Flying on a 747

[TheHeff]

Hi People

Sad as it is to admit, I have never flown on a 747. It's a life ambition - so, before they're all retired off, I need to do it. I know which airlines have 747s - Question is; How do I know which route is served by the Queen of the Skies. Any help would be gratefully received. Clue: I live in he UK

[Capetonian]

Just a quick glance :

BA to JNB, CPT, JFK, BOS, CHI, LAX, SFO, SYD, LOS, HKG, SIN
VS to MCO
CX to HKG
TG ro BKK
MH to KUL

No doubt dozens more, those are the ones I could think of immediately.

[TheHeff]

Much appreciated - but where did you get that info? . . . and more to the point . . . what does it mean? airport codes and flt numbers are great for those who understand, but "Birmingham to New York JFK", for example would be more helpful. Many thanks.

[AndoniP]

Make a booking on the airlines website and it might tell you which aircraft will serve that route.

Or wait till the 747-8 is made and fly in one of those!

[AndoniP]

Oh and Virgin definitely use 747s to Las Vegas. They're a bit shabby though.

[FlyingEagle21]

I would think you have quite a while before they all retire.. just check the airlines website, the flight number on a certain day should state aircraft type etc

[Wannabe Flyer]

You have not flown until you flown in the 747 !!!

[Capetonian]

You can encode/decode IATA/ICAO codes here :

Airport Code Database Search (http://www.airlinecodes.co.uk/aptcodesearch.asp)

Mostly they are pretty transparent, JFK, JNB, etc, just be careful LOS is not Los Angeles (LAX), it's Lagos, not sure which is the bigger ****hole of the two, Lagos is definitiely more interesting and has more character!

Canadian ones are tricky, mostly beginning with Y (YYZ Toronto, YEG Edmonton).

How did I know, well, I just knew, I didn't 'get' those routes from anywhere but it's not hard to do a bit of research on sites like Airfleets aviation | Airline Fleet, plane, airport : Boeing Airbus Embraer Atr Fokker Dash Beechcraft (http://www.airfleets.net/home/) and work out what a/c they have in their fleets. If SAA have a 747, for example, they're not likely to be using it on PLZ ELS, so there's no rocket science here.

[Peter47]

You can get it from the OAG airline guide, although sadly now that most people use the internet most libraries have stopped taking it, but you may be able to track one down. Capetonian gave most of the airlines using 747s. If you go onto their website you can usually get equipment for a specific flight on a day. The code 744, 747 or 74M means that it is scheduled for a 747. Avoid anything else. Be careful, for example BA operates seven flights a day to New York JFK, one or two are 777s. Cathay use 777s or A340s on a few of their flights to HKG. (You will probably be safe with Thai to Bangkok or Malaysia to Kual Lumpur). If in doubt post the flight you are planning to book on Pprune & I am sure that someone can confirm that it is scheduled for a 747.

(Quick question for anyone in the know. Will the code 748 be used for 747 800s. Are there any Andovers still flying?)

[Capetonian]

Here's a list of the codes used for the 747 variants.
Sometimes they will use the generic 747 code. One a/c type or variant maybe substituted for another with little or no notice. The last number range is the approximate minimum and maximum seating configurations for each type.

747 747 all series passenger 244-569
741 747-100 393-433
74m 747-200/300/400 mix config 238-400
744 747-400 362-569
74c 747-200 mixed configuration 270-n/a
74e 747-400 mixed configuration 287-420
74l 747sp 244-440
742 747-200 351-493
74d 747-300 mixed configuration 250-304
74r 747sr 374-563
74f 747-100/200/400 freighter n/a-n/a
743 747-300 375-428
74x 747-100f/200 freighter n/a-n/a
74y 747-400 freighter n/a-n/a

[reportyourlevel]

The ICAO code for the Andover/HS748 was A748, so presumably B747-800 will be able to use B748.

[Capetonian]

The ICAO code for the Andover/HS748 was A748, so presumably B747-800 will be able to use B748.

