Qantas and British Airways retired their Boeing 747 fleets after 50 years. Here are the jet's 12 coolest features that passengers will miss.

Thomas PalliniJul 25, 2020, 19:09 IST

A Qantas Boeing 747-400 aircraft.James D. Morgan/Getty

The Boeing 747 revolutionized air travel when it debuted as the world's largest passenger jet in 1969.
The first-of-its-kind shape and design of the plane allowed airlines to get creative, offering luxurious amenities such as onboard bars, restaurants, and lounges.
Even to this day, the 747 has unique aspects that no other jet has been able to offer, firmly establishing it as the true Queen of the Skies.

Aviation's love affair with the Boeing 747 has been going strong for over 50 years with the affectionately-nicknamed Queen of the Skies turning heads since its first flight in 1969.

Still Boeing's largest passenger aircraft to this day, the 747 story began with a request from the head of Pan American World Airways, CEO Juan Trippe, for a larger jet than anything currently in production. Airlines had gotten a taste of the jet age with the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 and wanted more so they could fly passengers further than ever before.

Fresh from pitching a similarly massive four-engine plane to the US government, Boeing answered the call. Now-famed aerospace engineer Joe Sutter designed the plane, which took its first flight on February 9, 1969 and entered passenger service with Pan Am less than one year later.

Many of the jet's best features came as a result of its massive size and unique design, including the iconic upper deck – known as the hump – that housed the cockpit and a select few passenger seats. But after decades of faithful service, airlines are giving their 747s heartfelt goodbyes and paying homage to the plane that changed aviation forever and advanced the industry further than most planes at the time of its inception.

Take a look at what made the Boeing 747 a true Queen of the Skies.

1. The Boeing 747's iconic hump sets it apart from the rest.

A Pan Am Boeing 747-100 and 707 aircraft. AP

The hump housed the cockpit on the upper level so that a nose door could be installed for cargo loading, making the 747 an ideal freighter still utilized by cargo airlines today.

A Cargolux Boeing 747 cargo aircraft. Davide Calabresi/Shutterstock.com

The hump housed the cockpit on the upper level so that a nose door could be installed for cargo loading, making the 747 an ideal freighter still utilized by cargo airlines today.

The nose door was a rare feature for a jet with few other aircraft offering the feature at the time besides the 747.

A SkyBridgeCargo Boeing 747 cargo aircraft. vaalaa/Shutterstock.com

Only a handful of types have nose doors even today, including the Antonov An-225 Mriya...

An Antonov An-225 Mriya. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

Antonov An-124 Ruslan...

An Antonov An-124 Ruslan. Marcel Kusch/picture alliance/Getty

And Lockheed C-5 Galaxy.

A Lockheed C-5 Galaxy. achinthamb/Shutterstock

2. The excess space of the Jumbo Jet in the hump and the nose allowed airlines to offer onboard luxuries like bars, lounges, and restaurants.

A lounge onboard a Boeing 747 aircraft. Hutmacher/ullstein bild/Getty

Most were retired in 1973 when the oil crisis dramatically raised the price of fuel and airlines couldn't spare the extra room. But some airlines, like Virgin Atlantic Airways, brought the bars back to the jet.

A Virgin Atlantic Airways Boeing 747-400 aircraft. Fabrizio Gandolfo/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty

Most were retired in 1973 when the oil crisis dramatically raised the price of fuel and airlines couldn't spare the extra room. But some airlines, like Virgin Atlantic Airways, brought the bars back to the jet.

Luckily, the 747 has one of the largest passenger cabins of any commercial aircraft, so there was a lot of open space was to fill with seats to increase revenues.

The economy section on a Lufthansa Boeing 747-8i aircraft. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider

With no more bars and lounges taking up space, the nose section typically features first or business class seating,

The first class section on a Lufthansa Boeing 747 aircraft. EQRoy/Shutterstock.com

While the hump primarily houses business class seating, depending on the airline, in an exclusive cabin literally above the rest of the passengers on the main deck.

Brostock/Shutterstock.com

3. The normal seating capacity for the largest variant of the 747 is around 375 but the jet can hold over 1,000 people if need be.

