Summary
- Only 1 in 77 widebody long-haul US flights will be on a Boeing 747 from July to September.
- Air China, Korean Air, and Lufthansa have 10-12 daily passenger departures.
- Flights are to nine US airports.
Air China, Korean Air, and Lufthansa have scheduled passenger Boeing 747 flights to the US. In the all-important third quarter of 2024 (July to September), they have between 10 and 12 daily departures on the 747-400 and 747-8. Showing how things have inevitably changed with the aging and fuel-inefficient 747, Cirium data indicates the type will operate just 1 in 77 widebody long-haul flights to the US. In 2019, it was 1 in 19.
Just 11 747 routes to the US
The following table lists them. Nine US airports will see the quadjet’s passenger flights: Atlanta, Chicago O’Hare, Honolulu, Houston Intercontinental, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New York JFK, and San Francisco.
Between July and September, all nine airports will also see other quadjets, whether the Airbus A340 or the A380 or both. Unsurprisingly, only Los Angeles and New York JFK will have services on the 747, A340, and A380.
Photo:Â Suparat Chairatprasert | Shutterstock
The data is for July-September only; routes and frequencies will be different at other times. The data is as of June 19, but things could still change. While some stated routes see other equipment, only 747-operated services are mentioned below.
|
Airline |
Route |
June-September flights (aircraft variant) |
|---|---|---|
|
Air China |
Beijing Capital to New York JFK |
Five times weekly (747-8) |
|
Korean Air |
Seoul Incheon to Atlanta |
Daily (747-8) |
|
Korean Air |
Seoul Incheon to Honolulu |
Daily (747-8) |
|
Korean Air |
Seoul Incheon to New York JFK |
Daily to double daily (747-8)* |
|
Lufthansa |
Frankfurt to Chicago O’Hare |
Daily (four weekly 747-8, three 747-400) |
|
Lufthansa |
Frankfurt to Houston Intercontinental |
Daily (747-400, 747-8)** |
|
Lufthansa |
Frankfurt to Los Angeles |
Daily (747-8) |
|
Lufthansa |
Frankfurt to Miami |
Daily (747-8) |
|
Lufthansa |
Frankfurt to Newark |
Daily (747-8) |
|
Lufthansa |
Frankfurt to New York JFK |
Daily (747-400) |
|
Lufthansa |
Frankfurt to San Francisco |
Daily (747-8) |
|
* Double daily 747 between July 20 and August 6 ** 747-8 until July 31, 747-400 from August 1 |
Up to 16h 45m
While Korean Air to Atlanta is the world’s longest 747 route by Great Circle distance, it is not for block time. Instead, it is Air China from JFK back to Beijing Capital, with a 16h 45m block, making it the world’s longest non-stop scheduled passenger 747 service.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
The route is scheduled as follows, with all times local. Notice the horrific 23:55 arrival in NYC and the 02:30 departure.
- Beijing Capital to New York JFK: CA981, 20:30-23:55 (15h 25m block)
- New York JFK to Beijing Capital: CA982, 02:30-07:15+1 (16h 45m)
Air China’s 16h 45m block time partially reflects headwinds back to China. More importantly, it is so high because the airline avoids overflying Russia, which adds an estimated 17% more distance than what the Great Circle distance suggests it would otherwise be.
Some airlines, such as Air India and Uzbekistan Airways, overfly Russia en route to/from the US, so Air China’s avoidance of it cannot be for this reason. While uncertain, perhaps Air China must avoid it in exchange for more traffic rights.
Will you be flying any of the 747-operated routes mentioned in the article? Let us know in the comments section.