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By Bjorn Fehrm

Introduction  

August 12, 2020, © Leeham News: We deepen our look at the Queen of the Skies and it’s best selling version, the 747-400.

We go through what made it the great aircraft it was and why Qantas replaced it on its trunk routes to the US West coast.

We pick Los Angeles to Sydney as the benchmark route, a route on the range limit for the 747-400, and check how it stacks up economically versus the A380, its replacement.

Summary

• The 747-400 reigned the skies for 15 years, combining a trans-Pacific range with a good passenger and cargo capacity.
• Once Boeing introduced the 777-300ER and Airbus the A380, the 747-400's ruling of the skies was over. It trailed in both capacity and efficiency.
• It continued in operation until today with many airlines, still a useful aircraft for long and dense routes as long as the fuel prices stayed low.