The unmistakeable 747

摘要

As a Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747-400 is pushed back for departure, a dozen people move to the terminal window, many taking a quick snap on their phone. The Jumbo's humpback fuselage, tall tailfin and four engines inevitably draw attention, but the moment, witnessed by this correspondent in Manchester Airport's Terminal 2 a few months ago, showed how people unable to tell a 787 from a 777 or an A350 from an A330 recognise the 747. The word 'iconic' is overused today to the point of being meaningless, but the 747 is.