Boeing 747 'Jumbo Jet' Flies One Last U.S. Commercial Flight
It's the end of an era of U.S. civil aviation, as the venerable Boeing 747 flew one final commercial flight for an American carrier this week. Delays and a flight cancelation, however, have complicated this milestone flight.
As the "Jumbo Jet," the Boeing 747 might be the best recognized commercial airplane in history, as Jalopnik notes. It first rolled out to tarmacs almost 50 years ago in 1968, and at the time, it was considered a technological marvel.
Fast forward to 2017, and production of the model has tapered off drastically. The demand just wasn't there anymore, and Delta Air Lines will be retiring the last Boeing 747 in its fleet after a final flight from Seoul to Detroit.
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Things got complicated on the airline's side, however. The first leg of the flight, from Detroit to Seoul, was supposed to leave on Sunday. That schedule was canceled at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport, however, due to a problem with fully staffing the flight, according to The Detroit News.
It's one of the things that are now hampering adoption of the 747 since each launch requires four pilots.
"While there was disappointment in today's cancellation, dozens of Delta customers and employees stopped by a 747 historical display near the McNamara Terminal's signature fountain to share stories and remembrances of the 747," Delta air shared in a statement as quoted by the Daily Mail.
The flight did eventually push through on 7:30 a.m. EST on Monday, a day later from the set schedule.
Boeing, meanwhile, says that the company will still continue to make new 747's only this time, the units are mostly meant for freight carrier duty for their clients that need the oversized plane. 747's have also traditionally served as Air Force One since 1990.
Randy Tinseth, Boeing's vice president of marketing, said back in June that "Frankly we really don't see much demand for really big airplanes."
