Kyle, did you fall in love with her or what?

 

The flight attendant or the plane? 

 

I'd always been a fan of the 744. I'd flown on one a few years earlier on the way back from London (the BA crew were not as accommodating - then again, it was also a flight back to Washington DC around the time we were being hypersensitive about everything having to do with aviation), and on a 742 back around 1994. One of the FAs took my brother and myself upstairs to see the upper deck, which was empty as it was an equipment swap for spring break travel down to Miami. While I was up there, I got a really good view of Halley's Comet, as the lights were off. The flight back from FRA to IAD was a UAL 744, and was definitely one of the older ones, as it still played the film from a projector onto the bulkhead.

Favorite 747 trip:  Athens-Rome-JFK TWA, I was coming home for a year assignment in Greece on a military ticket, which I upgraded to ambassador class for a couple hundred bucks.

Worst 747 trip:  TWA St Louis - JFK - Frankfort but due to a storm we didn't land JFK. This almost empty aircraft circled somewhere near NY for an hour then flew back to St Louis, which was jammed with folks not getting to East Coast. Bags lost of course.  Again on a military ticket, which got me rerouted next day St Louis - ORD - Frankfort on a United 767. Bags found me two weeks later....so I went to Europe without my underwear LOL.

Notable flight:  JFK-Frankfort TWA with half full cabin.  I claimed on of the rear center rows, four or five chairs across, and lifted the arms and made a cot.

Most Exciting 747 event: The long SAC runway at Offutt AFB ends at a steep decline, where the ILS antenna is mounted on a large wood platform. Being a ground communications officer, that platform was part of my territory and I stood on it one day as the NEACP (pronounced kneecap, the backup to Air Force One) rolled into position and took off barely a 1000 feet in front of me. That was so cool.... and to this day I miss the smell of JP-4 in the morning.

 

 

and to this day I miss the smell of JP-4 in the morning.

 

Dan

Were you thinking of this -"Smell that? You smell that? Napalm, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for 12 hours. When it was all over, I walked up. We didn't find one of 'em, not one stinkin' dink body. The smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole hill. Smelled like... Victory."

— Lietuenant Colonel Kilgore, Apocalypse Now

Mainly, I think it's just the German aspect that's off putting. Then again, my family is from over that way, and I have a German roommate, so I might just be used to it? I've always found that speaking in German helps, too. In line with this thread, I got up onto the flight deck of one of Lufthansa's 744s, after asking as nicely as I could in German, back in 2005 when I was headed back over to Norway.

Nah, it was just one flight-attendant in particular. I speak a bit of Deutsch myself,but it was just the manner of this lady. I was coughing on the plane before take-off, and my wife asked the attendant for some water,and the lady replied "that is not my job". I was happy enough to wait after takeoff,but my wife was worried about me.

They won't vanish instantly just because there are no new once produced.

 

They dropped production of the 757 back in 2004, but:

http://flightaware.com/live/aircrafttype/B752

 

You guys are right. I was kind of hasty in my statement...

It's just... well... I don't travel a lot and where I live the 777s are really taking over all the long hauls...

(In fact, I just learned that there's a British Airways flight with 747s from SBGR to EGLL... so there's still hope, I guess. I can only hope the 747s will still being used when I have the time and money to do such travels... ).

I've heard Lufthansa 747's are quite comfortable..

 

You heard wrong.

Gents - for those of you making comments about the comfort of the aircraft in terms of the seats, that's all up to the airline to choose. General passenger comfort has more to do with what the airline chooses to put in the plane, and not as much about the plane itself.

I'm on a Qantas Jumbo this October. Sydney-San Francisco and return. Can't wait!