Tag Archives: N4710U

United announces the last Boeing 747 revenue flight

https://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-USA6/United-Airlines-NC-Boeing/i-GsNbX9f/A

United Airlines made this announcement:

In celebration of United Airlines retiring the Boeing 747 from its fleet, United flight 747, on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 from San Francisco to Honolulu will be the airline’s farewell flight to the 747 fleet.

This journey will serve as the ultimate throwback for customers, employees and invited guests as it recreates the first 747 flight operated by United in 1970. From a 1970s-inspired menu to retro uniforms for flight attendants to inflight entertainment befitting of that first flight, passengers will help send the Queen of the Skies off in true style. The original United 747 aircraft that first made this journey from San Francisco to Honolulu was named the “Friend Ship,” the same name bestowed on this farewell flight.

Seats on this special, one-way trip, United flight 747, are available for purchase now at united.com or through the United app. The seats in the upper deck will not be sold, giving all guests the opportunity to spend time in this iconic space.

Customers seated in United Polaris first class and United Polaris business class will be entered into a drawing that will take place at the gate prior to boarding for an opportunity to occupy one of a select number of seats in the upper deck during the flight.

The journey will begin with a gate celebration at 9 a.m. local time at San Francisco International Airport, featuring a Boeing 747 gallery, remarks from United employees and executives, as well as refreshments. The flight will depart San Francisco International Airport at 11 a.m. local time, landing at Honolulu International Airport at 2:45 p.m. local time. Upon landing in Honolulu, local employees will welcome the aircraft with final festivities to close out the historic day. Customers and fans of the Queen of the Skies are encouraged to use the #UA747Farewell hashtag in social media posts.

United and the Boeing 747 through the Years

April 13, 1966: Boeing announces it will build a 490-passenger 747 transport. Construction is set to begin in June on a new plant in Everett, Washington.

January 3, 1967: The first production workers for the 747 program arrive in Everett. The 50,000 who would produce the world’s largest civilian airplane were known as The Incredibles, and they earned the label by bringing the Jumbo Jet dream to reality in only 16 months.

September 30, 1968: The first Boeing 747-100, City of Everett, is rolled out at their Washington plant, painted with the insignias of the 27 airlines that had already ordered the aircraft including United.

February 9, 1969: The Boeing 747-100 makes its first flight.

January 21, 1970: The Boeing 747 makes its first commercial flight from New York to London for Pan American World Airways.

June 26, 1970: Continental Airlines becomes one of the first carriers to put the Boeing 747 into U.S. domestic service, flying from Chicago to Los Angeles and onward to Honolulu.

June 26, 1970: United Airlines receives its first Boeing 747-100 complete with a christening ceremony fit for a luxury liner.

July 23, 1970: United makes its first Boeing 747 commercial flight, with a trip from San Francisco to Honolulu.

Above Copyright Photo: United Airlines Boeing 747-122 N4710U (msn 19755) JFK (Bruce Drum). Image: 101357.

Above Copyright Photo: United Airlines Boeing 747-122 N4728U (msn 19925) “747 Friend Ship” LAX (Bruce Drum). Image: 103100.

January 1977: A modified Boeing 747-100 is delivered to NASA to serve as a carrier vehicle for the Space Shuttle.

April 22, 1985: United announces its plan to acquire Pan Am’s Pacific routes, as well as 11 Boeing 747SP planes. The 747SPs feature a 48-foot-shorter body and fly higher, faster, and farther than standard 747 models.

Above Copyright: United Airlines Boeing 747SP-21 N149UA (msn 21649) MIA (Bruce Drum). Image: 101362.

January 29-30, 1988: Friendship One, a Boeing 747SP owned by United Airlines, sets the around-the-world air speed record of 36 hours, 54 minutes, and 15 seconds. This special flight raises $500,000 for children’s charities through the Friendship Foundation. Tickets cost a minimum of $5,000, and special guest passengers included astronaut Neil Armstrong, famed test pilots Bob Hoover and Lieutenant General Laurence C. Craigie, and Moya Lear, the widow of Lear Jet founder Bill Lear.

June, 1989: United Airlines receives their first Boeing 747-400 which provides increased range.

Above Copyright Photo: United Airlines Boeing 747-422 N117UA (msn 28810) LHR (Antony J. Best). Image: 920997.

August 23, 1990: The first of two modified Boeing 747-200Bs is delivered to the Air Force for presidential transport. Better known as Air Force One, these planes still serve the president today, having replaced the Boeing 707-320Bs that had served as the presidential aircraft for almost 30 years.

