With a Mexican/Dutch parents who worked for KLM, I pretty much flew the KLM combi ever since I was born at least twice every year between AMS and MEX. Really sad to see it go due to the pandemic. I was flying the KLM combi before I could walk :)
I've flown on KLM combis a few times until 2013. My experience of the difference between cargo and passenger sides was mainly second hand hearing from cabin attendants or animal attendants who were taking care of the live cargo in the back. Never had a chance to see what was behind the partition...
Wasn’t unusual to find animals being transported in the back, rather than lower deck. The bulkhead between the two compartments were designed to place the passenger compartment at a higher pressure to prevent smoke/fire from reaching the passengers if the horrible situation were to form. Which it did in the case of the SAA Helderberg, although the pressure differential didn’t work as the cargo fire raised the pressure in the compartment to a higher level than the passenger compartment. Normally that door would remain shut during the flight for this reason, even if it wasn’t all that effective with rapid fires.
It’s worth noting the one of the worst accidents involving the combi was that of South African Airways flight 295 (ZS-SAS) / (Helderberg) in 1987. The 747-200M departed from Taipei to Johannesburg with a stopover in Mauritius. A fire broke out in the main deck cargo compartment which spread to the passenger compartment, despite the pressure differential, and overrun the passenger compartment. Electronics were lost and the aircraft structure had disintegrated in midair around 134NM from Mauritius. 159 souls were onboard. It’s understood that electronic cargo with lithium batteries were the culprit, although it’s not entirely confirmed. US Navy, SA Navy and French navy went for search & rescue. Parts of the wreckage were retrieved from 13,000 ft below the Indian Ocean. SAA retired combos after this accident, and the FAA introduced new regulations in 1993.
As far as I know, there were even rumours of the flight covertly transporting weapons and ammunition due to the embargo on the SA government at the time. We'll probably never know the exact reason to why the fire broke out aboard.
That was wrong how they put dangerous cargo with passengers 😪. Which was the demise of the Combi. God and Jesus has that wonderful plan to reunite their loved 🥰 ones again. What a horrible death. God be with each and every one of those precious souls 💐🌹🌹. Excellent video.💕. Kudos from Alaska. Love ❤️ your voice 🤩.
@@alaskanactressp30 agreed, HORRIBLE idea. Then again, at that time they were still learning about the flammability of many of the materials they were hauling.
@@dodoubleg2356 yes 🙌 so heart breaking 💔 , broke my heart 💔, they should of known better, dangerous items should be on top of a container ship 🚢 in its own container, not with people or animals. 😭😪. Happy New Year 🎆🎈🎊 May your dreams come true for you in 2022.
I had the privilege of flying the Combi twice. KLM. About 15 years ago. Amsterdam - Kuala Lumpur - Djakarta, return. Going down, the rear was full of race horses that "got off" at Kuala Lumpur. I was sitting right up against the partition where there was a little door. Some of the cabin crew went through from time to time. A group of passengers asked what was behind. The very kind crew, after asking for permission took very few of us by groups 3 behind. We met the vets that flew on every trip carrying animals. Found out later they were called "the flying vets". Anyway, they were very helpful and explained all kinds of things. We were not allowed to touch the animals, but seeing horses, calm, just eating away and thinking you are at 30'000 feet....well was quite a unique experience. On the way back there were cars in the back for the Kuala Lumpur - Amsterdam. We had a longer roll for takeoff and the climb was shallow and longer too. Cars are definitely heavier than horses. I agree totally with a statement in your video. The interior was indeed getting old. Fond memories though and a magnificent sunrise over the Himalayas on the way down. The queen shall be missed !
Flew on KLM combis many, many times, you could not tell the difference from a full pax B747 except on boarding the inside was shorter than normal but sitting down, facing forward you had no idea there was freight in the back. The KLM combis and the full pax were always wonderful to fly on.
I was on the Air Canada 747 Combi from CDG to YYZ years ago (or may have been YUL). It was strange to get onto such a huge plane and see such a small passenger cabin.
