The end of an era: Farewell to the 747

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Last edited Sat Jun 8, 2019, 09:33 AM - Edit history (1)

Source: Washington Post

The end of an era: Farewell to the 747

By Lori Aratani November 11 at 12:30 PM

It’s been more than 40 years, but Tamula Sawyer still remembers the soft emerald green dress and stylish high heels she wore on her first trip aboard a Boeing 747 from Boston to Honolulu.

Back then, said Sawyer, who lives in Worcester, Mass., people dressed to fly. The seats were huge and comfortable and the plane was nearly empty — so empty that passengers could choose their seats.

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And so the announcement this year that two of the country’s biggest airlines, United and Delta, were retiring the iconic plane hit hard. While international carriers and freight companies will continue to use the 747, it will no longer be a sight.

“I feel sad that this wonderful plane that brought [me] to America is coming to an end,” said Deans, 55. “It will stay in my heart forever.”

The retirement announcement spurred a wave of nostalgia for a plane that for better or worse forever changed the way people traveled. Air travel was still considered a luxury when Boeing made its huge bet on a jet like no other. The company, still recouping the money it had invested in the 707, was already stretched thin and had to borrow money for the new airliner. It even shut down one of its divisions, which made turbines, to help finance the project.

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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/11/12/the-end-of-an-era-farewell-to-the-747/


The Pan Am Boeing 747 at Heathrow Airport, London after its maiden commercial trans Atlantic flight from New York on Jan 22, 1970. In the background passengers stream along to customs and baggage collection. (Associated Press)