Latest news with #747s
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The jet Qatar gave Trump is valued around $400 million. It might cost taxpayers $1 billion just to upgrade it to presidential standards
The 747 Qatar donated to the Air Force One fleet costs roughly $400 million when new, but outfitting the jet to fit presidential requirements may cost up to $1 billion, according to experts. The Qataris have had trouble trying to sell the aircraft as 747s have fallen out of popularity within the aviation industry and are no longer manufactured. While President Donald Trump flaunts his $400 million Qatari airplane, touted to be the newest member of the Air Force One fleet, experts say it could cost $1 billion just to bring the jet up to presidential standards. In addition to ethical concerns over the Qatari-owned Boeing 747 becoming the largest foreign gift ever received by the U.S. government, Sen. Tammy Duckworth said the jet could also cost up to 10 figures in taxpayer dollars to operate within the Air Force One fleet. 'Far from saving money, this unconstitutional action will not only cost our nation its dignity, but it will force taxpayers to waste over a billion dollars to overhaul this particular aircraft, when we currently have not one, but two fully operational and fully capable Air Force One aircraft,' the Illinois Democrat said in a statement to multiple outlets. One expert puts that figure higher: Richard Aboulafia, a managing director at aviation consulting firm AeroDynamic Advisory, said converting the aircraft into an Air Force One jet would cost billions and take years. 'You're taking a 747, disassembling it, reassembling it, and then jacking it up to a very high level,' Aboulafia told NBC News. In order to secure the jet for presidential use, it would have to be examined for any listening devices and outfitted with communications equipment and missile defense systems. These costs would accumulate at least $1 billion, current and former Pentagon officials told The New York Times. White House officials have said the government is looking into partnering with government contractor L3Harris to maintain the jet, the Times reported. The cost of the reported deal has not been public. L3Harris declined Fortune's request for comment. As the jet's upgrades will take a couple years, the government has already paid Boeing for two new Air Force One jets projected to be completed by 2027. 'That's a better dollar value than trying to take an airplane from somebody else and trying to make it into a presidential plane. It makes no sense,' Marc Foulkrod, an aerospace engineer who had tried to help Doha sell the jet, told The New York Times. Meanwhile, the price tag for a crew on a traditional Air Force One jet reaches more than $37 million annually, while the total operating cost sits at roughly $134 million per year, according to Pentagon documents. A White House spokesperson said, 'It has been stated time and time and time and time again this was donated as a gift to the DoD and the Air Force' and referred Fortune to the DoD for further comment. The DoD declined to comment. Prior to offering the jet to the U.S., the Qataris had been unsuccessful in finding a suitor for the Boeing 747. Foulkrod said while the plane is in great condition, it's hard to find a buyer for a VIP styled-aircraft. 'You might find that one-off guy that has a super ego that wants to buy one and ride around in it,' Foulkrod said. Commercial airlines lacked interest in the jet because 747s are no longer manufactured and are falling out of popularity among the aviation industry, and the jet was too lavishly outfitted to be suitable for commercial use. This story was originally featured on
Daily Mail
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Incredible photos show how planes were once luxury playgrounds that even included dancefloors
In the early 1970s, Air Canada made aviation history - not with a new route, but with a dancefloor. As the Boeing 747 ushered in the age of wide-body jets with spacious upper decks, airlines around the world scrambled to turn commercial airliners into flying lounges. For a brief moment the sky wasn't just the limit - it was the dancefloor. In 1971, Air Canada went all-in on disco, transforming the upper deck of its new 747s into a fully functional dancefloor, mirrored wall included. For about a year, passengers flying between Toronto and Europe could step into the airline's mile-high dance club. 'It was all so gracious,' recalled flight attendant Heather Tregaskes in a 2004 interview with the Toronto Star. 'We even had a mirrored wall and a dancefloor, and sometimes stewardesses would even dance with customers.' Air Canada's disco experiment was part of a larger trend: luxury lounges in the sky. Not to be outdone, United Airlines rolled out its own airborne lounge aboard its 747s, branding it the 'Friendship Room'. Located in the iconic upper deck, this space featured swivel chairs, cocktail tables, and plush seating where passengers could enjoy drinks and quiet conversation. The name played off United's long-running 'Fly the Friendly Skies' slogan, and the lounge reinforced the idea that flying could be not just efficient - but elegant. American Airlines added its own twist by installing a piano bar in the rear main cabin of its 747-100s - though the 'piano' was actually a 64-key Wurlitzer electronic organ. The airline introduced this Piano Bar lounge in August 1971 on its transcontinental LAX-to-JFK flights, famously launching it with a special performance by Frank Sinatra Jr. To accommodate the piano bar, American removed about 50 seats from the aircraft, making this lively corner accessible to coach passengers. The electronic piano was chosen for its durability in the face of cabin vibrations and turbulence, though maintaining it wasn't easy: Wurlitzer technicians like Don Morningstar often had to fix sticky keys and broken reeds, sometimes caused by spilled drinks. Today, you can see one of these legendary Wurlitzers at the American Airlines C.R. Smith Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. By the 1980s, Continental Airlines took in-flight entertainment up another notch with its famed 'Pub Flights' on DC-10s serving routes to Chicago, Denver and Houston. These sky-high pubs featured a full-service bar with flight attendants doubling as bartenders, a unique electronic game called Pub Pong, and plenty of snacks, including complimentary popcorn. Passengers could mingle in the bar area, play games, or watch double-feature movies, newsreels, and cartoons. The laid-back pub environment made flying more sociable and interactive. Australia's Qantas Airlines joined the trend with its Captain Cook Lounge, a retro nautical bar nestled just behind the cockpit on its earliest 747s. While the 747 is often credited with democratizing travel, Qantas' upper-deck lounge turned the 'hump' into a private, upper-class sanctuary. First class passengers could enjoy an intimate space for 15, a stand-up bar, and full cabin service with drinks, snacks, and even cigarettes (in the days before smoking bans). The lounge was decorated in the bold colors and swirling patterns of the '70s, complete with ship's wheels, lanterns, and faux wood dividers. Its name honored both design trends and the 200th anniversary of Captain James Cook's arrival in Australia The planes of yesteryear with their flashy entertainment are a far cry from economy cabins today The lounge was decorated in the bold colors and swirling patterns of the '70s, complete with ship's wheels, lanterns, and faux wood dividers. Its name honored both design trends and the 200th anniversary of Captain James Cook's arrival in Australia. Eventually, airlines realized that the space taken up by pianos, pubs, and dance floors was more profitable as additional passenger seating. By the late 1970s and early 1980s, most of these luxe lounges had been removed, grounded by profit margins and shifting priorities. But the spirit of the airborne disco didn't disappear entirely - it just found a new home on the ground. In 1977, that same groovy energy touched down in Rochester, New York, with the opening of Club 747: a sprawling, aviation-themed nightclub modeled after the jumbo jet. Created by Buffalo entrepreneur Jim Cosentino, the venue delivered the full flight fantasy, complete with a replica fuselage entrance, 'boarding passes,' jetliner-style seating, and a DJ booth set in a faux cockpit. Created by Buffalo entrepreneur Jim Cosentino, the venue wasn't just airplane-inspired - it was full-blown flight fantasy Video screens played footage of plane takeoffs and landings, and the dance floor was pure Saturday Night Fever - just without the turbulence. Club 747 became a local legend, offering nearly a decade of disco decadence for revelers - no boarding pass or airfare required.
