audio, stills, text and or video: Go to zReportage.com to see more - A chapter of aviation history has closed, as commercial U.S. passenger airlines bid farewell to the Boeing 747, the jumbo jet that made air travel affordable for millions of people around the world because it could carry hundreds of passengers inside. The double decker aircraft with the humped fuselage is one of the world's most recognizable planes. But after flying the four engine, fuel-thirsty plane for decades, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines are retiring the so-called Queen of the Skies in favor of sleeker, more fuel efficient models that are cheaper to operate. Pan American Airways debuted the enormous twin deck airliner in January 1970, and flights by US passenger airlines have been flying uninterrupted ever since. The 747 was a marvel of engineering when it first flew months before the first moon landing in 1969. Affectionately known as ''queen of the skies,'' the 747 was postage stamp famous, an icon of pop culture, and the backdrop of movies, television and a flying emblem of the US presidency as Air Force One.
© Dustin Chambers/zReportage.com/ZUMA Wire

Jan 3, 2018 - Marana, Arizona, U.S. - The view of Delta's 747s at Pinal Airbase as the 747 landed. There may be no airliner as recognizable as the Boeing 747, the world's first jumbo jet, with its iconic hump of an upper deck. For aviation fans, the introduction of the ''Queen of the Skies'' was a triumph of engineering and grace. The 747 revolutionized the way people traveled when it began service in 1970.
© Dustin Chambers/zReportage.com/ZUMA Wire

January 3, 2018 - Marana, Arizona, U.S. - Passenger and crew deplane from the 747. There may be no airliner as recognizable as the Boeing 747, the world's first jumbo jet, with its iconic hump of an upper deck. For aviation fans, the introduction of the ''Queen of the Skies'' was a triumph of engineering and grace. The 747 revolutionized the way people traveled when it began service in 1970.
© Dustin Chambers/zReportage.com/ZUMA Wire

Jan 3, 2018 - Marana, Arizona, U.S. - A portion of a Delta plane's cabin removed. There may be no airliner as recognizable as the Boeing 747, the world's first jumbo jet, with its iconic hump of an upper deck. For aviation fans, the introduction of the ''Queen of the Skies'' was a triumph of engineering and grace. The 747 revolutionized the way people traveled when it began service in 1970.
© Dustin Chambers/zReportage.com/ZUMA Wire

January 3, 2018 - Marana, Arizona, U.S. - Crew members take their final moments to sign the plane with sharpies. There may be no airliner as recognizable as the Boeing 747, the world's first jumbo jet, with its iconic hump of an upper deck. For aviation fans, the introduction of the ''Queen of the Skies'' was a triumph of engineering and grace. The 747 revolutionized the way people traveled when it began service in 1970.
© Dustin Chambers/zReportage.com/ZUMA Wire

January 4, 2018 - Marana, Arizona, U.S. - The side of a commercial plane's paint has dripped after time in retirement. Pinal Airpark is sometimes called a graveyard or boneyard for planes. There may be no airliner as recognizable as the Boeing 747, the world's first jumbo jet, with its iconic hump of an upper deck. For aviation fans, the introduction of the ''Queen of the Skies'' was a triumph of engineering and grace. The 747 revolutionized the way people traveled when it began service in 1970.
© Dustin Chambers/zReportage.com/ZUMA Wire

January 4, 2018 - Marana, Arizona, U.S. - Planes in storage seen from a cargo plane on Pinal Airbase in Arizona. Pinal Airpark is sometimes called a graveyard or boneyard for planes. There may be no airliner as recognizable as the Boeing 747, the world's first jumbo jet, with its iconic hump of an upper deck. For aviation fans, the introduction of the ''Queen of the Skies'' was a triumph of engineering and grace. The 747 revolutionized the way people traveled when it began service in 1970.
© Dustin Chambers/zReportage.com/ZUMA Wire

January 3, 2018 - Marana, Arizona, U.S. - Empty coach section in the 747. There may be no airliner as recognizable as the Boeing 747, the world's first jumbo jet, with its iconic hump of an upper deck. For aviation fans, the introduction of the ''Queen of the Skies'' was a triumph of engineering and grace. The 747 revolutionized the way people traveled when it began service in 1970.
© Dustin Chambers/zReportage.com/ZUMA Wire

January 3, 2018 - Marana, Arizona, U.S. - A flight attendant prepares decorations for a wedding ceremony to take place during the 747's final flight. There may be no airliner as recognizable as the Boeing 747, the world's first jumbo jet, with its iconic hump of an upper deck. For aviation fans, the introduction of the ''Queen of the Skies'' was a triumph of engineering and grace. The 747 revolutionized the way people traveled when it began service in 1970.
© Dustin Chambers/zReportage.com/ZUMA Wire

January 4, 2018 - Marana, Arizona, U.S. - The cockpit of Delta's last commercially flown 747 (left). And melting in the desert heat, oxygen bags hang in a retired TWA 747 on Pinal Airbase (right). Pinal Airpark is sometimes called a graveyard or boneyard for planes. There may be no airliner as recognizable as the Boeing 747, the world's first jumbo jet, with its iconic hump of an upper deck. For aviation fans, the introduction of the ''Queen of the Skies'' was a triumph of engineering and grace. The 747 revolutionized the way people traveled when it began service in 1970.
© Dustin Chambers/zReportage.com/ZUMA Wire

January 3, 2018 - Marana, Arizona, U.S. - A captain's hat. Pinal Airpark is sometimes called a graveyard or boneyard for planes. There may be no airliner as recognizable as the Boeing 747, the world's first jumbo jet, with its iconic hump of an upper deck. For aviation fans, the introduction of the ''Queen of the Skies'' was a triumph of engineering and grace. The 747 revolutionized the way people traveled when it began service in 1970.
© Dustin Chambers/zReportage.com/ZUMA Wire

