Two bits of fleet news that have been under the radar.
First up – United Airlines will be planning to retire their Boeing 747-400 fleet in 2018 after years of sterling service.
Boeing 747-400 in Classic United White and Blue… and flaking paint – Image, Economy Class and Beyond.
For some frequent flyers, there will be some tears of sorrow (especially those in love with the top deck or the nose of the plane). For others, this will be less celebrated as the experience in Economy Class or Economy Plus wasn’t optimal in the least (because a lack of space in either economy seat and no personal screens on a long haul legacy flight are a no-no).
As a result, United Airlines will orders held for the Boeing 787 for delivery in 2020 into four Boeing 777-300ERs and five Boeing 787-9s to commence delivery in 2017.
Gerry Laderman, United’s senior vice president of finance and acting chief financial officer states:
“Retiring the 747 fleet and replacing those aircraft with more customer-pleasing, current generation aircraft creates a more reliable and efficient fleet that provides a better overall experience for our customers traveling on long-haul flights.”
Meanwhile, United will boost its Boeing 737 fleet, with the addition of 25 extra Boeing 737-700s to join the fleet.
United Airlines Boeing 737-700 on approach to Chicago O’Hare, Image Economy Class and Beyond
This is on top the order for 40 Boeing 737-700 that United ordered earlier year this year to speed up its replacement for regional jets.
It seems that Boeing made an offer that United Airlines couldn’t refuse, and at same time – quashing Bombardiers hope of selling the CSeries to another North American airline.
These aircraft will filter in from 2017, joining United Airlines ever-growing Boeing 737 fleet.
It’s sad in a way to see Boeing 747s starting to fade away from passenger use as major airlines give them up, and switch over to the big efficient twin-engined aircraft.
In other ways, its welcome change as this gives United a chance to roll out new products and updated passenger experiences on these new planes.
Change is a fact of life – even more so in the aviation industry.
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