Q – 12.19.25 – As we have not spoken for two or three weeks, I thought I would submit a question I would normally ask you on the phone in writing. Feel free to respond on the Traveltruth site. As you know, I am a bit of an aircraft nerd. I like to know what I am flying and if I can get the tail number I like to know the history of the bird carrying me from place to place. Last month, flying United into Frankfurt en route to the Rhine River Cruise on Scenic you had arranged (fantastic), I noticed two 747’s parked at the gates, one right alongside us as we pulled in. I couldn’t believe it. Is Lufthansa the only airline still flying this beautiful but elderly aircraft?
A – The short answer is No. You were looking at the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental, the longest running aircraft model currently in commercial operations. It is flown by only three airlines:
Lufthansa is, by a wide margin, the largest operator of the 747. It has 19 active aircraft and, despite their lack of fuel efficiency, uses them on international routes. This includes several routes to Germany from the US.
Korean Air has four of the aircraft and it uses them on Trans-Pacific flights including Seoul-Los Angeles and Seoul-Atlanta.
Air China also has four 747’s in service primarily between Beijing, Frankfurt, and New York.
The last 747 came off the assembly line in 2022