I flew as a flight attendant many times on 737 combis!!!. The cargo was at the front!!. It was funny to walk along a narrow aisle at the side to get to the cockpit for whatever reason.
I flew on the 747-300 Combi as a Qantas Long Haul flight attendant. It had been changed from a 1/2 passenger t1/2 cargo to a full passenger cabin.The aircraft side rear cargo door was replaced with one with windows so well it was hard to see to the untrained eye. The outline of the side rear cargo door was visible from the outside and the inner 4 window surrounds were different form the rest, again, only a keen eye could tell. The only 747 to have a cargo container that had been turned into a crew rest and the trap door to go down to it was located at the CSM (Customer Service Manager's station at doors 2. It was very old, super spacious and looked like a container from the outside. We all loved it as the warning lights (smoke, seat belts, evac, etc) were so old it was like going back in time. Happy Memories. We only used the lower cargo deck crew rest on SYD-BOM-SYD and SYD-JNB-SYD sectors. ;-)
I flew on a MAS 747-400M out of LHR to KUL back in 97. I remember it being a tad weird because the rear passenger bulkhead was only slightly aft of the wing box. Cabin felt a lot shorter than other 744's I flew on during that era; SQ, GA and QF
I flew 1999 with one from Amsterdam with short stops in Rio and Buenos Aires to Santiago de Chile. On the way back it was just a stop in Rio. I loved to watch the loading process. I was 9yo at that point. Loved it.
As a ground handler for KLM at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, I was able to work several times with the B747 combi. It was always fun to load horses, expensive cars and aircraft engines. Worth mentioning is that KLM and several other airlines made a request at Boeing to develop a B747-8 combi. However, this variant was never developed because of safety concerns of the FAA and EASA due to prior accidents.
I flew on one of these as an unescorted minor from Beijing to Amsterdam. As unescorted minors we were all sat in the rear of the cabin next to the door into the cargo area. The door had a sign on it saying “Crew Only”. The KLM crew looked after us all. It was fun.
I flew on one 747-400M with KLM from YYZ-AMS in June 2013. In fact, it was PH-BFE ("Melbourne"), which was one of the Combis featured in this video. Unfortunately, it's no longer profitable enough to build additional Combi aircraft, and the Helderberg crash in 1987 was a key reason for it. In 1993, the FAA issued a mandate that required sufficient fire suppression systems in the cargo sections on the main deck, stronger bulkheads and stronger, airtight doors to separate the area from the passenger cabin. Most operators of the type at the time cancelled their upcoming orders in light of this (as the additional expense was a deterrence for their purchases and upkeep), save for KLM, which continued to place orders for the -400M until the 2000s, and maintained them for years. The aftermath of 9/11 and the ensuing downturn caused even KLM to drop its upcoming orders, with the final aircraft in the series being delivered to KLM in 2002.
While the cause of the Helderberg crash was disputed due to a lack of solid evidence, various theories have been suggested although those were just conspiracy theories. They range from faulty electrical wiring to lithium batteries used for computers to fireworks to the most sinister of all - illegal weapons bought by the South African government.
Only 747 combi that I can actually remember ever travelling on was the Swissair 747-300 combi ZRH-DEL-BKK and return. After take off from DEL on the outward journey, the Captain announced that there was a 'technical problem' and that he would give us further information in the morning if necessary before landing at BKK. That reassuring announcement really helped the passengers to relax and get some sleep between DEL and BKK. Nothing untoward happened and we landed safely and uneventfully at BKK.
Flown the KLM combi many times AMS - ORD and back. Almost always in premium economy. The last trip was over the 2019 holidays and that was on the 787. The combi's were getting worn, but I had no complaints.
