3. 747-400 Retirement

First and foremost, no window shades (sorry!).

Will there be more 747s in this gallery? Yes. Will there be more 747s in Nationair's future? I'm not answering that.

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The 747-400 was a staple in the Nationair long-haul fleet, particularly on trans-Pacific services from San Francisco and historically from Los Angeles and Honolulu. Their speed, grace, and fame meant they remained a flagship of the fleet for three decades, through the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s. However, these beauties were not meant to last forever. Their delivery starting in 1992 to Midpacific meant that they aged quickly, and the delivery of the A350-1000 starting in late 2018 meant that many routes could be operated much more efficiently and overcapacity could be reduced. Eventually, it was announced in mid-2018 that the 747-400 would depart the fleet in January 2019, when all routes would be see A350-1000's and A350-900's instead of the 747.
These two birds depict how the 747-400 left the fleet three months ago. At the top, N682NT, the first 747-400 delivered to Midpacific and then handed over to Nationair following buy-out, is pictured wearing one of the few retro liveries in the Nationair fleet. "Pacific Queen" titles have been replaced with "27 Years Young," and historic Midpacific logos, paint, and titles accurate to when Nationair first acquired them in the '90s have been added. At the bottom, N664NT wearing current Nationair titles is featured. This would be the last scheme the 747-400 would see under service with Nationair, and 11 of the 12 747-400's in Nationair's fleet would retire wearing those colors.