Delta is retiring it’s final Boeing 747s before the end of the year, and the “Queen of the Skies” will be visiting MSP today on Delta's last 747 passenger flight. Actually, there will be two 747s visiting MSP during the day, one at 7:55am, and another which will perform a 2,000 ft low altitude flyby around 12:30pm.
The reason for the excitement is Delta's 747s have been on a farewell tour and the last stop is from Atlanta to Minneapolis today. There will be “hanger party” celebrations at MSP after the flight. Sadly, I didn't snag a spot on the flight as bids for seats cost hundreds of thousands of SkyMiles each.
Delta acquired its 747 fleet through its 2008 purchase of Northwest Airlines, which was based out of Minnesota. Northwest had first purchased 747s in the 1970s, including those flown to and from MSP. Delta is now replacing the 747 with the fuel efficient Airbus A350, which I recently flew in October.
Bottom Line
If you have a chance to see the low altitude flyby this afternoon, I'd highly recommend heading over to MSP and drive to the top of the Gold and Red parking ramps, which will offer some of the best views of the landing. If you're like me, you'll be tracking the landing and hope to get a good view of the Queen out of my office window.