The Story Of Delta’s Short-Lived Boeing 747-400 Operations
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
- After operating from Seoul to Detroit, Delta retired the last of its Boeing 747-400s from scheduled revenue service on December 19th, 2017. Despite the type being used between 2009 and 2017, you might be surprised to learn that Delta Connection’s Dornier 328 jets had more flights in one year than the 744 did in total. Let’s take a look at Delta’s 747-400s.
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Flew delta one business class from Detroit to Shanghai just days before they swapped the services to 777s. I now own a row of seats from the scrapped 747 ! Wife took some convincing on that purchase
Now to get the B747 to put them in...!
I might have been on the same flight with you! Had the opportunity to fly on the upper deck of the 747 in Sept of 2017 DTW to PVG. Was a bucket list item and have zero regrets doing it!
I was a Captain on NWA and then Delta’s ( airlines merged in 2009) B747-400 from 1999 to 2017 when the plane was retired. I have just under 8000 hours as a Captain on the plane.
What a plane…elegant and every one just loved to fly it. Flight deck had three rows of seats. Super comfortable. Nice bed room just behind the flight deck for the pilots on break.
The best thing about the interior of the plane: Lots and lots of room for passengers to stroll around. Bathrooms were large…and plenty of them. Overhead bins always and I mean always had plenty of room for passenger carry on luggage. The passenger upper deck was just pure luxury.14 passenger seats. (Was certified for 60 coach seats) 2 bathrooms. 2 Flight Attendants. And upstairs…away from any hulabalu.
My most memorable flights:
We ferried the plane (just four pilots…no crew, no flight attendants and no passengers…well …had just one passenger…my youngest daughter Elena) from Singapore where it had undergone maintenance to Anchorage and then Detroit. My daughter loved it.The only passenger on a 747-400.
Another flight : From LAX to Victorville Ca.Another ferry flight. Brought my son Andrew along. He got to log some 747-400 time! I put him in the right seat! The planes were painted in Delta colors at Victorville after the NWA- DL merger.
I often flew the Detroit- Shanghai route. We normally burned about 51,000 gallons of fuel. For that one flight. We often flew within 20 miles of the North Pole. As I flew that route for so many years, I could see the effects of global warming. My first years, the North Pole was always frozen solid, even in August. At the end of my career the ice would be broken in August. We always looked for Santa but never saw him🤣
I flew the first Delta 747 on the JFK Tel Aviv route and the very last JFK TLV flight by a Delta 747
My last flight on the 747 was in Dec 2017. DTW to LAX.We brought the plane empty there for a 747 farewell party.
I flew the 777 after the 747 at Delta. Definitely a downgrade. Like going from a Rolls Royce to a Volkswagen.
Wow! This brings back memories. While working on my undergrad, I also worked as a ramp agent for Delta in 2009-2010. I do clearly remember talks of Delta painting it’s iconic livery on the Northwest acquired 747-400 and actually loaded N666US in Atlanta. Lol I remember it as clear as yesterday. Now I’m watching a video on an aircraft I touched. Very cool!!!
With a tail number like that, little wonder they want to be rid of them!
I flew on the Delta 747s many times between Detroit and Tokyo/Seoul, and once to Amsterdam. But most of my trips on those specific 744s were with Northwest. I’ll never forget those trips. The 747 really does show what mankind can achieve, and also shows American exceptionalism. I miss it terribly.
That’s where the 747s should have operated not from Atlanta
@@williamerazo3921 Most DL 747 ops were from PMNW (pre-merger Northwest) bases, including the NRT base for flights down to BKK, SIN and back to HNL. The few times JFK or ATL saw the 744s was for seasonal demand on routes normally covered by smaller widebodies such as 764, 333 or 772. ATLHNL, JFKATH and JFKTLV are prime examples.
Flew in 3K (window, lower deck Delta One with an angled view) on DTW-ICN in 2014. Flight was smooth as glass, zero turbulence, felt like I was in a brick building. The mass of the plane dampened most all vibration. Slept very well the first 8 hours in the lie flat seat, then enjoyed a moonlit view of the arctic circle and sunrise over Siberia. I'll never forget that flight.