I flew with KLM’s 747-400M PH-BFT back in August 2019 when it brought me from AMS to LAX. Back when everything was normal and I went on a holiday in LA to then start my university exchange in SF for one semester... It was my first and sadly enough last time I could fly on a mixed cargo configuration after flying almost annually on a “regular” KLM 747-400 (for over 20 years). I used to fly from AMS to PBM, which is KLM’s busiest passenger 747 route due to the connection the Netherlands has with Suriname. (Back in the old times Suriname was a colony of the Dutch and therefor Suriname’s main language is Dutch. People from Suriname live in the Netherlands and are hopping between the Netherlands and Suriname all the time). I will never forget that flight as it was the unexpected last flight for me on a KLM Boeing 747 where I got to see a peak from the horses in the back and meeting a goodboii (labrador) in the cabin. The KLM 747’s were planned to be phased out this year (2021) but thanks to Corona the last passenger flight happend in March last year... I was so sad when I found out I had to fly in a 777 when I arrived at the gate in SFO back in December 2019.
I worked on the construction of the Taiwan High Speed Rail and Eva Air are a partner in that company so all our flights were with Eva Air. Our flight allowance was one flight to UK and 3 anywhere in Asia each year. I often flew aboard there Combi 747 and was seated in the Premium Economy section in the nose of the aircraft. This section was roomy and less noisy so enjoyed it very much. Can't remember each route was aboard the Combi as I also bought extra flights and enjoyed the free upgrade given plus lots of air miles to upgrade even higher. I was a great fan of Eva Air and continued to use them after completing my contract on THSR, sadly the routing from Saigon does not work for me now.
i flew on a klm combi from amsterdam to hong kong...i was upgraded to premium class the only time ive ever turned left boarding a plane lol ...i loved the jumbo jet 😀
Sabena had the 300 version back in the days which I flew frequently. For the past couple of years KLM. I will miss the 747's. Nothing like the roar of those 4 engines at take off
With passengers probably not coming back soon from covid I'm wondering if Boeing and Airbus can develop combi aircraft versions of the 777X and the A350 since those seats won't be filled anytime soon and cargo demand is higher than ever
fun fact: the 747 was supposedly Boeings attempt at making a military heavylift aircraft, hence the upper deck cockpit so it could have a a lifting nose. That didn’t go through but it turned out to be a good airliner too. So looking at that 0:56 that’s actually the 747 at its most original form.
Flew first on an AF 742M in the 80s out of HKG, klm had a 742M out of hkg to AMS on the same schedule and they both made a stopver in BKK... remember seeing the klm fly parallel to my AF from hkg to bkk
I had the privilege of flying on PH-BUL at the time it was a Boeing 747-206SUD variant. KLM stretched the upper deck of a number of their 200s to give a similar capacity to the 300s.
I was a Ramp Rat for an airlines that took care of ground Operation for Air France, Lufty and Swiss Air and it was AMAZING how much WEIGHT those aircraft carry and got off the Ground !
Legendary airplanes: Boeing 747 A10 warthog Airbus a380 An-225 F22 B52 B2 A340 SU-57 F15 F16 Concorde SR-71 blackbird L1049 Dc7 Avro vulcan X29 C5 C17 Tu 144 TU 95 An 22 Commet Dc 11 Boeing 707 Dc3 Spitfire Me 262 Comment more below! Ill add them to the list
The 400M could also be converted to full pax layout if needed within a day to meet changing demands. The last surviving 747-200 Combi aircraft and also the last 747-200 with the stretched upper deck modification is PH-BUK, currently on display at the Dutch Aviodrome aviation museum.
Was so much fun :) KLM Purser opened the separating door to look into the cargo section and 2 horses were staring us. Couldn't believe that at that very moment.
Flew B747-200 Combis on two occasions. First one was with Air Canada on their LHR - YYZ sector (August 1985) and the second time was with Qantas (NAN - HNL - LAX in November of 1993).🙂🙂🙂
My first experience of the combi was a short flight on Thai, from BKK to HKG. Also experienced KLM on a long haul from AMS to HKG. This was about 5 years ago, where I had experienced much more comfortable long haul on 777s, the combi on this long haul flight really did show it was very dated.
In 2000 I flew on a 747 Combi operated by Eva of Taiwan. San Francisco to Taipei. Had a row to myself so I managed to get some sleep and the food even in economy was fantastic. I was about 5 rows ahead of the dividing bulkhead.
