タグ: air travel

Boeing 747 “Queen of the Skies” Still Flying–But for How Long?

                       by David Parmer / Tokyo

In July 2020 British Airways announced that it was grounding all of its venerable Boeing 747 aircrafts. British Airways (then BOAC) has been flying the 747 since 1971. Times have changed and now airlines want the newer generation of long haul aircraft that are more fuel efficient, quieter, and more profitable.

 So the handwriting was on the wall for the “Queen Of The Skies” before the CORONA pandemic, but the pandemic, with its catastrophic drop in passenger numbers, has more or less sealed the plane’s fate. Other major airlines like Qantas, KLM and Virgin Atlantic have followed suit and grounded their 747s.

And yet many airlines continue to fly both the 747-400 and the more fuel efficient 747-8. It is true that there may not be as many flights now, (and that is an industry-wide trend) but flying on the world’s first “jumbo” is still very much a possibility. These airlines include:

  • Air China
  • Thai Airways
  • Korean Air
  • Rossiya Airlines
  • Lufthansa
  • Air India

The 747 dates back to 1969, but that doesn’t mean that it continues to feature old technology. The newer version, the 747-8 features:

  • Flexible wingtips for efficiency
  • Increased wing-tank fuel capacity
  • New materials
  • New GE engines
  • Cleaner, quieter operation

While there is a passenger version of the 747-8, the Intercontinental, the 747-8 is getting wide acceptance is as a tough, reliable, efficient cargo aircraft. Customers include Air China, Nippon Cargo Airlines, and UPS.

747-8 First Flight Everett WA

The worldwide recovery of the airline industry will probably not happen until most countries have the pandemic under control. Now Boeing is still struggling to get its 787s flying again, so for a while the 747-400 and newer 747-8 might be the go-to aircraft for airlines thinking of upgrading or modernizing their fleets.

For those of us who look at the 747 with great nostalgia and are sad to see her eventual phasing out, there are still many chances to see and indeed fly in this one-of-a-kind iconic aircraft.

Do you have experience flying the Boeing 747? Are you sad to see it go? Please let us know what you think .

 

 

Vietnam’s Bamboo Airways Set To Make A Name For Itself–But not just yet.

It is very interesting to see the ongoing evolution of air travel from the days of the grand and luxurious Pan American Airways to the Low Cost Carriers (LCC) of today. And while it might seem that there is not much room to carve out a niche in the airline industry, there is evidence to the contrary. Recently RG21 took a look at Air Astana, the national airline of Kazakhstan, a newcomer that has gotten generally positive reviews all around. Another new player with its cheerful green, white, and blue livery worth keeping an eye on is Vietnam’s Bamboo Airways. Their corporate motto is “More than just a flight.” With their user-friendly online presence and new equipment, they just might make the user’s travel experience live up to this ideal.

Bamboo Airways, which is headquartered in Hanoi, started operations January 2019 with an Airbus A320 as its first equipment. They have 15 domestic destinations including their hubs in Hanoi and Ho Chi Mihn City. Bamboo Airways flies Airbus and Boeing equipment. Airbus models include A319-100, A 320-200, A320neo and A321-200 and A321neo. They also fly the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.

Besides its domestic routes, Bamboo Airways has an ambitious menu of international destinations including:

  • Czech Republic
  • Macau
  • Japan
  • South Korea
  • Taiwan

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner equipment was specifically acquired for long-haul routes like Hanoi-Prague. Flights were scheduled to start in March 2020, but with the coming of the Corona epidemic. European and other international destination schedules have been modified or cut back. The Hanoi-Prague flight has been pushed back to late spring and there has been no announcement of international flights scheduled to begin in June 2020.

It is truly unfortunate that the timing for this new member of the airlines community has come at the peak of the Corona epidemic. When the “all clear” has been sounded, Bamboo Airways will be in an excellent position to take advantage of the pent-up demand  for domestic and international flights and the travel boom that will surely follow. Let us hope that this is much sooner than later. (When do you think travel will “normalize” again? Please let us know your thoughts on this.)

Photo: Courtesy Bamboo Airways