Product Life Cycle and the Boeing 747 ​Source: McCartney, Scott.​ "Last Rites for a Boeing​ 747." ​wsj.com, ​https://www

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Product Life Cycle and the Boeing 747
​Source: McCartney, Scott.​ "Last Rites for a
Boeing​ 747." ​wsj.com,
​https://www.wsj.com/articles/last-rites ... 1528291568,
posted​ 6/6/2018.
Only 180 of the original Boeing​ 747s, dubbed the Queen of
the​ Skies, remain in passenger service. Boeing built more
than​ 1,500 of them but the 24 orders that still remain on the
books are all freighters. Delta and​ United, the last U.S.
airlines flying the​ giant, both retired the 747 in 2018
to​ Arizona's Sonoran​ Desert, between Phoenix and
Tucson.​ It's an ideal place to store
airplanes​ long-term, and about 120 aircraft are parked
there​ now, scattered across the desert floor. The dry air
prevents major​ corrosion, so their parts can be used to help
keep other planes flying. About​ 50% of the retirees are
stripped and sold for scrap. But some end up working for air
carriers in​ Africa, Asia and South​ America, for whom
buying a used aircraft is a lot more affordable than
buying​ new, even though they are
less​ fuel-efficient.
Part 2
The 747 revolutionized international air travel in​ 1970,
bringing affordable tickets to the masses and making it far easier
to jet between continents. At the​ time, aircraft design was
more focused on supersonic planes such as​ Europe's 100-seat
Concorde. Not fully believing in the passenger potential for a
whale of a​ plane, Boeing designed the 747 with a distinctive
bubble top for the cockpit so that when used to
carry​ freight, containers could be loaded right up to the
nose of the plane. The 747 became the most identifiable plane in
the​ skies, and a symbol of American engineering and
manufacturing prowess in the 1970s and 1980s.
Part 3
But its 4 engines led to the​ plane's descent from
passenger airline service.​ Two-engine jets burn less fuel yet
grew to closely match the​ 747's carrying capacity. United had
374 seats on its recently retired​ 747s; its 777s carry 366
passengers and burn​ 25% less fuel. Airbus has also struggled
with its​ 4-engine A380 superjumbo. Over the past
12​ years, only 223 A380s have been delivered. No airline
other than Emirates has placed an A380 order for over 2 years.
Part 4
Many airlines are moving to a business model that focuses on
connecting more cities directly with​ smaller,
more​ fuel-efficient planes, rather than funneling passengers
through a few large hubs. As we state in the​ text: "Products
are born. They live and they​ die."
Part 5
Critical Thinking Questions
1. The 747 appears where on the product life cycle curve in
Chapter​ 2?
A.
Growth
B.
Introduction
C.
Maturity
D.
Decline
Part 6
2. Why have Delta and other airlines abandoned the 747 for
passenger​ flights?
A.
It has 4 engines.
B.
It​ doesn't fit the​ city-to-city business model.
C.
It burns a lot of fuel.
D.
All of the above.
Part 7
3. Retired airplanes
A.
are often sold for scrap.
B.
often end up in the Arizona desert.
C.
end up working for airlines that​ can't afford new
planes.
D.
All of the above.
Part 8
4. The 747 changed the airline business model in the 1970s and
1980s by
A.lowering fuel cost.
B. carrying a large number of passengers economically.
C.replacing the popular Concorde.
D.charging a premium for flying in luxury.