Boeings 747 has played an important role in providing cheap traveloptions, such as cheapairplane tickets, discounttravel deals, and cheap vacation packages forpassengers flying on ultra-long routes.
The beginning of July Boeing delivered its 1,500th 747 toLufthansa. This plane has been inproduction since 1968 and was the worlds first jumbo jet.
The 1,500 milestone comes as some experts see the near endof this planes production as demand for four-engine jumbo jets declines. Numbers support this view in that Boeing isnow only making 1.5 747 jets per month compared to around 6 per month in1990. Airlines with older 747s in theirfleets have been phasing them out at an increasingly rate.
Airlines have demonstrated a rising preference fortwo-engine widebody jets, such as the Airbus A330 and Boeings 777, that seatfewer people, but require less fuel and can fly similar distances.
Other than Lufthansa, only three other passenger airlines(Air China, Korean Air, and the Russian airline Transaero) today have ordersout for new 747s. Offsetting thehistoric extra cargo advantage of 747s is a current global slump in air cargodemand.
Boeing refuses to be pessimistic regarding the future ofits 747 aircraft pointing to a recent major redesign of the plane that resultedin its current iteration which is the largest passenger jet ever made byBoeing.
The first cargo version of the modernized 747 (called747-8F) was delivered to Cargolux in 2011. The first new passenger version (called 747-8 Intercontinental)commenced flying for Lufthansa the next year.
The dash-8 version is approximately 18 feet longer than the747-400 and the passenger version can accommodate about 50 more seats than theprevious version.
This jet comes with significant technology upgrades, many ofwhich were taken from Boeings new-age 787 Dreamliner. These updates have resulted in a state of theart aircraft with improved reliability and lower operating costs, according toBoeing. Advanced technology upgradeswere made to the wing, engine, and flight deck, as well as to a newly designedinterior.
The 747s signature hump provides airlines the opportunityto create an upper deck First or Business Class cabin that feels exclusivebecause of its location relative to the rest of the plane. Premier passengers tend to relish being it aspace apart from others.
Outside jet experts take a dim view of the production of747s beyond the next decade unless demand for air cargo increases significantly.
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