Why Won't Lufthansa Retire the 747?

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Why won’t they retire the 747? Because it’s the most ledgendary plane of all time, video over.

Another thing worth mentioning is the fleet age. The airlines who retired the 747 mostly had 747-400, but Lufthansa has 747-8 which is a much newer plane model. Lufthansa's newest 747 is from 2015, which is quite young for an airplane. It wouldn't make any sense to retire young planes.

The 747 with the vintage Lufthansa livery looks incredible

I flew on an Iberia 747 AND a 747 Pan Am Clipper in 1977. I was 10 years old and wanted to see the whole thing. The flight attendants let me go upstairs and poke around. I still have a clear picture of the nose bulkhead in memory. Awesome experience for a 10 year old.

And another big factor: The delay of new airplanes (i.e. the 777X). The demand is so high after the pandemic, that Lufthansa uses all airplanes available. The A340, A380 and 747-400 were considered dead when the pandemic started. But now everyone is happy to see them flying again and Lufthansa can match the demand with them.

I'm German who used to live in Boston. When I visited my family at home, I often flew with the 747. It's always a great memory to look back at

Last year, I was jump seating to my first trip as an airline pilot and it was on a Boeing 747-8F. Told the Captain I had never been on a 747 before and he said "Perfect, you're sitting in the observer seat for the best view!" Such a smooth and quiet ride, like being in a big Cadillac!

I've flown on the upper deck on a Lufthansa 747-8 from Frankfurt to Tokyo. Was a truly unique and amazing experience

One key factor not mentioned in the video is the massive amount of cargo that the 747 can carry while being fully booked. A massive advantage compared to e.g. the A350, 787 etc Especially while covid kept passenger numbers down that was a huge factor to keep the 747s in the air

As a former flight attendant for LH this was my favourite plane to work in . I always enjoyed the views outside to the engines in action over e Greenland . They looked like art . Yes i mis my Jumbo !

At Heathrow, occasionally one could spot a “five engine” 747 - it was carrying a spare engine attached under the wing to be installed on a sister aircraft which was away from its home base and needed an engine replacement.

I emigrated from Argentina to Barcelona with the Aerolíneas Argentinas 747 in 2002. Being 6yo made me keep a super cool sensation about the plane. It was HUGE! I got super engaged into the airplanes world and, from then on, I kept pushing to study aeronautics. I finally achieved it some years ago! I love that plane!

When I was roughly 12 years old my brother and I got to sit in the cockpit jump seats as our seats for the whole flight from FRA-YUL on Air Canada's 747 (my mother was a AC FA at the time). It was a memory I will never forget and led to my interest in aviation. I remember seeing the news paper article when AC retired the 747 and they painted a tear beside the cockpit window, as a kid it made me sad that I would likely never fly one of these amazing airplanes. 20 years later I am currently employed as a 787 FO for Air Canada.

When the 747 started flying by American Airlines, they were promoting flights to San Juan Puerto Rico from JFK. Back then if you were related to a crew member, you were allowed to go on the upper deck. There was a piano bar. I was just 12, but I experienced the upper level. Such a great memory

Also, Lufti’s 747s, especially the -8i are capable of carrying a significant cargo load on top of a fully booked passenger load on most sectors, which also produces some nice revenue.

Back in 2017, Thai Airways ran a limited-time 747-400 service to Singapore, my home city and my family was travelling to Thailand that year, so the timing was perfect. A flight attendant showed me to the upper deck and nose section after landing and as a cherry on top, we deplaned via stairs in Bangkok. I got some great shots of the outside of the 747, holding up everyone behind me.... I really treasure that experience. I was born too late to become an avgeek when the 747 ruled the long-haul space, the 777 had taken over substantially. However, it will always be iconic and I enjoy listening to older avgeeks tell their 747 stories. I hope to fly on one again, especially a -400, before they are all retired. Asiana, Air China and Lufthansa operate them at the moment. Speaking of Lufthansa, they might as well be renamed "Avgeek Airlines", for they fly almost every western-built quadjet you can imagine. I really want to get a flight on their A340-600, cause that thing looks so unique.

I have worked for four airlines the last 30 years. One of those airlines was northwest airlines. I worked on the 747 until laid off. I only flew on the 747 once in couch when I was a teenager. I always wanted to fly on a 747 in first class. One day god willing I will get a chance to do so.

I flew on a 747 with United between Auckland and LA in August 2001. I still have the photos of being invited up into the cockpit. Was incredible for a kid, and an opportunity that would soon disappear.

I first time I flew on a 747 I was five years old. My father was in the army, and the entire family was moving back to the mainland US from Hawaii. This was in 1982, so I assume the move to Hawaii was also on a 747, given the planes in that era but I cannot be sure because there were other widebodies around that could made that trip. It was the first time I remember flying precisely because it was the flight against which all others were measured until now. I always hated how small the others planes were and I would always look for the spiral staircase. This flight from Honolulu to Oakland was long and I was a small child. This was a time before mobile phones and IFE so to pass the time I wandered around the aircraft. I can remember all of the cigarette smoke and trying to peek up the stairs to the upper deck. Eventually, my restlessness caught the crew's attention and they invited me to the flight deck. This was the moment I became obsessed with airplanes. This was a time before 9/11 so accessing the flight deck was fairly common, even during the cruise. I met the Captain and FO. They gave me a pair of PAN-AM flight wings. I cherished those wings for many years until I lost them during the many moves around the country as my dad was moved to new duty stations. I also flew on TWA 747's to and from Europe in the late 80s. The 747 will always be my favorite and I won't ever forget flying in a Pan-Am 747 Clipper.