You didn't mentiion the 747-200C (convertible). Can the cargo section extend from the 3rg gate to the tale? How they operate as full cargo planes the last KLM Combis? How many of the 747-400M still exist (stored but not scrapped)? This model Is the B747 version I am more interested in.
I did fly on one. A Varig 747 from LAX to GIG. It normally would have been a DC-10 (MD-11?) but switched to a combi as they loaded two Formula 1type pace cars on board. It was very weird watching them get put through the side cargo door.
Hi, way back in the early 80s (prob 1983/4) i was returning to London from JFK and i have always been keen on planes. I was booked on a BA 747 in Club, in those days it included the helicopter from/to Manhatten too. The plane was a 200 Combi, as i found out when i asked the steward, as I got on the plane I was confused as there was a bulkhead you could see as you boarded. My seat was roughly at the point of the stairs to the bubble but on the other side of the plane. Have to say if ever i found out it was a combi again i would decline, but believe that BA didn't operate them for very long or if they did not on another flight for me. The reason, I did not like the plane was because it was a bumpy night all the way back across the pond. Every time the plane was violently hit by another wave or wall of turbulence, you could feel bumps and noises coming from behind us. I was not alone and the steward did say that they were noisy on nights like these. I did not sleep that night and kept dreaming and wishing for the flight to get home.
i remeber being on 747-300 combi from klm c 1999. I recall we could not de plane until the cargo had been removed as they were worried about an imbalance !
Flown on KLM combis quite a lot. Always the same route NCL-AMS-IAH on the section to/from Houston. You get a quite claustrophobic experience just after boarding because the partition was usually well forward,feeling like just got on to a very wide 737. The return leg of this trip was weird because you got a three breakfast day. Huervos motulenos in the Houston morning, plane breakfast as you got hurled at the sun somewhere east Atlantic and another plane breakfast on the final short section, complete with the shock of the world’s worst instant coffee to acclimatise return to the UK. Then the week of bad jet lag.
Flew in the 747 Combi in October 2019 (my profile pic!). It was a cool plane, but as mentioned the cabin (unless you were in business class) was quite old and uncomfortable for the 10-hour flight. The PTVs didn't even work.
Yup, I did fly on them, once on a return trip from Amsterdam to Jakarta (through Singapore) with KLM, and another time on the first leg of a return trip from Paris to Hong Kong on Air France. Didn't see much difference as a usual 747-400, as I was in Business Class & seated in the bubble (hump), in all cases.
Flew four times on KLM combi on the ORD to Amsterdam route. Great service and easier to walk around because of fewer passengers. Also much easier trip through immigration and customs for the same reason.
I flew a Pakistan international airlines 747 Combi from New York to Paris in the mid 80s. I recall being surprised by how short the cabin was. Had a smoking section.
Another operator of the 747 Combi for a time (late 1990s / first decade of the 2000s) was African carrier, Air Namibia. If I remember correctly, Air Namibia’s Combi made a weekly flight from the Namibian capital Windhoek to Frankfurt in Germany (incidentally, the former colonial power in the then-Southwest Africa until 1919). The main purpose of the Combi was to deliver fish caught off Namibia’s coast to European markets.
The DC-8 combis have freight in the front and passengers in the back. For example the DC-8 operated by Samaritan's Purse (which is over 50 years old, so if a bunch of 747 combis are being retired, maybe they need to look into a newer plane). So it is possible to do it that way.
I flew a 747-400 Combi on EVA Taipeh - Dubai - Amsterdam in January 1999. As a passenger you wouldn't notice the difference. The cabin is just much shorter.
Flew twice on 747-400M: once on HKG-YVR with Air Canada and once on TPE-HKG with EVA Air. Air Canada puts economy class on the upper deck with 3-3 seating configuration. Enjoy that a lot since the window seat has huge leg room and storage capacity on the side due to the curvature of the fuselage. EVA Air put the Premium Economy section at the nose so I was sitting in that zone. Their original premium economy in 747 has more generous spaces than the newer ones.
I believe I flew an Air Canada version from YYZ or YUL to CDG circa 1990. One of my traveling companions made a joke about the "big closet" at the back.
