Boeing 747 1970-1977, 2008-2017
ABOUT
SPECS
Narrative: Boeing 747 1970-1977, 2008-2017
Innovations
“The 747 is totally unlike any other aircraft, piston or jet. A triumph of American technology, the 747 will bring to our passengers a standard of comfort and convenience no longer limited by the size of an aircraft cabin.” Delta Senior Vice President of Marketing T.M. Miller.
Known as the “Queen of the Skies,” the 747 was one of the most popular and recognizable aircraft in the world. When the 747 made its first commercial flight in 1970 with Pan Am, critics thought the aircraft would soon become obsolete as designers believed that supersonic aircraft would be taking over the skies. However, the four-engine jumbo jet revolutionized the industry with its exceptional long-haul flight capability and sheer size, nearly three times larger than the largest jet flying at the time.
Delta 747s offered the “world’s first flying penthouse apartment” located above the First Class cabin and adjacent to the First Class lounge. Seats for 6 passengers sold as a unit. Staffed by a flight attendant.” See 747 Penthouse brochure.
First Delta plane with a personal audio system for passengers, offering seven “Deltasonic” channels playing the Beatles, Bert Bacharach and Beethoven in 1970.
First Delta plane with overhead bins for carry-on bags instead of open racks.
First issue of Delta’s in-flight magazine Sky, released in November 1971, featured the 747 on its cover.
Learn more about 747 amenities and technology. See Delta 747 brochure.
Boeing 747-132 Image Gallery
747-100 Service
Delta’s first 747 (N9896, Ship 101) delivered to Atlanta on October 2, 1970, piloted by Capt. T. P. “Pre” Ball, Delta vice president – flight operations. Four more 747s delivered to Delta by November 1971.
At special dedication ceremonies on October 24, 1970, in Atlanta, Georgia Governor Lester G. Maddox christened Delta Ship 101 “Georgia Belle,” sprinkling gold dust over the plane’s nose from Georgia’s Dahlonega mines. Recalling that Dahlonega, a city in the north Georgia mountains, was site of America’s first gold rush, Maddox added, “All the gold mined in Dahlonega could never total in value the amount of goodwill this airplane can deliver.”
Following day, October 25, Georgia Belle went into service with one daily roundtrip from Atlanta-Dallas-Los Angeles. Delta used its 747 fleet between the major cities of its route system including: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and San Francisco.
Delta 747s were also used on the Delta/Pan Am European interchange, flying from Atlanta and Washington, DC-Dulles over Pan Am’s transatlantic routes on April 25, 1971. Delta’s employee magazine reported that Ship 105 “caused something of a sensation when it first appeared in London and Frankfurt, on the Delta-Pan American Interchange…the first Delta 747 ever seen in Europe.”
747-100s RetireDelta found the 747 too large for its routes, and began trading them back to Boeing in September 1974. The last of the five original Delta 747s, Ship 105, flew on April 23, 1977. It was piloted by Capt. Beverly Dickerson, who had also flown Delta’s first 747 scheduled flight in 1970. The smaller Lockheed L-1011 remained Delta’s only widebody jet, until the arrival of the Boeing 767 in 1982.
747s are Back!
Thirty years later, a merger with Northwest Airlines in 2008 brought the 747 back to the Delta fleet: 16 Model 400’s, 2 Model 200’s and 12 Model 200 freighters.
747-400s:
65 BusinessElite seats and 338 economy class seats for a total capacity of 403.
Ship 6305 was first Northwest 747-400 repainted in Delta livery.
Ship 6301 was the first 747-400 built by Boeing.
747-200s:
2 Boeing 747-251B passenger planes remained in Northwest’s fleet at time of merger with Delta. Used only for charter service. Northwest had retired its last 747-200 from scheduled passenger service on September 12, 2007—the end of transpacific service for 747-200’s worldwide.
Final charter service: military charter flights on November 25, 2009 (aircraft N623US) and November 27 (aircraft N624US). This was final 747-200 passenger service in U.S.
747-200 dedicated cargo fleet that Delta inherited from Northwest flew final freighter flights to Chicago (from Osaka) and Los Angeles (from Shanghai) on December 19, 2009.
