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For anyone wondering why airlines are retiring the 747 this Wikipedia section summarizes it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_747-400#Retirement_and_... Summary: Old, inefficient, less need for jumbo jets. Everyone's either buying smaller or migrating to the modern Airbus A380.
And in 2016 there were fears Airbus might even cancel the A380 entirely: https://qz.com/782361/airbus-a380-airlines-are-abandoning-th...
For anyone wondering why airlines are retiring the 747 this Wikipedia section summarizes it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_747-400#Retirement_and_... Summary: Old, inefficient, less need for jumbo jets. Everyone's either buying smaller or migrating to the modern Airbus A380.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
True, but airlines have absolutely made coach seats smaller and closer together over the years. And we're fatter on average than back then.
You can still get bigger seats in non coach classes. The market wants cheap tickets not comfort which is why the airlines keeps shrinking the seats.
Boeing is still selling 747-8, but most are sold as freight variant. It hasn't sold a single 747-8 passenger variant to major carrier in 5 years. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_747-8#747-8_Intercontin... But the death of 4 engine plane trend continues even for A380. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Airbus_A380_orders_and...
I used to fly these every two weeks, KL691 and KL692 the flights between Schiphol, Netherhands and Toronto, Canada. Then at some point they moved to 777's, and even though it was a nice plane and far more modern the 747 almost never had a turbulent ride whereas the 777 trips were far less comfortable, especially the red-eye return flight rarely was smooth enough that I could get some sleep. Retiring the 747 was one (…
I wonder if the increase in turbulence was due to climate change.
For anyone wondering why airlines are retiring the 747 this Wikipedia section summarizes it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_747-400#Retirement_and_... Summary: Old, inefficient, less need for jumbo jets. Everyone's either buying smaller or migrating to the modern Airbus A380.
That and the fact that to be legal to fly in the US (possibly elsewhere) as of 2018, they'll need an expensive fuel tank inerting system retrofitted.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inerting_system
Have been talked about for many years, but became a formal rule only recently.
https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/aviation-internation...
This is an interesting book on the history of Pan Am and the role the 747 played: [SKYGODS: The Fall of Pan Am]( https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004J173SS/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?... )
I used to fly these every two weeks, KL691 and KL692 the flights between Schiphol, Netherhands and Toronto, Canada. Then at some point they moved to 777's, and even though it was a nice plane and far more modern the 747 almost never had a turbulent ride whereas the 777 trips were far less comfortable, especially the red-eye return flight rarely was smooth enough that I could get some sleep. Retiring the 747 was one (…
For anyone wondering why airlines are retiring the 747 this Wikipedia section summarizes it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_747-400#Retirement_and_... Summary: Old, inefficient, less need for jumbo jets. Everyone's either buying smaller or migrating to the modern Airbus A380.
Remember that Boeing's original plan was to use the 747 as a freighter. Passengers would fly on supersonic jets like their prototype 2707 SST. This is why the 747's cockpit is on top, it provided a continuous open tube for cargo underneath. http://www.nycaviation.com/newspage/wp-content/uploads/2015/...