Is it the end of the Queen of the Skies' reign?

Picture: British Airways

Long before I ever experienced air travel for myself my imagination was captured by a photograph of my brother 'starfishing' inside the engine nacelle of one of the first ever Boeing 747s to arrive in Britain, 45 years ago. At the time the 747 was the largest passenger aircraft in the world and the idea of a plane so big it could carry 480 passengers was almost beyond comprehension, let alone the fact that its engines were large enough to allow someone to stand up in their cowlings.

Today, we take such things for granted. More than 100,000 commercial flights take off every day around the world, and whether long-haul or short-haul, the "jet age" is now a fairly old fashioned notion. In 1969, when the 747 first flew, it was still something for the privileged. But the 747 was soon to change that, bringing air travel to the masses. Today, airlines rely on planes designed for the fuel efficiency and function, rather than their romance, and with the rise of budget aviation, flying has become somewhat commoditised. But with a 'statement' aircraft like the Concorde no longer in service, and the majority of Boeings and Airbuses in use by the world's carriers little more than flying buses - air buses, if you will - bland, twin-engined toothpaste tube with wings designed to extract maximum bums-on-seats value, the 747 remains the only airliner to retain the glamour of the earliest days of the jet age.

Despite fewer airlines flying them today, the 747 still commands attention. It is still the plane you marvel at when you see it taking off, and if you're lucky enough to fly on one, there is still a 'moment' to be enjoyed when arriving at the departure gate and seeing that majestic brow (which always reminds me of Disney's butler in 101 Dalmatians...).

There are plenty of big planes - the rival Airbus A380, Boeing's own 777 and 787 - but in an era of trawlers, the 747 is an ocean liner, a grand vessel that stands apart from anything else at the airport, with pleasing curves and that distinct hump on top comprising the cockpit and the upper deck cabin.

Indeed, it is that top deck that still, 47 years after the 747 first flew commercially, still captures the sense of wonder. Just as Airbus have marketed showers, gyms and private cabins for the A380, in 1969 the upper deck of the 747 was portrayed as an exclusive lounge, accessible only by a spiral staircase that, in itself, appeared to be highly exotic. These days, most 747 operators airlines configure the top deck for business or premium economy seating, but there is still an innate sense of luxury if you do get the chance to climb those stairs (and if you get a window seat, you get your own personal locker space alongside you, courtesy of the unique curvature of the plane's cabin).

Luxuries like that aside, the 747 was always much more than a flying gin palace. Boeing's predecessor, the 707 had, along with the Douglas DC8, been the first four-engined, long-distance planes in commercial usage, and together they can be credited for creating mass air travel. But the 747, which doubled the capacity over the 707, opened long-haul travel for all, enabling airlines to transport close to well over 300 passengers (the modern 747 carries 384) in a single aircraft. Thus was born the 'jumbo jet'.

Sadly, however, the end is in sight for the 747. Boeing is considering ending production as orders for new planes dry up as airlines look to smaller, more fuel-efficient aircraft to fly on their high-capacity, long-haul routes. Currently Boeing, which has delivered 1522 of the planes since 1969, has just four net orders on its books, and for the cargo version only. Apart from the US government considering the 2011-introduced 747-8 model as a replacement for the ageing 747s currently used as 'Air Force One', the US president's world famous ride, production is being slowed to just six aircraft a year.

Picture: Boeing

Boeing, of course, is not alone - even Airbus is struggling to find customers for its 550-seat A380 - but while that plane may be one of the most comfortable I've ever flown in (for something so big, it takes off with the grace of a ballet dancer), it's stumpy, dumpy profile lacks any of the elegance of the 'Queen Of The Skies'.The 747 doesn't just look beautiful, it's a remarkably quick plane, too, cruising at around 550 miles per hour (Concorde may have flown almost three times as fast, but carried less than a quarter of the passengers). Pilots love to fly it and passengers still love to fly in it, even in economy, where it's high-sided walls give a sense of space lacking in many more modern long-haul jet designs. And despite its relative inefficiencies, the 747 remains popular with airlines, including Lufthansa, KLM.

Picture: British Airways

British Airways, for example, will continue to be one of the 747's biggest operators for a considerable time to come, with 40 of the -400 model flying to major destinations like New York (the original route of BOAC's first 747), Beijing and San Francisco.

BA insists that the 747’s day is far from done. Even with the airline introducing the A380 and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner alongside its Boeing 777s, the 747 is still considered the "backbone" of the airline's long-haul fleet, and will remain in operation until at least 2020.

Last September BA even announced a major refurbishment of its 747s, bringing interiors, seating and in-flight entertainment systems up to the same standard as its newer planes. The 747, BA said, continues to "hold a special place" in the hearts of its passengers. And I must admit, for me too. Like, I suspect, most people my age, my first flight outside of Europe was in a 747, and even after all these years, I'm still excited by the prospect of travelling in one.

More rational people will argue that once you're strapped into your seat, a plane's a plane. That may be true, but even knowing that, when I fly to Miami later this year it will be in a British Airways 747, a plane designed in the early 1960s and built in the late 1980s. And I will still be experiencing one of the most distinctive and distinct aeroplanes ever built, a classic, rather than an ultra-modern marvel. And that will suit me just fine.