September 1996: A 747SP previously flown by United is transformed into NASA’s SOFIA, or Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, which carries a 17-ton, 8-foot-wide infrared telescope mounted behind an enormous sliding door.

Above Copyright Photo: United Airlines Boeing 747-422 N179UA (msn 25158) SFO (Mark Durbin). Image: 901763.

June 28, 2014: Boeing delivers the 1,500th 747 to come off the production line. The 747 aircraft is the world’s first wide-body airplane in history to reach the 1,500 production units milestone.

January 11, 2017: United announces that it will retire the Boeing 747-400 fleet in the last quarter of 2017.

July 28, 2017: United schedules a special domestic flight from Chicago O’Hare to San Francisco to allow more people to say farewell to the Queen of the Skies.

October 29, 2017: United flies its last international 747 flight from Seoul to San Francisco.

November 7, 2017: United celebrates the retirement of the Boeing 747 with a fitting full-circle moment. A special retro event sees the aircraft flying from San Francisco to Honolulu—a nod to its first-ever flight back in 1970.

Top Copyright Photo: United Airlines Boeing 747-422 N128UA (msn 30023) NRT (Michael B. Ing). Image: 923735.

United Airlines (historic liveries):

United Airlines (current livery – Boeing):

Endangered Species List:

United Airlines to end New York JFK operations, will move its trans-con p.s. service to Newark

United Airlines (Chicago) is giving up on making a profit at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. The carrier has just announced it will end all service on October 25 at JFK, where it failed to make a profit for the past seven years due to the lack of connections to other cities. United is moving it’s trans-continental p.s. service to its Newark Liberty International (EWR) hub. Delta is expected to acquire United’s JFK slots and United is expected to acquire some of Delta’s slots at Newark (subject to approvals).

The airline issued this statement:

United Airlines, the U.S. airline industry’s trans-continental leader, will bring the airline’s “p.s.” Premium Service to its New York hub at Newark Liberty International Airport in October. Beginning October 25, all regularly scheduled Newark-Los Angeles and Newark-San Francisco flights will offer:

flat-bed seats in the United BusinessFirst cabin;

premium in-flight service;

more extra-legroom Economy Plus seats than any other carrier; and

modern interiors with in-flight Wi-Fi and personal on-demand entertainment with

individual seatback monitors and power ports for customers in every row.

With the addition of p.s. service at Newark Liberty, United customers flying on trans-continental flights to and from Newark in the BusinessFirst cabin will, for the first time, enjoy flat-bed comfort for their entire journey when connecting to and from flights across United’s extensive trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific networks.

United will cement its role as the leader in trans-continental flying with more than 1,250 daily flat-bed seats – the most in the New York market – and a 44 percent increase in flat-bed seats year-over-year. The airline will fly up to 17 daily round trips Newark-San Francisco and up to 15 daily round trips Newark-Los Angeles, leading the industry with a total of up to 10,000 round-trip seats offered per day on the two combined key transcontinental routes.

Manhattan business travelers, particularly those who work on Wall Street and throughout lower and western Manhattan, enjoy easy access to Newark Liberty, the most convenient of the three New York-area airports.

With its launch of p.s. services at Newark Liberty, United will cease operations at Kennedy International Airport on October 25. United has entered into two separate transactions: Delta Air Lines plans to acquire United’s JFK slots, and United plans to acquire slots from Delta in Newark. Each transaction is subject to regulatory approval.

In launching p.s. service at Newark Liberty, United will move several Boeing 757-200 aircraft currently allocated to trans-Atlantic markets to p.s. flights. As it does so, the airline will increase the number of widebody Boeing 767 aircraft on trans-Atlantic flights, offering larger United BusinessFirst cabins and, on many flights, United Global First service.

United has already announced plans to introduce widebody Boeing 767 service on Newark flights to and from Barcelona, Madrid, Berlin and Hamburg.

United offers nearly 500 daily departures from the region to more than 150 destinations – the most in North America, the most across the Atlantic, the most across the Pacific and the most to and from Latin America.

Top Copyright Photo: Jay Selman/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 757-222 N505UA (msn 24626) arrives at JFK International Airport.

United Airlines current livery aircraft slide show:

United Airlines historic liveries aircraft slide show:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery.com. United has a lot of history at JFK. It once flew Boeing 747-100s from JFK from its own terminal. Boeing 747-122 N4710U (msn 19755) taxies to the runway at JFK in the past.