January 4, 2018 - Marana, Arizona, U.S. - An exposed jet engine on Pinal Airbase in Arizona. Pinal Airpark is sometimes called a graveyard or boneyard for planes. There may be no airliner as recognizable as the Boeing 747, the world's first jumbo jet, with its iconic hump of an upper deck. For aviation fans, the introduction of the ''Queen of the Skies'' was a triumph of engineering and grace. The 747 revolutionized the way people traveled when it began service in 1970.
© Dustin Chambers/zReportage.com/ZUMA Wire

January 4, 2018 - Marana, Arizona, U.S. - The view from an interior of a retired TWA 747 on Pinal Airbase. Pinal Airpark is sometimes called a graveyard or boneyard for planes. There may be no airliner as recognizable as the Boeing 747, the world's first jumbo jet, with its iconic hump of an upper deck. For aviation fans, the introduction of the ''Queen of the Skies'' was a triumph of engineering and grace. The 747 revolutionized the way people traveled when it began service in 1970.
© Dustin Chambers/zReportage.com/ZUMA Wire

January 3, 2018 - Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. - A flight attendant adjusts another's collar before a photo. There may be no airliner as recognizable as the Boeing 747, the world's first jumbo jet, with its iconic hump of an upper deck. For aviation fans, the introduction of the ''Queen of the Skies'' was a triumph of engineering and grace. The 747 revolutionized the way people traveled when it began service in 1970.
© Dustin Chambers/zReportage.com/ZUMA Wire

Jan 4, 2018 - Marana, Arizona, United States - Overhead components pulled from a plane after being cleaned and before being packaged. There may be no airliner as recognizable as the Boeing 747, the world's first jumbo jet, with its iconic hump of an upper deck. For aviation fans, the introduction of the ''Queen of the Skies'' was a triumph of engineering and grace. The 747 revolutionized the way people traveled when it began service in 1970.
© Dustin Chambers/zReportage.com/ZUMA Wire

January 4, 2018 - Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. - Ground-crew members shake one of the captain's of Delta's final commercial 747 flight. There may be no airliner as recognizable as the Boeing 747, the world's first jumbo jet, with its iconic hump of an upper deck. For aviation fans, the introduction of the ''Queen of the Skies'' was a triumph of engineering and grace. The 747 revolutionized the way people traveled when it began service in 1970.
© Dustin Chambers/zReportage.com/ZUMA Wire

January 3, 2018 - Marana, Arizona, U.S. - An engine on a retired Delta plane covered in signatures at Pinal Airbase in Arizona. Pinal Airpark is sometimes called a graveyard or boneyard for planes. There may be no airliner as recognizable as the Boeing 747, the world's first jumbo jet, with its iconic hump of an upper deck. For aviation fans, the introduction of the ''Queen of the Skies'' was a triumph of engineering and grace. The 747 revolutionized the way people traveled when it began service in 1970.
© Dustin Chambers/zReportage.com/ZUMA Wire

January 4, 2018 - Marana, Arizona, U.S. - The cockpit of a retired TWA passenger plane. Pinal Airpark is sometimes called a graveyard or boneyard for planes. There may be no airliner as recognizable as the Boeing 747, the world's first jumbo jet, with its iconic hump of an upper deck. For aviation fans, the introduction of the ''Queen of the Skies'' was a triumph of engineering and grace. The 747 revolutionized the way people traveled when it began service in 1970.
© Dustin Chambers/zReportage.com/ZUMA Wire

January 3, 2018 - Marana, Arizona, U.S. - The cockpit of Delta's last commercially flown 747. Pinal Airpark is sometimes called a graveyard or boneyard for planes. There may be no airliner as recognizable as the Boeing 747, the world's first jumbo jet, with its iconic hump of an upper deck. For aviation fans, the introduction of the ''Queen of the Skies'' was a triumph of engineering and grace. The 747 revolutionized the way people traveled when it began service in 1970.
© Dustin Chambers/zReportage.com/ZUMA Wire

January 4, 2018 - Marana, Arizona, U.S. - A jet plane mid-scrapping at Pinal Airbase in Arizona. Pinal Airpark is sometimes called a graveyard or boneyard for planes. There may be no airliner as recognizable as the Boeing 747, the world's first jumbo jet, with its iconic hump of an upper deck. For aviation fans, the introduction of the ''Queen of the Skies'' was a triumph of engineering and grace. The 747 revolutionized the way people traveled when it began service in 1970.
© Dustin Chambers/zReportage.com/ZUMA Wire

January 4, 2018 - Marana, Arizona, U.S. - J.R. SMITH unscrews components in the landing gear area of a jet plane on Pinal Airbase in Arizona. Pinal Airpark is sometimes called a graveyard or boneyard for planes. There may be no airliner as recognizable as the Boeing 747, the world's first jumbo jet, with its iconic hump of an upper deck. For aviation fans, the introduction of the ''Queen of the Skies'' was a triumph of engineering and grace. The 747 revolutionized the way people traveled when it began service in 1970.
© Dustin Chambers/zReportage.com/ZUMA Wire

Jan 4, 2018 - Marana, Arizona, United States - BRANDI LANGE walks to a cargo 747 her company Logistic Air helps to maintain at Pinal Airbase in Arizona. There may be no airliner as recognizable as the Boeing 747, the world's first jumbo jet, with its iconic hump of an upper deck. For aviation fans, the introduction of the ''Queen of the Skies'' was a triumph of engineering and grace. The 747 revolutionized the way people traveled when it began service in 1970.
© Dustin Chambers/zReportage.com/ZUMA Wire