I flew with KLM PH-BUM, the Charles Kingsford Smith, from Amsterdam to Mumbai in the summer of 2000. I even was allowed to visit the cockpit mid-flight. A treat now impossible since 9-11. The aircraft left the fleet to join Pucket Air, which had a bad reputation at maintenance. I felt sorry for this aircraft. Sistership PH-BUF was involved in the Tenerife disaster. Another sistership, PH-BUK is preserved at Lelystad Airport in the Netherlands though not in cmbi configuration. A lot of exhibits etc. Small quirk, the tail now has a red light on top since the plane will never move and now technically it is a building now.
Also, I saw the last ones standing near a hangar at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport being made ready for their last ever flight. Two of them were painted with white tails, their identity deleted. No more KLM markings. I don't know what destination they will go, probably Mohave Desert, but a lot are also stored in Spain at Teruel Airport. Check out Google maps for that.
Can you make a video how to convert a passenger plane to Cargo...and why big Airlines are not doing it? For example cargo jet stock has sky rocketed but air Canada hasn’t. Please put some highlights on THIS.
With a Mexican/Dutch parents who worked for KLM, I pretty much flew the KLM combi ever since I was born at least twice every year between AMS and MEX. Really sad to see it go due to the pandemic. I was flying the KLM combi before I could walk :)
Same feelings as a KLM combi pilot
@@mmhmhmhmhmhmhmhmhmhmh serieus?
I've flown on KLM combis a few times until 2013. My experience of the difference between cargo and passenger sides was mainly second hand hearing from cabin attendants or animal attendants who were taking care of the live cargo in the back. Never had a chance to see what was behind the partition...
Wasn’t unusual to find animals being transported in the back, rather than lower deck. The bulkhead between the two compartments were designed to place the passenger compartment at a higher pressure to prevent smoke/fire from reaching the passengers if the horrible situation were to form. Which it did in the case of the SAA Helderberg, although the pressure differential didn’t work as the cargo fire raised the pressure in the compartment to a higher level than the passenger compartment. Normally that door would remain shut during the flight for this reason, even if it wasn’t all that effective with rapid fires.
Are you suggesting there's a difference between animal caretakers and flight attendants?
It’s worth noting the one of the worst accidents involving the combi was that of South African Airways flight 295 (ZS-SAS) / (Helderberg) in 1987. The 747-200M departed from Taipei to Johannesburg with a stopover in Mauritius. A fire broke out in the main deck cargo compartment which spread to the passenger compartment, despite the pressure differential, and overrun the passenger compartment. Electronics were lost and the aircraft structure had disintegrated in midair around 134NM from Mauritius. 159 souls were onboard. It’s understood that electronic cargo with lithium batteries were the culprit, although it’s not entirely confirmed.
US Navy, SA Navy and French navy went for search & rescue. Parts of the wreckage were retrieved from 13,000 ft below the Indian Ocean.
SAA retired combos after this accident, and the FAA introduced new regulations in 1993.
As far as I know, there were even rumours of the flight covertly transporting weapons and ammunition due to the embargo on the SA government at the time. We'll probably never know the exact reason to why the fire broke out aboard.
SAA’s other Combi (ZS-SAR, Waterburg) didn’t retire as it was converted to all-passengers configuration in 1989-90.
@@ApprenPlayer Thanks for the correction!
R.I.P to the South African Airways Combi...Enjoyed the vid as always 😉👍👍✌️
SAA295
That was wrong how they put dangerous cargo with passengers 😪. Which was the demise of the Combi. God and Jesus has that wonderful plan to reunite their loved 🥰 ones again. What a horrible death. God be with each and every one of those precious souls 💐🌹🌹. Excellent video.💕. Kudos from Alaska. Love ❤️ your voice 🤩.
@@alaskanactressp30 agreed, HORRIBLE idea. Then again, at that time they were still learning about the flammability of many of the materials they were hauling.
