• Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
Live and Let's Fly
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
Home » United Airlines » Wow! A Secret Way to Book a Seat on the Sold Out Final United 747 Flight!
747United Airlines

Wow! A Secret Way to Book a Seat on the Sold Out Final United 747 Flight!

Matthew Klint Posted onSeptember 27, 2017November 14, 2023 Leave a Comment

UPDATE: That was fast. This deal appears gone, but read below to find out what to do if it resurfaces.


United 747 Retirement

When United announced its final 747 flight on November 07, 2017 would be a re-creation of its very first 747 flight from San Francisco to Honolulu, the flight sold out within an hour.

While some have reported successfully waitlisting for the flight, it remains sold out (even as a handful of seats are held for media and other invited guests). Furthermore, middle seats appear blocked according to the seat map.

But Flyertalk member zrs70 brilliantly found another way to secure a seat on this flight: by booking it as an Air New Zealand codeshare.

Air New Zealand won’t sell you SFO-HNL alone, but they will happily sell you SFO-HNL-AKL. Do a multi-city search SFO-HNL//HNL-AKL and you can force in a stop in Honolulu. This is bookable on Air New Zealand’s own website or most online travel agencies like Orbitz and Expedia.

Sure enough, you can find availability in both economy class and business class, forcing a 42hr layover in Honolulu.

a screenshot of a phone

The prices aren’t great, but economy class is cheaper than a full Y purchased directly from United. Furthermore, this doesn’t have to be a throw-away ticket. You can add a return for a minimal amount of money since one-way international tickets in many markets, including this one, are not much different in price than a round-trip ticket.

UPDATE: Space Gone

While zrs70 successfully booked it, the fare buckets have now been zeroed out (or perhaps sold out). As of now (about 3am ET), the seats still show up on ITA Matrix, but no longer show up when booking with Air New Zealand or another OTA.

SECOND UPDATE: the seats no longer show up on ITA Matrix

Don’t Give Up!

It appears the fare is no longer bookable..at least for now. But keep an eye on this if you want to join the final flight. More seats could pop back into inventory at anytime. This remains a clever back door trick to secure a seat on the coveted final 747 flight.

Get Daily Updates

Join our mailing list for a daily summary of posts! We never sell your info.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Previous Article South African Airways Debt: “It might just be that we don’t have to pay…”
Next Article Lufthansa Adds Berlin to New York JFK Flight

About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

Related Posts

  • a person holding a dish of ice cream

    United Airlines Adds Aperol Spritz, Caramel Sundaes, And New First Class Meals

    May 30, 2025
  • United JetBlue Strategy

    Analysis: United Hopes To Contain Delta, Suppress American With JetBlue Partnership

    May 29, 2025
  • JetBlue United Blue Sky

    Details: New JetBlue – United “Blue Sky” Partnership Includes JFK Slots, Reciprocal Loyatly Perks

    May 29, 2025

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Search

Hot Deals for May

Note: Please see my Advertiser Disclosure

Capital One Venture X Business Card
Earn 150,000 Miles Sign Up Bonus
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Earn 100,000 Points
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 Miles!
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 Miles
Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
Earn $750 Cash Back
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Earn 120,000 Membership Reward® Points

Recent Posts

  • Airlines Penalize Solo Travelers
    Flying Solo? Your Ticket Might Cost 2.5X More Than Traveling With Companion May 30, 2025
  • Korean Air 777-300ER Business Class Review
    Review: Korean Air 777-300ER Prestige Business Class May 30, 2025
  • a person holding a dish of ice cream
    United Airlines Adds Aperol Spritz, Caramel Sundaes, And New First Class Meals May 30, 2025
  • American Airlines Pinky Lawsuit
    Midair Meltdown: American Airlines Passenger Grabs Flight Attendant, Drags Her Down Aisle May 30, 2025

Categories

Popular Posts

  • United Airlines Polaris Lounge Chicago Review
    Review: United Polaris Lounge Chicago (ORD) May 1, 2025
  • a hand holding a blue card
    Chase Sapphire Preferred 100K Bonus Offer Ending Soon May 2, 2025
  • Aegean Airlines Feast
    A Feast Fit For A King On Aegean Airlines May 23, 2025
  • United American O’Hare gate dispute
    United Airlines To American Airlines: Fly More, Sue Less May 6, 2025

Archives

May 2025
M T W T F S S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031  
« Apr    

As seen on:

facebook twitter instagram rss
Privacy Policy © Live and Let's Fly All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Live and Let's Fly with appropriate and specific directions to the original content.