Lufthansa orders 20 more 747s from Boeing. I didn't even know they were still making 747s!

The 747 (whether the "8" stretch version or not) is the most beautiful airplane ever built, and (I hear indirectly from pilots) the airworthiest. It was the very first widebody, beating out McDonnell-Douglas's disastrous DC-10 and entering commercial fleets in the early '70s. Its four-engine configuration, instead of the two-monster-engine configuration that is standard on more recent widebodies, makes it safer, and more flexible on transoceanic routes.

The 747 can be spotted by its distinctive and graceful "dolphin head" bulge on its prow, marking the second floor of the first-class cabin.


Even as a cargo plane, the 747's
"brow" stands out handsomely

I don't get to go upstairs when I'm in economy class, but I'd still rather fly a 747 for a long haul than any other plane. Korean Air uses them for the Atlanta-Seoul route, and they are fleet staples for other airlines with trans-Pacific routes, such as Singapore and Qantas. But it's getting hard to find them on coast-to-coast or even trans-Atlantic routes. Good on Lufthansa.


Super-fantastic!