You’re making me jealous, really want to experience these before they’re gone.
The 747 looked good in Delta livery! I will always regret not having a chance to fly on a 747. Such a magnificent bird!
Lufthansa still operating 747 from San Francisco to Germany if I don’t recall
they were sooooo much prettier as Northwest Orient (way back in the day) or Northwest Airline (more recently) - that giant red tail was always so awesome to see, especially if there were a whole row of them lined up (yeah MSP is my home airport).
I flew on them maybe 10 times when they were in service - always such a different flight than a smaller plane.
One trip was to Hawaii in the early 80s on NWO and the plane we were on had the original spiral staircase going up (watch Snakes on a Plane to see that sort of staircase) rather than the later more compact straight ones; and although there were a few business class seats upstairs, most of the upper deck was a lounge, complete with a bartender selling mixed drinks.
I got to knock on the cockpit door too, and got to peek in, while in flight somewhere over the Pacific. That's something you won't get to do ever again unless you own the airline. They also gave me a pack of playing cards with the old NWO logo on them.
On a later NWA flight to Seattle, the plane was extremely lightly booked, so I was able to actually grab an entire "center block" of 5 seats and I raised all of the armrests then laid down and slept. Numerous other people got the same idea, and there was plenty of room, so that was a funny flight for the attendants to see I bet.
I never flew on the old NWA 747s after the Delta merger, but then again, I generally avoid Delta and am really sad they gobbled up NWA and got rid of the pretty red tails. :P
Those actually started out as a visual identity aid as they flew into Alaska and other snowy areas besides MSP - it stuck, but actually still is useful for that reason in winter. Nobody could ever possibly miss a NWO/NWA plane lined up waiting for takeoff clearance - any inbound flight who used the wrong runway would easily see that plane waiting there and do a go-around rather than smacking into a plane with "pretty" but completely nonfunctional livery (most companies).
Lufthansa and Korean Air will operate the 747-8 for at least the rest of the 2020s. A few airlines still operate the 747-400 (Lufthansa and maybe Thai?) so it’s not too late.
My co workers dad was a exec at Delta and he said that Delta never liked the 747s. Because of the merger with NWA they were forced to use them, I couldn't see Delta parking 16 jumbo jets at that time of the merger...
I maintained these A/C for many years, one of my favorite metal.
When I worked in Marana Arizona in 2015. I helped with the storage and scrapping of them and their 757s
🥰As cabin crew I had the honour to work on Qantas’s 747-200, 747-300,747-400 &747-SP loved them all. 🥰
only 744 I flew was a UAL one from Hong Kong Kai Tak to SFO. Made it aboard as a kid on both Pan Am and TWA's 741 and 742. Also a NWA 742 to Hong Kong Kai Tak via ICN. Have a planned trip on Lufthansa 748 from ATL to FRA and back soon! Long Live the Queen!
When I was 5 I saw a delta 747-400 that was one of the best experiences in my life
You were a way more observant 5 year old than I was
Flown one of these bad boys. Was 2013/2012, from Singapore to Tokyo on business class. One of my most memorable flights.
It's really sad how Delta slowly dismantled NW's long running flights to the Philippines. Northwest used to have 3 daily flights from my home airport Manila, flights to 3 destinations in Japan (Narita, Osaka, Nagoya), each continuing on to a US destination, and now, Delta isn't flying out of Manila AT ALL. It's really diheartening because when i was a kid, me and my family would visit the US at least 2x a year and we would always fly Northwest.
Really sad that Delta has discontinued flights to the Philippines, because I've just realized that this is one of a handful of airlines that provide direct connections to South America, The Caribbean, and Mexico from the Philippines. This is the airline I would've wanted to fly on if I were to go to Brazil one day.
Yup, they’ve just axed the last Manila route last May 2021 along with some US domestic routes and ATL-YVR due to the pandemic. I hope they reestablish these routes again sooner or later when the situation gets better.