@@dodoubleg2356 yes 🙌 so heart breaking 💔 , broke my heart 💔, they should of known better, dangerous items should be on top of a container ship 🚢 in its own container, not with people or animals. 😭😪. Happy New Year 🎆🎈🎊 May your dreams come true for you in 2022.
@@alaskanactressp30 couldn't agree more, & same wishes to you & your's in '22 as well. Be safe. 😉✌️👍
I had the privilege of flying the Combi twice. KLM. About 15 years ago.
Amsterdam - Kuala Lumpur - Djakarta, return. Going down, the rear was full of race horses that "got off" at Kuala Lumpur. I was sitting right up against the partition where there was a little door. Some of the cabin crew went through from time to time. A group of passengers asked what was behind. The very kind crew, after asking for permission took very few of us by groups 3 behind.
We met the vets that flew on every trip carrying animals. Found out later they were called "the flying vets". Anyway, they were very helpful and explained all kinds of things. We were not allowed to touch the animals, but seeing horses, calm, just eating away and thinking you are at 30'000 feet....well was quite a unique experience.
On the way back there were cars in the back for the Kuala Lumpur - Amsterdam.
We had a longer roll for takeoff and the climb was shallow and longer too. Cars are definitely heavier than horses.
I agree totally with a statement in your video. The interior was indeed getting old.
Fond memories though and a magnificent sunrise over the Himalayas on the way down.
The queen shall be missed !
Flew on KLM combis many, many times, you could not tell the difference from a full pax B747 except on boarding the inside was shorter than normal but sitting down, facing forward you had no idea there was freight in the back. The KLM combis and the full pax were always wonderful to fly on.
I flew a KLM combi from ORD to AMS, it was showing its age for sure but I’d fly on it again if given the chance
I once flew on a Qantas 747 combi to LA via Tahiti. Got bumped to business after the tech stop in Tahiti. Very nice flight.
I was on the Air Canada 747 Combi from CDG to YYZ years ago (or may have been YUL). It was strange to get onto such a huge plane and see such a small passenger cabin.
I’ve flew on 747 combi on September 2018 from LAX to AMS. Flight Number was KL602 and tail number of the plane was PH-BFI.
I flew as a flight attendant many times on 737 combis!!!. The cargo was at the front!!. It was funny to walk along a narrow aisle at the side to get to the cockpit for whatever reason.
I flew on the 747-300 Combi as a Qantas Long Haul flight attendant. It had been changed from a 1/2 passenger t1/2 cargo to a full passenger cabin.The aircraft side rear cargo door was replaced with one with windows so well it was hard to see to the untrained eye. The outline of the side rear cargo door was visible from the outside and the inner 4 window surrounds were different form the rest, again, only a keen eye could tell. The only 747 to have a cargo container that had been turned into a crew rest and the trap door to go down to it was located at the CSM (Customer Service Manager's station at doors 2. It was very old, super spacious and looked like a container from the outside. We all loved it as the warning lights (smoke, seat belts, evac, etc) were so old it was like going back in time. Happy Memories. We only used the lower cargo deck crew rest on SYD-BOM-SYD and SYD-JNB-SYD sectors. ;-)
I flew on a MAS 747-400M out of LHR to KUL back in 97. I remember it being a tad weird because the rear passenger bulkhead was only slightly aft of the wing box. Cabin felt a lot shorter than other 744's I flew on during that era; SQ, GA and QF
I flew 1999 with one from Amsterdam with short stops in Rio and Buenos Aires to Santiago de Chile. On the way back it was just a stop in Rio. I loved to watch the loading process. I was 9yo at that point. Loved it.
As a ground handler for KLM at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, I was able to work several times with the B747 combi. It was always fun to load horses, expensive cars and aircraft engines. Worth mentioning is that KLM and several other airlines made a request at Boeing to develop a B747-8 combi. However, this variant was never developed because of safety concerns of the FAA and EASA due to prior accidents.
I flew on one of these as an unescorted minor from Beijing to Amsterdam. As unescorted minors we were all sat in the rear of the cabin next to the door into the cargo area. The door had a sign on it saying “Crew Only”. The KLM crew looked after us all. It was fun.
