The Giant Takes Off

U.S. airlines will soon enter a period of change that will be almost as pronounced as the arrival of the jet age. Late this year, they will begin to fly the huge Boeing 747 jets, which are faster, quieter, bigger and potentially much more profitable than the 707s and DC-8s. In the first test flight last week, a 747 cruised for more than one hour and then made a smooth landing near Boeing's Everett, Wash., plant. "This plane is ridiculously easy to fly," said Test Pilot Jack Waddell. "It's a pilot's dream."

It may be a passenger's dream as well. Gone is the claustrophobic feeling of riding in a cigar tube. The plane's fuselage is 231 feet long and as tall as a two-story building; the interior cabin is almost twice as wide as that of the Boeing 707 (see diagram). Each airline will be free to deck out the passenger cabin as it pleases. In most versions, seats will be 10% wider than those in the current jets. In economy class, there will be rows of nine seats separated by two aisles to form a two-four-three seating pattern; in first class, the pattern will be two-two.

The cabin will be divided into five compartments, two first-class and three economy. Galley-coatrack-lavatory complexes will separate the compartments, and these dividing blocks will also have wide screens for movies. Since the new jets will carry 15 stewardesses rather than the six on the 707s, food service may well be faster. A circular staircase will lead up to a second deck, which can be used as a cocktail lounge. Underneath the passenger cabin, baggage will be stored in some 16 removable containers for speedier handling.

Cutting Costs. Boeing has 167 orders totaling more than $3.3 billion from 28 airlines. Pan American plans to put the first jumbo jet into service across the Atlantic in December, with TWA following about two months later. By next midyear, Pan Am plans to have 25 of the 747s, each costing more than $20 million.

In return for the huge initial investment, airline officials anticipate major economies. The 747s are expected to reduce seat-mile costs by about 30%, even though they will not carry the maximum load of 490 passengers. Fares may be cut eventually, but the first beneficiaries will be the pilots. The top annual salaries of captains who fly such planes will go up from $45,000 to $57,000 for 80 hours' work a month.

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