@@kimarnina i hope so, but i highly doubt it. Asia isn't really a priority of Delta, aside from the likes of Japan, South Korea and China (HK included). South east asian routes that were previously flown by Northwest, most, if not all, are gone. They should've kept their Tokyo hub too. One might say that we can still catch a flight via delta thru the cities that they still service (ie. Flying to seoul via partner Korean Air, then catch a connecting flight to the US from there via Delta, but the experience just isn't the same. Prices of tickets are also more expensive.
Jow i wish Northwest hasnt gotten bankrupt and didnt have to merge with delta. NW is very dear to me. I still remember their lounge here in Manila, where it used to be, and how excited younger me used to be whenever i'm about to leave for the US. And note too that Northwest's lounge here isn't a third party lounge. It's their own lounge.
Hey Simple Flying, can you do a video on the Donier 328-XXX family. Im loving these videos on widely unknown aircraft, or other quiet work horses.
Loved Seeing The Former NWA then Delta 747-400’s From Here In DTW! So Glad I Got To See Those Magnificent Birds Grace The Skies!!!
Wishing You Blue Skies & Tailwinds!!!
Cheers from here in Detroit!!! 😎🥂👍🇺🇸
The delta 744 is the most nostalgic aircraft to me. It brings me back to when I was younger even though I never got the chance to fly it
Flew the Delta 747 from LHR-MIA. Absolutely loved the plane and the in-flight service. They gave us ice cream sundaes.
Remember seeing a lot of the DL 747-400s at my home airport of Narita Airport as a child! Good memories.
I still remember myself being very sad when I learnt that Delta withdrew its 747-400s from use. My first flight on the majestic 747 was on a Delta 747-400 en route from Tokyo Narita to Honolulu in 2012, so these birds always have a place in my memories.
I will always think of these as Northwest's 744s. I flew one NRT-MNL for a work trip and was surprised at the gate with an apology and an upgrade. It was unfortunate I was too exhausted to enjoy much of it. I flew twice in Delta colors, one SEA-NRT and a round trip JFK-TLV.
I'd love to see a video on cycles. How many cycles are different aircraft types made to complete in their lifetimes and are narrow body planes made to do complete more cycles as they're smaller diameter?
Long live the queen 👸
@British Airways Boeing 747-436 Lol. Love the name even if you are getting a little long in the tooth
@@topiasr628 I don't see the sense
Delta’s 747 operations were short lived but ironically it was the only 747 flight I’ve been on from HNL-NRT and it was THE BEST flight ever
Flew one business class back in 2010 from Atlanta to Copenhagen just before air travel between the Americans and Europe was suspended due to the Eyjafjallajökull eruptions. Was supposed to fly on a KLM flight directly to Amsterdam, but flew via Copenhagen instead due to the ash cloud. My Copenhagen-Amsterdam flight was one of the last to land in Amsterdam, we had enough fuel on board to divert to Rome if needed
I flew 666US DTW-PVG in Aug 2017, sat in 79K, what an experience. I flew it 5 times after, including a ferry flight from DTW-ATL
I was on the final domestic flight from LAX to DTW (not including the hurricane evacuation flights after).
Never flew on it, but I did build them. Sad day when we build the last Queen…..only 12 left on the firing order
I remember flying a Northwest DC9 as recently as 2013. These planes were old!
I think the last of the DC-9s painted in the NW livery were retired in very early 2011 but DL painted their livery in the DC-9-50s and kept them till 2014.
But beautiful and comfortable
@@jayd1426 I think those Fairchild-Dornier 328 are handsome. I've never seen one.
this channel deserves more subs
Definitely
I flew the Delta 747-400 From Minneapolis - Orlando.
Awesome plane.
I flew on one from Detroit to Nagoya, and then Nagoya to Manila when they had that route. Man I miss Deltas 747's.
I flew Delta's 747-400 between Nagoya(?) and Detroit nine years ago. En route, there was a medical emergency, and our flight diverted to Anchorage. The affected passenger was taken off flight, and the captain was soon to retire! Quite the last flight.
