When the Boeing 747 began service in 1970, it was the height of modern travel technology with its iconic humped upper deck. It has become synonymous with luxury travel and brought long-haul flights to the masses. Even after 50 years, the Boeing 747 is still the world’s most recognised jetliner with its humped fuselage and the four engines. But nothing can beat the coronavirus pandemic when international travel grinds to a halt and threatens the finances of airlines.
British Airways was set to retire the last of its Boeing 747s in 2024, but it accelerated its schedule and has now retired its entire Boeing 747 fleet. It had bid farewell to its last Boeing 747 in early October with a rare synchronised dual take off on parallel runways.
Qantas has also recently retired their fleets because of the coronavirus pandemic and held a series of farewell flights for the last of its 747s in July. Similar decisions were also made by KLM and Virgin Atlantic. Final commercial flight of a Boeing 747 by an American carrier took place at the end of 2017. Some commercial carriers, including Air China, Korean Air and Lufthansa, still operate passenger flights on the Boeing 747.
We thought it would be most appropriate for us to start our FLY section with a post on the Cathay Pacific Boeing 747-400 (B-HUJ) farewell flights back in 2016. It was a once-in-a-lifetime flight and would definitely be our most memorable flights of all forever. We will continue this Boeing 747 series with two more flights on Thai Airways and Qantas we took more recently.
Cathay Pacific Airways
Cathay Pacific received its first Boeing 747-200 in August 1979 and its first ultra-long-haul Boeing 747-400 in 1989. The Boeing 747 brought the world and cultures closer with more comfort and speed than ever.
With the opening of its route to London Gatwick in 1980, Cathay Pacific has started its transformation from a regional carrier connecting Hong Kong with other Asian/Australian cities into a truly global airline. More and more international routes were added to its network in the following decade and all these expansions were made possible by the technological advancement of the Boeing 747.
On July 6, 1998, the first plane to land at the new Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok was a Boeing 747-400 following a 15-and-a-half-hour journey from New York. It was the first ever non-stop flight from New York to Hong Kong flying a direct route over the North Pole which previously was prohibited Russian airspace. Appropriately, this exact aircraft (B-HUJ) was the one performed the last passenger flight in October 2016.
B-HUJ Farewell Flights (CX542 and CX543)
After more than 37 years of service, this iconic Boeing 747 went into retirement after completing its final passenger flights — a return journey between Hong Kong and Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.
We wanted a complete Boeing 747 experience so we booked both flights in business class with CX542 on the upper deck and CX543 in the main cabin. We loved the Herringbone seating, especially on the upper deck of a Boeing 747-400 – it’s quiet, private and isolated.
Boarding gate ceremonies were arranged in both Hong Kong and Haneda and we were greeted by Cathay Pacific ambassadors wearing vintage cabin crew uniforms and offered glasses of champagne to toast the Boeing 747’s remarkable history.
Upon boarding, we were welcomed by the Inflight Service Manager, Chaivaree Chitrakorn, and was presented with a special souvenir pack containing a signed flight certificate and exclusively designed memorabilia. Both flights were operated by Captain John Graham and Captain Pete Croagh.
A Dream Journey for Baby B
One of our hooman’s fondest memories of the Boeing 747 was getting into the cockpit during flight many years ago when our hooman was still a child. Of course, this is something impossible now.
But, Baby B may be able to sneak into the cockpit and he definitely would do that given the chance.
After taking pictures inside the cockpit on the ground, we asked Captain Graham if he could take a picture of Baby B for us when the plane was in the air. Surprisingly, Captain Graham said yes and told us to just leave Baby B with him. Captain Graham was so nice and knew exactly what we were hoping for.
As it turned out, Baby B had an epic journey in the flight deck throughout the flight and took many pictures in the cockpit when the plane was cruising at 39,000 feet. He even went to the hotel with the crew over the night. We didn’t see him until we were back on board again on CX543 at the Haneda Airport.
The Inflight-meal
The inflight meals were the standard ones but with a special dessert to mark the occasion. The inflight meal was presented by the crew wearing a vintage uniform and the whole experience was quite nostalgic and at the same time confusing but in a pleasant way.
Baby B wasn’t with us on the flight to Haneda as he was having the “Captain Set” in the cockpit.
He came back with us on the flight back to Hong Kong. He finally could enjoy a glass of champagne and the in-flight meal as a passenger.
Walking Around the Plane
One of our favourite things to do during a flight is to walk around the plane and look at every detail of the plane. We usually would walk all the way to the back and, sometimes, have a chat with the crew.
One interesting thing about these two farewell flights was that almost everyone was walking around the plane taking pictures and chit-chatting with other passengers as well as the crew. Everyone was in a jolly mood and the galley was full of people standing around all the time. It’s more like a cocktail party in the air and was exceptionally fun.
The staircase to the upper deck was one of the most loved feature of a Boeing 747. We could have just sat there with a glass of champagne the entire flight. We also went to take a look at the crew bunk and Baby B thought it was not very comfortable.
Take-off and Landing
The take-off and landing of a plane never fail to amaze us regardless of how many flights we have taken and this is especially true for a Boeing 747. There’s just something seemingly magical in how this massive metal bird can take off the runway and shoot through the air.
These were two short videos of the take-off of CX542 from HKG and final approach and landing of CX543 back in HKG.
Final Farewell
We include below a recording of the final announcement after CX543 landed in the Hong Kong International Airport. It was first in English, then Cantonese, and finally Japanese. We thought it’s a good way to conclude this post. It was a flight to remember for the rest of our life.
We hope you enjoy reading the post and feel free to share with us any experience and/or fond memories of a Boeing 747 in the comment section below.