By Martin Owen
Travel has been an ever-changing activity since the first ‘tourists’ started taking the Grand Tour around Europe in the 18th century. First, they went by horse-drawn carriages, but by the mid-1800s, they were traveling on the newly laid railroads, and that essentially continued through until World War II. That event effectively brought tourism to a complete halt for about seven years, of course.
Following WW II, the rise of the Road Trip, both in the USA and in Europe, had newly affluent families heading across country in their fashionable and finned automobiles. For the wealthy, the advent of the jet airliner like the Boeing 707 and DC-8 made intercontinental travel possible. In Europe, in particular, vacationers traded their train and car road trips for what was termed ‘package holidays’—where air travel and accommodation were sold at one low price enabling the boom in trips to the Mediterranean resorts.
The real game changer came in 1969 and 1970 with the launch of Boeing’s 747 Jumbo Jet. This single aircraft was credited with democratizing air travel. Its ability to carry upwards of 360 passengers vast distances brought down the cost of travel and allowed tourists to visit places they could have previously only dreamed of seeing.
Of course, other, older aircraft continued to serve, but other events like the mid 70’s oil crisis, economic concerns, and various conflicts started to make some of the older and less efficient aircraft a liability for airlines. The awful events of 9/11 and the subsequent drop in demand for air travel meant the end for many types of aircraft such as Boeing 727s, 707s, Lockheed L1011, TriStars and Douglas DC-10s, for example. But, the 747 remained with newer models still speeding carrying travelers on trunk routes around the world.
However, things were changing again. New designs of very efficient twin engines (as opposed to the four engines of the 747), lightweight aircraft started to appear. The Boeing 777, a twin jet, can carry as many passengers as the 747 but at lower cost and on the same routes. Aircraft like the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 are even more efficient and can fly incredible distances. Even more impressive is that they can fly from smaller cities direct to their destinations. That means it’s no longer needed for you to fly from your local airport to a major hub to change to a bigger aircraft, and then do the same thing at the end of your journey. It also obviates the need for multiple stopovers on intercontinental journeys. The airlines recognized this and started retiring their 747 Jumbo Jets. US airlines stopped flying these across the country some years ago, but all US airlines retired their Intercontinental Jumbos over the past two years.
Overseas carriers planned, on the whole, to retire their passenger 747s by the mid-2020s. Best laid schemes of ‘Mice and Men’ however, and the COVID pandemic and the subsequent massive reduction in demand for air transport have changed things again. Most airlines retired their 747s (and Airbus A380s) immediately. Of course, you’ll still be able to fly a Jumbo as Lufthansa, China Airlines, Korean Air Lines, and a couple of others will keep newer 747s flying for a while. And, of course, Air Force One aircraft are 747s and will continue to be for probably 30 years!
Air travel and international tourism will return eventually, and you’ll have a whole new experience of flying to many new destinations on efficient, comfortable airliners from your local airport. Start planning now!
In the meantime, how about a road trip?