My first and last time flying 747-400 was on the NRT to HNL route. Now I have a key chain made out of N665US. What a history
Never did fly in a B747, sadly, though I logged many flights in Northwest's DC-9s before the merger.
On the 747 from Tokyo Narita to Detroit in 2017. Happy they let me go to the upper deck just to look around and take pictures. I knew the aircraft was close to retiring and my goal was to fly on it before that happened. And still to date my only flight on a 747. I still remember the experience vividly. They were old birds at the time but still iconic.
I’ve flown MSP to NRT on a 747-400 several times. As well as NRT to HKG. I’ve done this trip on both Northwest Airlines and Delta. It was a fantastic airplane and I was so excited when I was 21 and first flew on it. The Northwest interior lacked any sort of IFE, which made for long flights. Delta redid the interiors in about 2012 and it was a significant improvement.
I miss seeing and riding the iconic B747-400, been a regular flyer on it with yearly trips on the DTW-NRT-MNL route.
I use to fly on 747-400s form KIX to HNL since North West was flying the route every year to meat my Grand parents.
The plain is one of my biggest child hood memories. I hope to some day jump seat on a cargo variant.
Go to the delta museum!!!
Indeed. They have one there in the lot that you can tour.
I flew Delta's 747 on two occasions! Seattle to Tokyo Narita and back. Great airplane and great ride
Often flew Northwest 747s from Minneapolis to Narita and on to Singapore or to Bangkok. Made one such trip out via Minneapolis after the merger: Connecting on that trip’s return via Atlanta rather soured me on Delta.
Flew on Delta 747-400 from Tel Aviv to JFK back in Jan 2014. My first and last flight on 747-400. I wish they would have stayed around a little longer.
With the way Northwest and Delta maintained their 747-400s, those 14-15 NW/DL 744s could have flown another 20-25 years if not for fuel efficiency
0:51 This pic is of the wrong plane, N661US. This was the plane involved in the Northwest 85 incident ;)
I don't know if I ever flew on a 747-400 in Delta livery, I did fly on them as NWA, from Minneapolis to Tokyo for sure, possibly on Minneapolis to Amsterdam, though I think that was operated by KLM at the time. I also flew the -400 on Lufthansa, from Frankfurt to Sydney via Bangkok and Singapore. Such a great airplane, I will miss seeing them and flying on them for sure.
Ive flown on DL B747 from ATL to AMS on N669US August 2015 and flew back from AMS to ATL N674US and I can never get enough of the DL 747s
Prior to the Delta/Northwest merger I flew in a Northwest 747 in 1983 from LA to Minneapolis. Bring back memories as I was a young serviceman returning to the states for the first time in 4 years.
Yes! 👏🏼 I flew my Delta 747 flight back in summer 2015 from HNL>ATL! Definitely a bucket list flight for me!!🥰✈️😁
My 1:400 diecast Delta 747 is reg N666US - I had no idea it performed the final 747 Delta flight!
Northwest Seattle to Minneapolis several times.
The 747, the machine and aircraft that revolutionized the sky.
Yes, in 2015 flew RT from ATL to HNL, I love that aircraft. I will miss it
Delta's livery really suited the 747. Such a good sight to see in MNL..
I love this airplane…. Flew LAX to Tokyo-Narita on this plane many times also Honolulu to tokyo and tokyo to Manila
The way back machine: my first 747 flight was in December 1970 as a wide-eyed kid on a new Delta 747-100 from DTW to Miami.
Flew the 747 on the ATL-HNL route in 09 and later DTW-NRT in 11. Always picked the upper deck.
You usually upload great videos... but in this case short-lived was my interest for this story. Delta operated the 747 for almost 30 years... that's quite a long time.
Not 30 uninterrupted years. Before the merger with Northwest, I believe they only flew 747s in the 70s.
The title says that it’s about the 747-400, NOT all 747s they ever had
@@imonymous and only for about 6 years as their smaller L-1011s took over.
