United Airlines 747 flights are coming to their final approach later this year when the company is set to retire the jumbo passenger jets.
The "Queen of the Skies" will stop flying in the fourth quarter of this year instead of 2018, its original service schedule, company president Scott Kirby said in statement on the United Airlines website.
"It's a bittersweet milestone — this jumbo jet with its unmistakable silhouette once represented the state-of-the-art in air travel," Kirby said in the statement. "Today, there are more fuel-efficient, cost-effective and reliable widebody aircraft that provide an updated inflight experience for our customers traveling on long-haul flights.
"For these reasons, we're saying farewell to the Queen of the Skies, which has been part of our fleet since we first flew the aircraft between California and Hawaii in 1970," he added.
United flies 20 of the 400-passenger 747s, which Boeing built from 1988 to 2009, according to Bloomberg. Delta Air Lines Inc. also is ended its use of the 747 this year, while Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., ANA Holdings Inc., Singapore Airlines Ltd. and Air France ended use of the 747 within the past decade, Bloomberg added.
"We'll be working with all of you who fly or work on the 747s to ensure a smooth transition to other fleets," Kirby said in his statement to employees on United's website. "Our forward-looking fleet plan will cover 747 replacements and anticipated growth opportunities. And of course, we'll honor the 747 with an unforgettable retirement celebration — we'll keep you posted with more details on her final flight in the months ahead."
The huge plane, though, is still valued as a cargo jet with UPS ordering 14 new 747s last October, the Chicago Tribune reported.
"While we've seen a softening in the cargo market for quite some time, we continue to closely track air cargo and make the right decisions that drive shareholder value and keep the production line healthy," Boeing spokesman Tom Kim told the newspaper.
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