United Airlines final Boeing 747-400 will fly into the sunset on 7 November, operating a special final flight between San Francisco and Honolulu.

The Chicago-based carrier is retiring the 747 after a nearly half century in its fleet. It took delivery of its first 747-100 in June 1970.

United is replacing its 747s with 18 Boeing 777-300ERs, the last of which will be delivered in 2018.

United 747

Christian Junker on Flickr

The final flight, which follows United's final regularly schedule 747 flight from Seoul Incheon to San Francisco on 29 October, will recreate its inaugural jumbo jet flight on the same route in July 1970, the airline says.

The carrier's fleet of 747s peaked at 56 in 1993, the Flight Fleets Analyzer shows.

United is the longest continuous US operator of the type, with the only other US operator Delta Air Lines having flown it briefly in the 1970s and then again after it merged with Northwest Airlines in 2009.

Delta plans to retire its final 747-400s by the end of the year as well.

Source: Cirium Dashboard