A Boeing 747-8i aircraft. MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty

4. Some airlines used the jet to carry passengers and cargo on the same level.

A KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Boeing 747-400 aircraft. Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto/Getty

Known as Combi aircraft, half of the main deck had passenger seating while the other had a cargo hold where larger containers could be stored. Horses were among the frequent flyers in the cargo hold with flight attendants often letting passengers go back and see the livestock mid-flight.

A KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Boeing 747-400 aircraft. Louis Nastro/Reuters

Known as Combi aircraft, half of the main deck had passenger seating while the other had a cargo hold where larger containers could be stored. Horses were among the frequent flyers in the cargo hold with flight attendants often letting passengers go back and see the livestock mid-flight.

5. The 747's four-engines make it just slightly faster than its competitors.

A British Airways Boeing 747-400 aircraft. Benthemouse / Shutterstock.com

Just before the pandemic hit, a British Airways 747 set a speed record on the New York to London route by making the transatlantic journey in four hours and 56 minutes.

A British Airways Boeing 747-400 aircraft. REUTERS/Toby Melville

Two twin-engine planes from Virgin Atlantic Airways lost to the 747 by mere minutes.

A British Airways Boeing 747-400 aircraft. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider

They were both A350-1000 XWBs; ironically, one of the next-generation jets replacing the 747.

A Virgin Atlantic Airways Airbus A350-1000 XWB. Nicolas Economou/Getty Images

The 747 has also helped earn British Airways over $1 billion in revenue on the New York-London from April 2018 to March 2019.

A British Airways Boeing 747-400 aircraft. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider

6. Boeing made the Jumbo Jet even larger with the 747 Large Cargo Freighter, also known as the Dreamlifter.

A Boeing 747-400LCF Dreamlifter cargo aircraft. cpaulfell / Shutterstock.com

The Dreamlifter was purpose-built to fly parts for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner around the world.

A Boeing 747-400LCF Dreamlifter cargo aircraft. Kyodo/Getty

Aircraft parts are loaded through a special hinged tail door.

A Boeing 747-400LCF Dreamlifter cargo aircraft. Robert Sorbo/Reuters

Without the plane and its massive cargo cabin, Boeing wouldn't be able to build Dreamliners as quickly as it does today.

A Boeing 747-400LCF Dreamlifter cargo aircraft. The Asahi Shimbun via Getty

Ironically, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is similarly replacing the 747 at airlines like Qantas and British Airways as the twin-engine jet can operate more efficiently and fly comparable routes.

A Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. christopheronglv / Shutterstock.com

Ironically, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is similarly replacing the 747 at airlines like Qantas and British Airways as the twin-engine jet can operate more efficiently and fly comparable routes.

7. Some passengers sit ahead of the pilots.

A Lufthansa Boeing 747-8i aircraft. Arne Dedert/picture alliance/Getty

The nose section is located directly below the cockpit with some rows further forward than the cockpit.

The first class section on a Lufthansa Boeing 747 aircraft. EQRoy/Shutterstock.com 1

Sitting in seat 1A is often a bucket list item for aviation enthusiasts.

The first class section on a Lufthansa Boeing 747 aircraft. Sorbis/Shutterstock.com

Not only is it at the very front of the plane but the seat's occupants can actually see ahead of the plane due to the curvature of the nose.

The first class section on a Lufthansa Boeing 747 aircraft. Sorbis/Shutterstock.com

So while all the passengers will arrive at their destination airport at the same time, those in 1A will see the runway first.

The cockpit view of a departing aircraft. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider

8. The 747 comes in fun-size.

A South African Airways Boeing 747SP. EQRoy / Shutterstock.com

Boeing built the 747SP for Pan Am as the airline desired more range from the iconic aircraft.

A Boeing 747SP. Mo Azizi / Shutterstock.com

Keeping the same number of engines and building a smaller fuselage, Boeing was able to greatly extend the range of the 747, allowing for longer nonstop flights.

A Boeing 747SP. Philip Pilosian/Shutterstock.com

South African Airways was one of the aircraft's first customers since it needed a long-range plane to skirt the airspace of African countries from which it was banned due to apartheid.

A South African Airways Boeing 747SP. EQRoy / Shutterstock.com

South African Airways was one of the aircraft's first customers since it needed a long-range plane to skirt the airspace of African countries from which it was banned due to apartheid.