Since the release of the 787 in 2011, and the impending retirement of many 747s, many airlines have begun to wonder “747 vs 787- which do we need?” Today, we see which is better!
Boeing currently considers the 787 to be the successor of the 747, as well as the 757 and 767 too!
747 vs 787: What is a Wide Body?
Both the 747 and 787 are considered to be wide body aircraft. However, some people may not know what exactly a wide body is.
A wide body is an aircraft who’s fuselage (aircraft body) is wider than most other aircraft. Most commonly, these aircraft work as long haul passenger aircraft and/or cargo aircraft.
When used in a passenger configuration, wide bodies tend to have three rows of seats, as standard from the manufacturer. As such, wide bodies have two walkways and are used on high volume routes, including London to New York.
Most commonly on wide bodies, the aircraft utilizes either a three-three-three configuration in economy, or a three-four-three configuration. In business, a two-two-two configuration is used, as is a one-one-one in first.
On the 787, the most common configurations are either two-three-three or three-three-three in economy. In business, one-two-one is most common as is one-one-one in first class.
On the 747, the most common configuration is the three-four-three configuration in economy. In business, two-two-two is most common, as is one-one-one in first.
747 vs 787: The Basics
Before we can decide which is the better aircraft between the 747 and 787, we must first some background information about each aircraft.
747
The 747, as with many aircraft, has its origins in a military cargo aircraft. In 1963, the US military needed a large aircraft that could transport large freight, such as helicopters, tanks and cars.
Boeing submitted a design to the US military, however, the design ultimately went to Lockheed, and the C-5 Galaxy. However, this was not the end of the design that Boeing had designed…
In 1964, Juan Trippe, then-President of Pan Am Airways approached Boeing with a request. He wanted an aircraft that could replace the ageing DC-8s and 707s.
However, this aircraft needed to be both wider, longer and carry more people than either the 707 or DC-8 ever could. This aircraft was intended to be used on Pan Am’s highest volume routes.
Juan Trippe and Pan Am had a lot of influence on the design, and had orders for the aircraft during its testing and design phases.
The time period also had a large impact on its design. During the 1960’s, air travel truly took off. The advancement in jet engine technology and aircraft design in general made it possible to have a supersonic jet airliner.
As a result, Boeing designed the aircraft to have two purposes. Until supersonic airliners became the norm, the 747 would be a passenger aircraft that could transport large amounts of people.
After the mass introduction of supersonic airliners, the 747 would be turned into a cargo aircraft. That is partly the reason why the 747 has the famous hump (it would serve as the crew’s compartment).
787
In the earlier 1990’s, Boeing noticed that the sales of their 767 and their 747-400 aircraft. In an attempt to capture more sales, Boeing announced that they’d be releasing a new aircraft in the coming years.
Boeing also announced that they’d have two designs and that the most popular design would be made and released to airlines.
The first design was an extended 747-400, an aircraft that would have both a longer fuselage and a longer hump. This ultimately became the 747-8 (however, this wouldn’t be the design that won).
The second design was called the Sonic Cruiser, and would be as close to being supersonic as possible, without being supersonic. It would travel at Mach 0.98, much faster than the average of Mach 0.85.
However, after the 9/11 attacks, airlines wanted fuel efficiency rather than speed. As such, the 747 project was abandoned (for now) and the Sonic Cruiser project was altered.
This new project would be renamed from the Sonic Cruiser project to the 7E7 project. The “E” was meant to stand for “Efficiency” or “Economically friendly”.
In 2003 the designation of 787 was given, as was a nickname for the aircraft. Whilst there were hundreds of names that were submitted, the Dreamliner is what was ultimately chosen.
As of today, the 787 is considered by Boeing to be the successor of the 757, 767, early variants of the 777 and the 747.
747 vs 787: Specs
Both the 747 and 787 are very similar in terms of their specifications. Although several variants of each aircraft exist, the specifications will include those from the main variant of both aircraft.
The most common variant of the 747 is the 747-400. The most common variant of the 787 is the 787-9.
| Specifications | 747-400 | 787-9 |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 231 ft 10 in (70.66 m) | 206 ft 1 in (62.81 m) |
| Width | 239.5 in (6.08 m) | 18 ft 0 in (5.49 m) |
| Height | 63 ft (19.40 m) | 55 ft 10 in (17.02 m) |
| Seats | 416-660 | 290-420 |
| Cruise Speed | Mach 0.855 (504 kn; 933 km/h) | Mach 0.85 (488 kn; 903 km/h) |
| Range | 7,670 nmi (14,200 km) | 7,635 nmi (14,140 km) |
| MTOW | 910,000 lb (412.8 t) | 560,000 lb (254.011 t) |
| Takeoff | 10,700 ft (3,260 m) | 9,300 ft (2,800 m) |
747 vs 787: Today
Today, the 747 is still flying in many airline’s fleets, including many major airlines. The 787 is also entering service with many new airlines each year.