The GDS codes are three characters. The code 748 is not in use so presumably will be reserved for the 747-800.

There used to be a coastal service (CPT- Plett - George - PE ...) in South Africa operated by Air Cape with a Hawker Siddeley 748. The aircraft type appeared in the timetables as 748. A passenger asked one of the reservation agents what aircraft it was and was given the answer : "It's a 748. Like a 747 but bigger." This was about 30 years ago.

[Davidsoffice]

To repeat Wanabe Flyer...

You have not flown until you flown in the 748 !!! :D

[TSR2]

You have not flown until you flown in the 748 !!!

Unless you are a Boeing test pilot you could not have flown in one.

[Capetonian]

I think he means one of these 748's ... aka the Vomit Comet as the air along the coast was often quite choppy!

http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/middle/9/2/0/0644029.jpg

[Davidsoffice]

Ahhh Avro!!

[Dawdler]

My first flight in a B747 was in 1977. I was due to go to CPH from HRW with a colleague. He spotted a Air Japan flight to Tokyo which was routed via Copenhagen and Anchorage, so we quickly booked for the first leg. I remember being astounded that such a big machine could accelerate at such speed. Having said that my only flight experience prior to that was in a two seat glider and four seat Miles.

[Delight]

I think most (if not all) Virgin flights out of Gatwick and Manchester are B747. I've been twice, Orlando and Havana. Top deck in Virgin's premium economy is fantastic. :O

[Ken Borough]

You can also add Qantas to HKG and BKK to the list.

[TheHeff]

Jeeez! Now that's what I call a response. Thanks to one and all for the extensive advice and general chat. I'm sure I'll find a suitable flight. Virgin now use A330s for Orlando. As far as I know, only Lufthansa and Korean are taking the 747-8, but maybe that's the answer. Cheers all ;)

By the way, I've done the 748 . . . and a Handley Page Herald and even an Airspeed Ambassador.

[rich_g85]

I flew Heathrow to Boston with Virgin last year. That was a 747.

Get it booked! :)

[Peter47]

The last I checked Virgin to Boston was an A340 although equpment can vary.

Most Virgin routes out of Gatwick are 747s (and most 747s operate out of Gatwick).

BA is generally all 747 to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Johannesburg, Hong Kong & Bangkok. Plenty of other routes with 747s but 777s or 767s operate certain flights or at certain times of the year.

Moral: Check before you book!

Post your intended flight & date on Pprune and hopefully someone will have access to a computer with equipment type.

[wowzz]

Isn't it ironic - for many years I flew LHR-JFK on 747s for business, and never realised how lucky I was until I retired and started flying 777s on holiday.
I know that they both get you safely from A to B, but on a 747 you get a feeling of solidity [is there such a word?] that you don't get on a 777 or Airbus.
Purely irrational I know, but as they say, ''You don't know what you've missed untill it's gone!''

[CentreFix25]

My experience of flying 747s is - the bigger the plane the more seats they can squeeze in. The experience for me was no different than flying a 757, unless you can afford the big seats.

[NWA SLF]

In general the larger the mass the smoother the flight so I most enjoyed my commuting from MSP to AMS when KLM and Northwest were flying the route with 747s. Then came 9/11 and first downsizing to DC-10s (no more KLM flying the route) followed by what I call the coach class torture chamber, the A-330. I call it torture because the IFE shortens your leg room in the window seats and cramps your legs to one side (aisle). I sure missed flying the 747s for the last 7 years before I retired. A couple years ago I visited the air museum in Speyer, Germany, where they have an ex-Lufthansa 747-200 mounted on 3 pedestals. Most of the interior is stripped so you can see the real tube. I got in the very tail and rocked side to side in tune with the structure and was amazed at how much my relatively small mass could create such significant structural flexure. Easy to see how not only the wings but all of the structure of such a giant works as a spring to give you a smooth ride - barring a pilot who flies you into a thunderstorm or something.