On November 7, 2017, United Airlines flew their Boeing 747 aircraft, dubbed as the Queen of the Skies, for the last time. Flight UA747 took off from San Francisco to Honolulu with more than 300 customers and employees onboard.

For a farewell journey, the airline recreated the first 747 flight operated by United in 1970. Tickets for the flight were sold out in less than 90 minutes. The seats on the upper deck were not available for buying as the airline wanted to give “all guests the opportunity to spend time in this iconic space.”

  
  
 

The send-off began with a gate party at San Francisco International Airport, featuring 747 gallery and 1970s costumes for use in a retro photo booth.  Also, customers and employees could sign a life-size retirement card and try the cake.  

“The iconic 747 is a remarkably special aircraft that signaled a new era of air travel and was equally recognizable and beloved by our customers and crew alike,” said, United CEO Oscar Munoz at the ceremony before the last flight. “While today is bittersweet, we‘ll continue to honor the queen of the skies' game-changing legacy of connecting people and uniting the world with our next-generation of long-haul aircraft.” 

Passengers which flew the last 747 flight shared their impressions on Twitter. “The retro look was so much fun on the last 747 flight on United,” posted Derek Davis.

 

“For all fliers and for those who hope to fly, what a nice ceremony by UAL for the queen of the skies on its last journey. What a ride we‘ve had!” wrote Robert Rowntree in his post on Twitter. 

United announced the retirement of its 747-400 fleet in January 2017. Now,  Delta is the only US airline which flies the 747. However, it is planning to retire the plane before the end of 2017.  

 

The last United's B747 flight