Delta employees, customers and aviation enthusiasts have been eagerly flying the airline’s remaining Boeing 747-400s since Delta said in 2014 that it would retire the Queen of the Skies at the end of 2017.
There will soon be more chances to see and perhaps take part in some of the last Delta 747 flights – the last to be flown by any U.S. passenger airline. Here are seven things to know about Delta’s big goodbye to the 747:
- Delta is operating the Boeing 747-400 on daily scheduled service between its Detroit hub and its partner hub at Seoul-Incheon.
- Here are the final regularly scheduled flights of the Delta 747:
- Final U.S. departure: Flight 159 at Detroit to Seoul-Incheon at 12:31 p.m. on Dec. 15
- Final Asia Pacific arrival: Flight 159 at Seoul-Incheon from Detroit at 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 16
- Final Asia Pacific departure: Flight 158 at Seoul-Incheon to Detroit at 11:15 a.m. on Dec. 17
- Final U.S. arrival: Flight 158 at Detroit from Seoul-Incheon at 10:14 a.m. on Dec. 17
- Delta will take the 747 on an employee farewell tour from Detroit to Seattle on Dec. 18, Seattle to Atlanta on Dec. 19 and Atlanta to Minneapolis-St. Paul on Dec. 20.
- Customers can bid for a spot on these farewell flights via SkyMiles Experiences using their miles.
- Employees and retirees can purchase a seat on these flights on a first-come, first-serve basis beginning at noon ET Nov. 20 at a discounted rate, with all proceeds going to the Airloom Project, the organization behind the 747 Experience exhibit at the Delta Flight Museum.
- The 747 will fly a handful of sports team and ad-hoc charter flights through Dec. 31.
- Delta will fly its final 747 to its retirement place in Arizona in early January. This ferry flight will not be open to passengers.
Delta will be celebrating the iconic and revolutionary 747 throughout December in all of its channels and encourages customers, enthusiasts and employees to share their own tributes and remembrances using the #DL747Farewell hashtag.
Following those flights, Delta’s Detroit-Seoul route will be operated entirely with the carrier’s new “flagship” Airbus A350.
