Boeing 747 passenger service dwindles as only three airlines fly US routes

Air China uses its Boeing 747 fleet on two US routes from Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK). The busier route connects PEK with New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and has a total of 43 round-trip flights in September. The second route links PEK with Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) and features 18 round-trip flights during the same period.

Air China’s fleet consists of seven Boeing 747-8s and two Boeing 747-400s, both nearing an average age of three decades according to ch-aviation figures. The older aircraft carry up to 344 passengers across three classes, while the newer -8 variant can seat up to 365 passengers in four classes.

Korean Air operates just one passenger route between Seoul and Los Angeles using its Boeing 747s in September. Cirium data indicates that Korean Air has scheduled a total of 84 round-trip flights on this route for the month, offering nearly thirty-one thousand seats.

The South Korean carrier maintains five passenger-configured Boeing 747-8s averaging nine years old, each outfitted with six first class seats, forty-eight business class seats, and three hundred fourteen economy seats according to ch-aviation data. Korean Air’s remaining eleven Boeing 747s are dedicated freighters.

The presence of the Boeing 747 on transpacific and transatlantic routes continues but remains limited as airlines modernize their fleets.