I flew Delta’s 747 in 2016 Amsterdam-Minneapolis with family
First flight ever was on Delta 747 from Tel Aviv
I was in TPA in early 2013 when a DL 747 taxied by and the gate agents made an announcement to look at it.
I flew on these jets at least twice a year, every year, from 1997 until they were retired. The route was usually Detroit-Narita or Detroit-Osaka, almost always in economy class, and for a while the same aircraft would be used for a Taipei extension. In the mid-2000s, that leg was replaced by a dedicated A330, although occasionally they'd still use the 747.
The aircraft was always majestic to behold and flew smoothly, but you could tell they were aging and not being maintained with much care, especially in Northwest's later years and under Delta. The flight crews and service were always great as well - in 2 decades of yearly flights, I never had a bad experience - although it did vary as part of general trends of the operator's quality of service. Still, despite many happy flights with them, when they were replaced on the Haneda route by 777s I wasn't all that sad to see them go. To me, they were already dead or dying: paneling and fixtures had worn without replacement, dirt was building up from neglect, and Delta never bothered to refresh the interiors. I'm sure they were still as mechanically-sound as ever, but that attention wasn't being given to the interior; leaving them in service despite such carelessness would've just further soured the great memories I had of these aircraft in their prime.
actually Delta 747s were given a new interior in 2011-2012
Was I the onlyone who read N666SUS?
Took a 747 from LAX to SYD and back in 2009. Great plane, but glad my poor student self scrapped some extra cash together for the “new” Economy+ for the trip, friends in the back looked like they were stacked like firewood. Great plane for a 15+ hour trip.
Aer Lingus had a few short lived 747’s. Would love to see a video on them
I flew DL NRT-MNL on a 747-400 back in 2010 and it was fully loaded in Economy class.
Flew Tokyo Narita to Detroit on a Delta 747 in 2015. I was surprised that Delta had renovated the cabin and kept the 747 in a good condition, given a scheduled retirement of the type at that time already. And the cabin service was much better than in American domestic flights. Besides the 2 meals and multiple services of drinks, they also gave us a snack bag for free soon after taking off, with a large bottle of Evian water, crackers and an apple. Wonder if the better service is because it's out of Tokyo where Delta has to compete with Asian carriers?
Delta is always top notch!
Flew with Delta's 747-400 Manila-Nagoya-Detroit and vice versa, 2010-2011. Then Manila-Tokyo Narita and vice versa, 2015-2016.
I flew NW's 744 on DTW-NRT-PVG-DTW.
DL never flew the 777-300ER. Just the 200ER and LR
Where did they say that?
Damn I wish they still had them
That was my favorite 744 livery. Such a shame that airports tarmac are getting boring these days only with twin jets.
I flew a Delta 747-400 when it was still a Northwest 747-400 red tail.
I had a choice to either fly to Tokyo Haneda or Narita from Seattle back in 2016, but I chose the latter airport even though it takes much longer to get to downtown Tokyo because I knew that it was my last chance to fly Delta's 747 (N667US). I made the right decision!
I flew an Air China 747SP to and from Beijing in 1989. I flew a Continental 747 SEA/EWR as the domestic portion of their short lived NRT/EWR service in the early 90s. Some may remember that there was a lot of jousting for that route around that time, with Continental the winner. I don't remember who else tried for it, perhaps UA since they had a hub at SEA.
I know Delta retired their 747s to the Desert in California. But are these planes still intact out there? Or did they get scrapped for pieces? Or are they being converted for Cargo perhaps by companies like Kalitta Air? Just wondering if any of them had/have any hope for flying again.
Why don't u do one about United 747-400 operations they operated it for 27 years that's a true 747 operator
From my perspective, a true 747 operator is an operator that operated all variants.
The Closest examples are: Korean Air (but didn't operate the -100) and Lufthansa (but didn't operate the -300)
@@sheereenaali8448 united operated the -100,-200,SP and 400 they only didn't operate two variants the -300 and -8
@@sheereenaali8448 Did the 300 variant exist ? I've never heard about.