Last 747 Flights
Delta retired its 747 fleet for the second and final time in 2017, replacing the 747-400 with more compact and efficient, twin-engine aircraft, such as the Airbus 350. The drawdown began on September 30, 2014, when three of the 16 Boeing 747-400s inherited from Northwest Airlines retired.
The first Boeing 747-400 ever built— Ship 6301—retired from service on September 9, 2015, after logging more than 61 million miles. You can now tour it as the 747 Experience at the Delta Flight Museum.
Delta’s last scheduled domestic 747 flight was intended to be an overnight flight with Ship 6309 (N669US) leaving Los Angeles for Detroit on September 5, 2017. However, with Hurricane Irma bearing down on Florida, Delta added new flights ahead of the storm to assist evacuating passengers, including several roundtrip 747 flights between Detroit and Orlando on September 8 and 9, 2017.
In December 2017, Delta became the last U.S. airline to retire the Boeing 747, ending 47 years of service by Northwest Airlines and Delta combined.
Last U.S. departure, DL159A, left Detroit on December 18, arriving at Seoul-Incheon on December 19. It was a recovery flight for the original Dec. 17 flight (DL159), cancelled due to lack of pilot staffing. The unique DL159A flight number was assigned to the delayed 747 flight departing on Dec. 18 as there was already an Airbus A350 scheduled to fly as DL159 later that day.
Final scheduled revenue flight, DL158, left Seoul-Incheon on December 19, 2017, arriving in Detroit on December 19.
Ship 6306 (N666US) flew both final revenue flights. It was the ninth 747-400 built, and the oldest one flying in the world. Ship 6306 first flew on July 31, 1989, and was delivered to Northwest on August 18, 1989.
Delta also took a 747-400 (N674US, Ship 6314) on an employee farewell tour: Detroit to Seattle on December 18, with a special stop at Everett’s Paine Field, home of Boeing’s final assembly production line that produced the 747 fleet; Seattle to Atlanta on December 19; and Atlanta to Minneapolis-St. Paul on December 20.
In its final days with Delta, the 747 flew charter flights, carrying NFL and college football teams to championship games. Between December 22, 2017 and January 2, 2018, the 747 visited the following airports: ATL, BUF, DFW, DTW, EWR, FLL, GSP, LAX, MSY, SAN and SEA. Ship 6306 and Ship 6310 (N670US) were withdrawn from service on December 26, leaving Ship 6314 as the final 747 in Delta’s fleet.
News
🔥 THEY HAD SECONDS—AND THEN EVERYTHING WAS GONE… A sudden fire ripped through a family home so fast there was no chance to escape. Inside were Minister Deiode Garnett and her four children—trapped as flames swallowed the place where their laughter once lived. By the time help arrived, it was already too late. Five lives lost in a single night. At the funeral, five coffins stood side by side—an image that shattered everyone who saw it. A husband left behind. A community in disbelief. And investigators now asking the same haunting question: how did the fire spread so quickly… and could anything have stopped it? 📌 Full story in the comments 👇
When a Single Funeral Held the Grief of an Entire Community The morning in Congo Town arrived heavy and quiet, as if the city itself understood what this day carried.People moved more slowly, voices lowered, eyes avoiding one another in shared grief. Today was not just a funeral, it was a collective wound laid bare. […]
NEW TWIST IN THE SUITCASE HORROR—FINGERPRINTS THAT DON’T BELONG… Investigators just uncovered unidentified fingerprints in the suitcase body case—and they don’t match Aliyah Henderson. Now, one chilling question is taking over: was she really acting alone… or is someone else still out there? As the investigation deepens, the deaths of Mila Chatman and Amor Wilson are raising even darker possibilities. Evidence isn’t lining up. Timelines feel off. And the more authorities reveal, the more disturbing this case becomes. What actually happened inside that final moment—and who hasn’t been named yet? 📌 Full story in the comments 👇
Shocking twist in suitcase body case: Suspect may not have acted alone as mysterious fingerprints emerge A case that once left the public horrified has now taken a dramatic new turn, as a shocking twist suggests the main suspect may not have acted alone. Newly revealed investigative details—especially unidentified fingerprints found on the suitcases linked […]
AIRPORT SECURITY JUST CHANGED—BUT NOT THE WAY YOU THINK… As chaos builds and lines stretch for hours, ICE agents are suddenly being deployed to airports nationwide—but here’s the twist: they won’t be scanning your bags. Instead, officials say they’ll take over “behind-the-scenes” roles, freeing up TSA officers to handle the pressure as staffing shortages spiral out of control. Meanwhile, hundreds of TSA workers have already walked off the job… and some airports are quietly shutting down checkpoints. Conflicting statements from top officials are only adding fuel to the confusion. One side says ICE will assist with screening—another says absolutely not. So what’s really happening behind airport doors right now? And more importantly… how will this affect your next flight?
