Featured Map for 23 June 2015:
United's Summer 747 Flying

Yesterday's Featured Map featured Delta's Summer 747 Flying, revisiting Delta's 747s six months later. Today's Featured Map revisits United's 747s and what has changed from their winter schedule to the summer schedule.

United currently operates 24 Boeing 747-400s. One, N194UA, was never upgraded to the current cabin configuration and is dedicated to charters, usually military charters though it is also used for sports charters. Because of its special missions it is not included in today's map.

Compared to Delta's change from winter to summer, the change in United's 747 scheduled flying is less dramatic. The three Pacific routes from Chicago O'Hare are unchanged, as are the five Pacific routes from San Francisco. Across the Atlantic, 747 flights from SFO have tripled with a second Frankfurt trip now using a 747 and service to London Heathrow upgauged from a single 777 to a 747 on the prime-time flight and a 777 on the second flight. Service between Tokyo Nartia and Honolulu has also been upgauged from a two-classs 777 to a (three-class) 747. Utilization is lower than Delta's 747 fleet, with N104UA not flying over the past month and the other 22 aircraft averaging only 0.6 flights per day versus 0.8 for Delta's 747s, though United's average stage length for 747s is nearly 25% longer than Delta's so the average daily flying time is not so disparate.

United's 747s also made a few appearances on domestic routes, occasionally flying between San Francisco and Chicago. Unlike Delta, United's 747 flying also includes what appear to be a few diversions, to Rockford, Illinois and to Delta hub Minneapolis–St. Paul, which ironically is no longer served by Delta's own 747s.

References and additional information:

• United Airlines
• Delta Air Lines
• United Airlines Fleet – Planespotters.net
• United Airlines Fleet - Boeing 747 - Active – Planespotters.net
• Featured Map: Delta's Summer 747 Flying
• Featured Map: United's 747s