United 747-400s… I’ve been on a few myself. I preferred the 777 but the 747s were quite iconic. And United flew 747s for 47 years in total across all variants.
Also I do believe KE had the -100, bought two factory fresh in 1973 if I recall correctly. Korean Air, Qantas, and South African were the only three airlines to fly the -100, -200, -300, -400 and SP - and I guess that now means Korean Air has flown every 747 other than the Japanese domestic -SRs and the -400Ds. Though KE also ended up crashing five of them…
I'm a pilot who was inspired by this plane to do it, and I've never had the chance to even set foot on one.
The prototype 747-400 which had a close shave is among the Delta fleet too. N661US, is it?
Yes and I believe it's in display at the Delta Museum.
Flight 85 with the rudder hardover
I saw N664US at Narita Airport. Also, I have a 1/500 model of it (N661US).
My last 747 flight was with Delta in 2012
That 666 tail number would make me raise an eyebrow
I flew NW SFO -> ITM -> TPE a number of times but that's not quite what you were asking.
When did DL fly Dornier 328 Jets? Thats a new one on me...
My dad flew on a NWA 747-200 and 747-400 from MSP to NRT
Never been on Delta, but have flown on Northwest's Boeing 747-400s. The food was so bad it made me ill.
Are you one of those vegan freaks ??
I got to see and photograph but not tour (prep was still ongoing at the time) the one saved for their museum.
4:22 - no I did not but I flew on Northwest’s 744 from Narita to JFK and back.
I flew a delta 747 from DTW to PVG
What is the name of the background music in the video please anyone can tell?
Next video request: Why all 3 major US airlines have phased out all regional propeller aircrafts. And BTW, I've just realized that the year after the 747s were gone from the US, turboprops followed too in the US and both are long gone.
Cool
U made an error u put the last flight as July 1st 1989 when you said in the video July 31st
I'm not 100% sure but I think I flew this amazing aircraft inside the hump between JFK and CDG
In 2011
Flew on the original NWA flights to Manila
2013 was the only year I got to fly on a 747
Twice. DTW-NRT & DTW-LAX, Tokyo on NWA, LAX on Delta.
Both aircraft powered with Pratt and Whitney Engine.
If I recall correctly, Delta used to fly a military charter with a 747-400 between Baltimore and Rammstein.
Now it's Atlas Air that holds that service using, guess what… a couple of 747-400s !
@@julosx haven't been up there in a while to see whats on the ground as of late, but I do recall seeing an Atlas 74 up there on occasion in the past. World used to make the run with an MD-11, but World has been gone for a while, and Omni used to fly a 767. That contract seems to change regularly.
@@porcelainthunder2213 Lastly Atlas Air said they can make themselves ready for the Afghan refugees with their two 747-400s and a single 767 (yet unseen by me).
I liked NWA much more than DAL. Obviously, I was sorry to see that merger. In 2014, I gave up on Delta’s piss-poor service and switched to Korean Air and Japan Airlines. No regrets ...
Have you fly on any 747?
@@sergiolaurencio7534 - Yes, I’ve flown the 747 often. It’s not my favorite aircraft if sitting in coach, but I must admire what it did for international travel.
I generally avoid them in favor of the 380, the 9-across 777, the 8-across 787 (Japan Airlines), and the A350.
What is your favorite international hauler ??
We can't forget the fact that the 707 was very important on the history of aviation. It's revolution on how we travel on the sky. The first jetliner
I wish that plane could have live that longer
@@sergiolaurencio7534 - Im not trying to diminish the importance and the accomplishment of the 707, but it was too small to offer fares easily affordable to the working class. The 747 offered the economy of scale to open international travel to the middle class.
That is why, to me, the 747 is the most significant passenger jetliner in history.
Actually since DAL and NWA merged technically the 747s were with the combined airline for almost 30 years.
Comparing 747 cycles to a regional jet type cycles makes no sense and is an insignificant statistic.
I think Delta got some pretty good use out of the legacy NWA B744s before they were. retired.
Delta certainly embraced the 747 and gave it a great send off.
I'll say it again work on your accuracy.