Homan: ICE officers will not assist with airport security scanning amid TSA staffing shortage White House border czar Tom Homan said Sunday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers will not be directly involved in security scanning measures at airports, a day before agency officials will begin assisting Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees. “Wherever […]
“From Standing Ovation to Handcuffs—‘The Voice’ Contestant Arrested at 1 A.M. Could Change Everything.” Just days after impressing judges on The Voice, contestant Kevin Brian Willis was pulled over in Panama City Beach… and arrested. DUI. Refusing a breath test. Driving on a suspended license. It all happened in the early hours of the morning—far from the stage where he’d just earned praise for his powerful voice and emotional performance. Fans had just watched him win over coaches and pick his team… but now, everything is uncertain. Will this arrest cost him his shot on the show? Or will the spotlight only get bigger from here? Because behind the talent and applause, a completely different story is starting to unfold… 📌 Full story in the comments 👇
Current Contestant on ‘The Voice’ Arrested in Panama City Current The Voice contestant Kevin Brian Willis was arrested early Friday morning by Panama City Beach Police and charged with a DUI. Willis also received two other charges. One for refusing to take a breathalyzer test and another for driving on a suspended license. Police pulled over The Voice contestant’s […]
“Two Dead, Dozens Infected—And Doctors Say This Fast-Killing Disease Can Strike Before You Even Realize It.” A deadly meningitis outbreak is spreading fast in the U.K.—and it started with healthy young students who suddenly became critically ill within hours. At least 29 cases. Two deaths. Thousands now at risk. The infection attacks the brain and bloodstream, and in some cases, patients go from mild symptoms to coma… in a shockingly short time. Health officials are racing to contain it with emergency antibiotics and vaccines—but experts say the real warning is bigger than this one outbreak. Because this disease doesn’t just spread quickly… it hides behind symptoms people often ignore—fever, headache, fatigue—until it’s too late. And now, as debates grow over vaccine recommendations, doctors are sounding the alarm: prevention may be the only thing standing between exposure and tragedy.
U.K.’s deadly meningitis outbreak shows importance of vaccination Infectious disease experts say shots against meningococcal meningitis can be lifesaving during an outbreak, but U.S. regulators have attempted to roll back recommendations of such a vaccine for children Illustration of the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis. ROGER HARRIS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images Health officials in the U.K. are rushing […]
Just two hours in, Natalie Colbourne-Park lost control on the slope—her knee snapped, and she had to be strapped to a stretcher and dragged down the mountain in front of her family. “I caused chaos for everybody,” she admitted. Her kids were crying. Strangers were staring. And the embarrassment hit harder than the injury. At 203 lbs., she realized the truth she’d been avoiding for years—her weight was no longer just personal… it was affecting everything. That moment became her turning point. Months later, she dropped 70 pounds—and says the accident that humiliated her in public ended up saving her life. But what she did next to take control—and why she now calls that disaster “the best thing that ever happened”—is what people didn’t expect…
Woman, Who Weighed 203 Lbs., Was Inspired to Lose Weight After She Had to Be Towed Off Mountain During Ski Trip “I was completely embarrassed. … I caused chaos for everybody,” Natalie Colbourne-Park recalled Natalie Colbourne-Park.Credit : Kennedy News and Media NEED TO KNOW A U.K. woman revealed a ski accident in 2024 caused by her […]
End of content
No more pages to load
