Final 747 flight bids farewell to original jumbo jet

United Airlines’ last Boeing 747 took off on its final flight on Tuesday, marking the end of an era for both the plane and the US airline.

The original jumbo jet made its debut in 1968 and changed air travel forever by carrying more people on longer flights.

Tuesday’s farewell trip from San Francisco to Hawaii commemorated the aircraft’s first journey in 1970.

The plane – dubbed “The Queen Of The Skies” – will likely be retired to a so called ‘aircraft graveyard’ in the Mojave Desert.