
United's final 747 flight sells out in hours - hodgesrm
http://travelskills.com/2017/09/18/buy-redeem-united-final-747/
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leejoramo
My father was a pilot for United. I remember in the mid-1970's getting to fly
a 747 LAX to Honolulu first class. This was when the upper deck was a piano
bar for the enjoyment of the 1st Class passengers. It was magical.

Since we were flying in passes, I think we paid something like $30 a person.

I was so disappointed when the return flight found us in the far back of the
horrific 3rd class smoking section.

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pivo
I'm so glad you mentioned the piano bar. I too remember 747 flights as a child
and being amazed that there could be a piano bar on an airplane. I mentioned
this to my parents a few months ago and they didn't remember it, or even
believe it was possible. I had begun to doubt my own memory, thanks for that!

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pcurve
'business class seats in the upper deck or “bubble” were not sold so everyone
can climb up the stairs for a final look-see.'

This is a nice move on their part.

It's sad to see dwindling number of 747 in airline fleet. 747-8 lives on, but
it's more popular as a cargo variant.

It will always be the most beautiful passenger jet ever made.

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tadfisher
Agreed, the 747 is a marvelous feat of both engineering and design.

But the fall of the 747 (and the A380) is a canary for the best possible
improvement in passenger comfort since the 1970s, and that's the upcoming
demise of the hub-and-spoke model in favor of point-to-point flying. I will
personally trade 8 hours of my life in cramped seating for the untold number
of hours I've spent dealing with connections at crowded/unfamiliar airports
and the incompetence of the airlines at connecting me to my destination on
time.

Not to mention the horrendous safety standards of the regional contractors
that keep the hub-and-spoke model spinning.

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anarazel
> Not to mention the horrendous safety standards of the regional contractors
> that keep the hub-and-spoke model spinning.

I can't see that get better with more point to point connections. Planes will
get to full bases with own engineering less often, not more...

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ChrisBland
Awe man, I'll really miss the 747 as I grew up overseas so flying these 6-8x a
year was a joy. I remember being a little kid and getting to go up the stairs
to the top level to see the cockpit and being in awe of the size. It helped
spur my interest in aviation. For those wondering, one of the bigger changes
in aviation which hurt the 747 and put the nail in the coffin was the change
to ETOPS rules.
([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ETOPS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ETOPS))
-- now that you can do the US -> Europe/Asia and other routes in a twin engine
vs the four of a 747, it has become so much cheaper to operate anything but a
747.

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kakarot
I don't know much about commercial planes and I've never flown commercial so
forgive my ignorance, but I assume that the 4 engines of the 747 allow for
redundancy in case of engine failure in long overseas flights? And is there
any sort of redundancy in 2 engine jets and if so, to what degree?

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ChrisBland
ETOPS is the min distance / flying time you can be away from a suitable
airport with only one engine operational. In the past you couldn't take a two
engine jet over the ocean or had to fly a far north arc to ensure you were
close enough to land. The 747 had increased etops as it had four engines so
losing thrust in one or more was not as big of a deal. Now that we have years
of data related to twin engine performance we now have etops 180 which allows
us to take twins across the Atlantic. I write this sitting on a 777 heading to
Europe flying a route that 40 years ago wouldn't have been allowed.

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kakarot
Thanks for your answer. I didn't know single-engine operation in a 2-engine
jet was even a possibility. Planes are so crazy.

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zepolen
So much for the boycott [http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/11/asia/united-
passenger-drag...](http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/11/asia/united-passenger-
dragged-off-china-reaction/index.html)

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bahro
The 747 upper deck was United's best business-class product by far. Shame to
see it go.

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qq66
I consider the 747 to be the pinnacle of human achievement. It represents the
work of scientists, engineers, regulators, managers, urban planners,
mechanics, designers, and everyone else whose work has been required to make a
metal tube weighing 50 elephants to go seven miles up into the sky with the
safety of walking down the street, and at the cost of a few hundred dollars in
some cases.

And, of course, in the case of the 747, the artistry behind the glorious
dolphin-like aesthetics.

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AnimalMuppet
Here's an idea: Buy a 747 from United. Run "nostalgia" flights on popular
routes - not every day, but several times a year.

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joezydeco
A slightly cheaper option would be the "Pan Am Experience" in Los Angeles.

The Experience uses a replica 747 cabin (used in Hollywood productions) and
serves a full dinner course with everyone in vintage Pan Am uniforms.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bbRiVuyfDg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bbRiVuyfDg)

