. The most recent ORD-SFO leg I did on a 747 was on a plane that was flying regularly between Chicago and South America. I think those routes are the ones being redone with newer, smaller planes.
Chuck Smith says
February 23, 2016 at 5:56 pmNoooooo! Say it ain’t so! I’m booked on a UA1213 run mid-March and though my itinerary did get changed from another ORD-SFO flight to upgauged metal, it’s on a 777, not The Queen.
I did get to do an SFO-LHR trip in the bubble, so this isn’t a bucket list type catastrophe, but I’ll still keep my fingers crossed for the double deck equipment (and an upgrade)!
xajn says
February 23, 2016 at 5:18 pmWhy be special if you can be rich instead?
#shareholdervalue
Captain says
February 23, 2016 at 4:50 pmOne of my favorite flights I’ve ever taken was first class on a Lufthansa 747 from Frankfurt to Chicago. It was extremely comfortable, and being upstairs made the first class experience feel that much more exclusive and special.
Tim_Dick says
February 23, 2016 at 4:30 pmI am going to miss the 747s. The smoothest most comfortable flight in the sky thanks to that long flexible wing, and no “twin drone” vibration. Nothing rides like a 747 – it’s one of the few “special” feeling aircraft. No matter how many times you step on, it’s breathtaking. International carriers get that – it’s one reason they fly A380s on premier flights. United should consider picking up some efficient new B747-8s and striving to be the one US airline that is special – as Pan Am once was.