Why 747

Too, the early coach seats were so wide that they came close to what a first class passenger might experience on other passenger aircraft at the time, according to Harteveldt.

So why retire it at all? Aside from the obvious reason—most are decades old—the plane has simply been eclipsed by newer and far more efficient widebodies.

In fact, in its latest year forecast, unveiled at the Paris Air Show last month, Boeing noted that it saw no demand for building any new passenger s to rival the Airbus A , which surpassed the as the world's largest passenger plane when it began service ten years ago.

Airlines prefer twin-engine aircraft like the X and the A, which are smaller, have more flying range, and consume less fuel per passenger, Boeing told Traveler. The airline believed that the way forward lay in an aircraft with 2. Before the interest in a passenger aircraft, Boeing had already worked on the design for a new, high capacity, freight aircraft for military use.

It lost this contract to Lockheed with the C5A Galaxy. These plans were then there to be amended when the need arose for a similarly large passenger aircraft. A key part of the design was the inclusion of a second deck. This not only expanded passenger capacity, but it also allowed the full use of the main deck for freight and the addition of a lifting nose for loading.

Boeing saw this as an important feature, partly as a major alternate focus at the time was on supersonic aircraft. If passenger aircraft demand moved in this direction, the could still find a place as a heavy freighter. The original design was to have a full-length second deck, but this was not feasible due to safety requirements at the time. For passenger operation, it gave problems with evacuation routes and times.

The final hurdle to get the new, larger aircraft flying was to develop sufficiently powerful engines. This was more powerful, but also quieter and more fuel-efficient than existing low-bypass or turbojet engines the main difference being high-bypass engines produce more fan thrust relative to their jet thrust. Whilst the current passenger aircraft are now in the later stages of retirement, production of the new continues.

Pan Am founder and aviation giant Juan Trippe, who had ordered the first 25 s for his airline in , can be credited with defining that space. You had these airplanes being introduced and they were flying half empty. View Iframe URL. It also was the first aircraft to feature indirect lighting as well as the regular implementation of in-flight entertainment systems. Unfortunately, as technology improved to create newer planes like the Dreamliner, the began to fall behind in fuel efficiency and therefore cost efficiency , the sun is now setting on the legendary aircraft.

Commercial airlines have been retiring their s at an increasing rate, thanks in part to the COVID pandemic, which has significantly hurt the aviation industry.