My First Flight on the Queen: My Thoughts

As an av-geek, I have always wanted to fly on the Queen of the Skies, the Boeing 747. When I had to re-route to Frankfurt, I knew that this was my best opportunity to fly the Queen. This article includes my thoughts about my first flight on the Queen of the Skies and on a quad-jet (four-engined aircraft).

While many 747s have been retired, there are still a few remaining in service, primarily operated by Lufthansa. There are the older 747-400s, which are even more scarce than the 747-8i, the newer variant. With limited days left in the sky, I was, very excited for this flight. 

This article is part of my Trip Report: Starting Summer in East Africa including:

• My Comically Bad Luck Flying to Africa
• No Compensation for an Involuntary Business Class Downgrade?!?
• Review: Lufthansa Senator Lounge IAD
• Review: Lufthansa Business Class Lounge IAD
• Review: Lufthansa B747-8 Economy IAD-FRA 
• My First Flight on the Queen: My Thoughts
• Review: Lufthansa Senator Lounge FRA
• Review: Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge FRA 
• Review: Lufthansa A330 Business Class FRA-NBO
• Review: DoubleTree by Hilton Nairobi Hurlingham
• Review: Air Kenya into the Safari
• JW Marriott Masai Mara Review: Luxury in the Savannah, a Truly Unforgettable Safari
• Is the JW Marriott Masai Mara Worth $3k a Night?
• Review: Aspire Lounge Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta (NBO)
• Review: Kenya Airways NBO-ZNZ E190
• Exploring Tanzania: My Thoughts on Zanzibar
• When Flights Don’t Go as Planned: Delayed in Zanzibar
• Review: Air Tanzania ZNZ-ARK
• Mt. Kilimanjaro Day Hike: My Thoughts
• Exploring Moshi, Tanzania: What Everyone Gets Wrong
• Review: Twiga Lounge by Aspire Lounge Kilimanjaro International Airport
• Weirdest Flight Delay I Have Ever Had… 
• Review: Hyatt Regency Addis Ababa Executive Regency Suite
• Exploring Addis Ababa: My Thoughts
• Review: Ethiopian Cloud Nine Business Class Lounge Addis Ababa
• Review: Ethiopian Cloud Nine B787-8 Business Class ADD-IAD
• My 18 Hour Odd Business Class Experience: A Stop in Lome, Togo?

The Pros

The Boeing 747 is MASSIVE, with highlights that include the upper deck (in this configuration, all business class) and seats up front in the nose of the jet, even in front of the cockpit, there is no getting around the sheer size of the aircraft. 

In the back of the plane, the seats are arranged in a 3-4-3 configuration, but thanks to the width of the aircraft, this is still quite comfortable. Although it may take you a while to walk from the nose to the rear of the aircraft, it is fun to see just how large the Queen really is. 

The highlights of the flight included getting the opportunity to walk up the stairs (after the flight had landed) to the upper deck, which was when the captain invited me into the cockpit. I was like a kid in a candy shop, it was an awesome experience. The novelty of walking up stairs mid-flight I doubt could ever get old. 

Further, the view of the gorgeous wings outside the window, both equipped with two engines, was a great sight (and growing increasingly less common in a world of twin-jet aircraft).

The Cons

Truth be told, the only con was that I was downgraded to economy due to a mechanical issue with the upper deck. The downgrade to economy from business of course stung, but the real bummer for me was not getting to fly on the upper deck, which has been a dream of mine for quite some time. 

I am hoping that someday I will be able to fly on the second deck of the Queen, but for now, I have still not crossed it off on my bucket list. 

The Last Point

While nothing had gone as planned in my attempts to fly to Africa for my safari, I was happy to get on board a 747, my first flight on the Queen. It was an amazing novel experience, and I was thrilled that I got the opportunity. 

What are your thoughts on the Queen of the Skies? Let me know in the comments below.