In December 2017, Delta became the last U.S. airline to retire the Boeing 747, ending 47 years of service by Northwest Airlines and Delta combined. Last U.S. departure, DL159A, left Detroit on December 18, arriving at Seoul-Incheon on December 19. It was a recovery flight for the original Dec.
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A final farewell, a new beginningAn hour into the flight, Delta flight attendant Holly Rick and longtime 747 pilot Gene Peterson were married in Row 23, the bulkhead, 40,000 feet above Memphis. Few things about Flight 9771 were ordinary. Delta sent its final 747 to retirement in Arizona with one last party in the sky.
On July 31, 1973, Delta flight 723 took off from Burlington and crashed in Boston, killing 89 people. NBC5 held a virtual town hall in honor of the 49th anniversary. The families of the passengers on the plane have grieved for years.
Over the past decade, the giant aircraft was eclipsed by smaller, more nimble models like Boeing's own 777 or Airbus SE's A350 that only have two engines but still manage to fly the same routes, albeit at much lower operating costs.
The final one, delivered to cargo operator Atlas Air in early 2023, marked the end of the 747's production history, though the variant still has a future in the spotlight: two 747-8s are currently being transformed into the next Air Force One planes.
Eight airlines are operating the Airbus A380 during February 2023, led by Emirates Airline which has some 1.9 million available seats onboard the aircraft this month. The Dubai-based carrier has a fleet of 121 A380s, of which 87 are in operation at the present time.
The German carrier operates more passenger 747s than the rest of the world's airlines combined, with eight 747-400s and 19 747-800 models still flying. All those aircraft are being used on Lufthansa's long-haul routes in East Asia, South Africa and North and South America.
Generally, Delta is a good airline for travelers who want a comfortable flight experience overall at a cost that's in line with its service and offerings.
On Aug. 2, 1985, Delta Flight 191 crashed at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport at 6:05 p.m. killing 137 people. Twenty-seven people survived the crash.