T he slow disappearance of the legendary Boeing 747 airplane from the skies continues, as the last official flight aboard this iconic aircraft operated by Air France has been announced.
Appropriately named Air France flight 747, you can be one of the passengers on this special flight — whose origination and destination airport is Charles de Gaulle, which serves the Paris metropolitan area — on Thursday, January 14, 2016 for a fare of €220.00 for any seat aboard the airplane.
Last Flight on Air France Boeing 747
The unique experience — considered to be an exceptional tribute flight over France and its legendary landmarks as well as a salute to the emotional last flight of this easily-recognizable Jumbo Jet aircraft — will occur greater than 45 years after the first flight from Paris to New York on Wednesday, June 3, 1970. The flight is scheduled to depart at 11:30 in the morning; and all passengers will experience a business class lunch and champagne — as well as commentary of the history of France during the flight.
After the airplane returns to the airport, the passengers of the historic flight will be invited to discover the aircraft maintenance workshops of Air France and share a tribute drink at the foot of the aircraft itself.
Reservations and Information
To reserve your place on this last flight of the Boeing 747 operated by Air France, call 01 56 93 70 28 — or +33 1 56 93 70 28 if you call from outside France — between 10:00 in the morning and 5:00 in the evening Monday through Friday.
Click here to access the official benchmark historical Internet web site for additional information pertaining to the history of the Boeing 747 aircraft with Air France.
Three Special Flights of Which I Am Reminded
This upcoming flight reminds me of three memorable flights on which I was fortunate enough to be a passenger:
- Air France flight 1 from New York to Paris aboard Concorde during its last week of service in 2003, as I will never forget the emotional tribute of people lining the runway upon landing in Paris with signs in French commemorating that legendary supersonic aircraft
- A flight operated by Qantas from Los Angeles to Sydney where I was seated in the upper deck in business class aboard a Boeing 747-400 aircraft
- Delta Air Lines flight 9998, which departed from the international airport in Atlanta and took a tour around the city of Atlanta twice before returning to the airport on April 30, 2007 in celebration of Delta Air Lines emerging from bankruptcy
I was the official writer of a special weblog documenting the events which occurred when Delta Air Lines officially emerged from bankruptcy; and I intend to repost those articles and photographs of that memorable day in the future here at The Gate.
Summary
Although it is not expected to happen for years, I will miss the classic look of the Boeing 747 aircraft effortlessly plying the skies overhead and lumbering towards destinations around the world when the last airline ceases operations of the airplane permanently.
If you feel strongly emotional about the Boeing 747 aircraft and want to be a small part of commercial aviation history, consider booking a reservation on this special flight operated by Air France for the cost of approximately $240.00…
…and if you are unable to be in Paris to attend, you can still follow the event with #AF747 on Twitter.
The subheadings of this article use the official colors of Air France.
This Boeing 777-328ER is one of the reasons why the Boeing 747 has been phased out by Air France. Photograph ©2015 by Brian Cohen.