747
The 747 is still the flagship of many airlines. However, the last US airline to operate the 747 was Delta, but they retired their 747 fleet in 2017. Today, mostly European and Asian carriers operate the 747.
Today, airlines such as Korean Air, British Airways and Lufthansa are airlines who operate the 747 as a passenger aircraft. However, the 747 is also used as a freighter too!
Airlines such as Cargolux and Qatar Airways Cargo and Cathay Pacific Cargo use the 747 as a freighter rather than a passenger airliner.
With the as yet ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, many airlines are being forced to convert their 747s into cargo aircraft or retire them. In fact, Coronavirus has already seen Qantas retire their 747 fleet.
Many older 747s are currently being stored at the Aircraft Graveyard, many still in their original livery. In fact, the 747 area of the Aircraft Graveyard is more a museum than a graveyard, being the last reminder of airlines such as Pan Am.
787
Where the 747 has been retired mostly in recent years, the 787 has been the aircraft to replace it.
Many airlines have seen their flagship change from the once mighty 747 to the much smaller 787, just as Boeing had initially intended.
From a corporate side, the 787 is the only aircraft that isn’t truly causing Boeing many headaches (at least not really). The 787 continues to be produced and flown out to customers worldwide.
Currently Boeing has no plans to release the 787 as a cargo variant, however, amidst the current climate, many airlines are debating converting their 787s into freighters. So we might just see a 787F being released in the next few years.
In the coming years, it is likely that we will see the older variants of the 747 be phased out completely, with the only remaining variant being the 747-8. These older models will be replaced with the 787 and A350.
Currently, most major world airlines have orders for the 787, ranging from British Airway to XiamenAir to United to smaller airlines such as Scoot!.
747 vs 787: Opinions
As usual, I decided to ask aviation-related groups “747 vs 787?”. I asked a pilot who has flown both aircraft (me), groups of passengers who have flown both aircraft and avgeeks.
Pilots
Instead of usually interviewing pilots who has flown either aircraft, I thought I would write my personal opinions on the two aircraft. After all, I spent my pilot career flying 747s and later 787s!
I quite like the 747. Not only is it arguably the most iconic airliner of its age, but I find that it was the easiest to handle for its age. I was type rated to fly both the 747-300 and later the 747-400.
I also quite like the 787. Despite being shorter, smaller and carrying less people, it handled even easier than the 747 did! I also found the 787 to be very accommodating to pilots and passengers, even more so than the 747!
Despite its technological advancements, the 787 cannot compete with the iconic 747. Despite the 787’s advancements in so many more ways than the 747, and the 787’s ease of handling, the 747 is the much better aircraft!
Passengers
I was able to interview several frequent flyers for United, Delta, British Airways and Qantas about both the 747 and the 787. As they are frequent flyers for airlines (and airline alliances) who operate both aircraft, they have the best viewpoints.
For many of them, the newer seats and the sleeker interior design of the 787 is much better than the 747. Some passengers even talked about how on trips in business or first on the 787, you get more snacks and drinks than the 747!
However, some of them spoke of the speedier flights of the 747. Although slight, the 747 is faster than the 787, however, only by a little bit. This means that on flights such as New York to London, the 747 flight is shorter than the 787 one.
Avgeeks
I decided to ask a group of avgeeks which aircraft was better- the 747 or the 787?
As usual with anything as divisive as this, the avgeeks became immediately divided. Roughly 50% of the avgeeks preferred the 787 and roughly 50% preferred the 747.
For those avgeeks that preferred the 787, they spoke mainly of its fuel efficiency. Despite the fact it carries less people than the 747, it does it at a much cheaper cost for the airline. And thus, cheaper for passengers.
The avgeeks also spoke of how historic the 787 is. For starters, the 787 is the first aircraft to go from London to Sydney non-stop.
For those avgeeks that preferred the 747, they mainly spoke of just how iconic the 747 is. Everyone, whether they are an avgeek or not, has probably heard of the 747, if not been on one or at least seen one!
When the historic nature of the 787 was brought up, those avgeeks who preferred the 747 struck back. They spoke of how it was the first double deck aircraft, and the first major wide body aircraft too! Alongside hundreds of other accomplishments.
Summary
The 787 is both shorter, smaller and thinner than the 747. With that comes a lower passenger count than the 747, as well as a lower MTOW.
Surprisingly however, the 747 is much faster than the 787. The 747 is Mach 0.005 faster than the 787, and travels further (if only briefly) than the 787.
However, the 787 is also able to takeoff from a shorter runway, one that is only 9,300 feet compared to the 10,700 feet of the 747. The 787 is also far lighter than the 747, which makes it easier for the 787 to take off on weaker runways.
The 787 also has far better fuel economy per seat than the 747. In fact, the 747 has half the fuel efficiency that the 787 does! This is what allows the 787 to get to Sydney non-stop, despite the 747’s superior range!
747 vs 787- Who wins? Tell me in the comments!
Featured image courtesy of Motox810.