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Retiring The Boeing 747, 'Queen Of The Skies'

NPR

Published January 25, 2017 at 12:20 PM CST

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United Airlines flight #897, a Boeing 747, at Washington's Dulles International Airport waits for it's maiden non-stop 13-hour flight from Washington to Beijing on March 28, 2007. (Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images)

Both United and Delta airlines are retiring Boeing 747s from their fleets this year. The 747 was a major advancement in air travel when it was introduced in 1970, but North American passenger airlines prefer more fuel-efficient planes.

Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson talks with Clive Irving, aviation correspondent for The Daily Beast and author of the book “Wide-Body: The Triumph of the 747.”