My first 747 ride was DFW-ATL during the brief period DL was flying all three widebodies. Their long-range plan was the TriStar, but Lockheed were teetering on bankruptcy, so the DC-10 was a hedge bet. And the 747 was a pure experiment on heavy routes.
My last ride was a NZ -400 back across the pond. I don't think I could have endured that long a ride in any other aircraft.
Re the SP: the load factors in widebodies was so low that I heard the SP described as a 747 with all the empty seats removed!
