United Airlines 747-400 flight

[UAL744 17]

Hello I wanted to share a unique chapter of my times as a commercial passenger. There are a select few number of people who can say that they have flown the Boeing 747-400, known and loved the world over, and thanks to one flight back in 2004, I can say that I am one of them. 

Back in 2004, I was only 8 years old, barely two years away from starting middle school. Most of the flight is blurry but I remember making the connection to San Francisco on Southwest Airlines and waiting for the plane.

Once in San Francisco, we made our way to the international terminal of the airport to wait for our flight. At some point, our plane arrived, and I distinctly remember the plane being gray on top and blue on bottom, back then, United still had the battleship gray livery. 

Once we boarded, we sat in our seats, me in the window seat, my mother next to me and another family member next to her. I distinctly remember sitting on the right side of the plane at the very front of the right wing. My mother thinks we might have gotten bumped up to United First, and from that point on, everything is a blur.

15 years later, having done research on United Airlines, I realized that we were sitting in United Business and it seems likely that we flew to Hong Kong since United purchased the Pacific network from Pan Am before the carrier went bust in 1991.

Looking back on this and the second and last flight I ever did on United Airlines, and also taking into account the upcoming retirement of 747s the world over, I will cherish that flight forever and I have every intention on flying the 747 again one last time as a passenger.