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As It Departs The Skies, How The 747 Changed International Travel

Published November 10, 2017 at 12:52 PM CST
A Boeing model 747, the largest commercial jetliner in the world, flies over the Puget Sound area of western Washington state in October 1969. The 747 jet is accompanied by a Sabre V chase plane, background, to observe certain flight tests. (AP Photo)
A Boeing model 747, the largest commercial jetliner in the world, flies over the Puget Sound area of western Washington state in October 1969. The 747 jet is accompanied by a Sabre V chase plane, background, to observe certain flight tests. (AP Photo)

This week, United made its last flight on a Boeing 747 aircraft. Delta will be retiring the 747 by the end of the year, which means no North American passenger airlines will operate the “Queen of the Sky.”

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

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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