I flew on one 747-400M with KLM from YYZ-AMS in June 2013. In fact, it was PH-BFE ("Melbourne"), which was one of the Combis featured in this video.
Unfortunately, it's no longer profitable enough to build additional Combi aircraft, and the Helderberg crash in 1987 was a key reason for it. In 1993, the FAA issued a mandate that required sufficient fire suppression systems in the cargo sections on the main deck, stronger bulkheads and stronger, airtight doors to separate the area from the passenger cabin.
Most operators of the type at the time cancelled their upcoming orders in light of this (as the additional expense was a deterrence for their purchases and upkeep), save for KLM, which continued to place orders for the -400M until the 2000s, and maintained them for years. The aftermath of 9/11 and the ensuing downturn caused even KLM to drop its upcoming orders, with the final aircraft in the series being delivered to KLM in 2002.
While the cause of the Helderberg crash was disputed due to a lack of solid evidence, various theories have been suggested although those were just conspiracy theories. They range from faulty electrical wiring to lithium batteries used for computers to fireworks to the most sinister of all - illegal weapons bought by the South African government.
If you want to see a 747 - 206. Fitted for KLM. You can visit Aviodrome in Lelystad. This one also has the combo configuration
Only 747 combi that I can actually remember ever travelling on was the Swissair 747-300 combi ZRH-DEL-BKK and return. After take off from DEL on the outward journey, the Captain announced that there was a 'technical problem' and that he would give us further information in the morning if necessary before landing at BKK. That reassuring announcement really helped the passengers to relax and get some sleep between DEL and BKK. Nothing untoward happened and we landed safely and uneventfully at BKK.
I’m really happy that I got to fly the Combi once from AMS to KJFK, was an amazing flight.
Flown the KLM combi many times AMS - ORD and back. Almost always in premium economy. The last trip was over the 2019 holidays and that was on the 787.
The combi's were getting worn, but I had no complaints.
I've flown on Lufthansa 747 combis from SFO to Frankfurt and back.They were nice comfortable flights.
I’ve seen something like this on “Pocket Planes”.
YES DUDE
I flew with KLM’s 747-400M PH-BFT back in August 2019 when it brought me from AMS to LAX. Back when everything was normal and I went on a holiday in LA to then start my university exchange in SF for one semester...
It was my first and sadly enough last time I could fly on a mixed cargo configuration after flying almost annually on a “regular” KLM 747-400 (for over 20 years). I used to fly from AMS to PBM, which is KLM’s busiest passenger 747 route due to the connection the Netherlands has with Suriname. (Back in the old times Suriname was a colony of the Dutch and therefor Suriname’s main language is Dutch. People from Suriname live in the Netherlands and are hopping between the Netherlands and Suriname all the time).
I will never forget that flight as it was the unexpected last flight for me on a KLM Boeing 747 where I got to see a peak from the horses in the back and meeting a goodboii (labrador) in the cabin.
The KLM 747’s were planned to be phased out this year (2021) but thanks to Corona the last passenger flight happend in March last year... I was so sad when I found out I had to fly in a 777 when I arrived at the gate in SFO back in December 2019.
I worked on the construction of the Taiwan High Speed Rail and Eva Air are a partner in that company so all our flights were with Eva Air. Our flight allowance was one flight to UK and 3 anywhere in Asia each year. I often flew aboard there Combi 747 and was seated in the Premium Economy section in the nose of the aircraft. This section was roomy and less noisy so enjoyed it very much. Can't remember each route was aboard the Combi as I also bought extra flights and enjoyed the free upgrade given plus lots of air miles to upgrade even higher.
I was a great fan of Eva Air and continued to use them after completing my contract on THSR, sadly the routing from Saigon does not work for me now.
I've flown on the KLM combis a few times. They were commonly used on the Joburg to Schiphol route.
i flew on a klm combi from amsterdam to hong kong...i was upgraded to premium class the only time ive ever turned left boarding a plane lol ...i loved the jumbo jet 😀
Is there any footage of the conversion, removing chairs and all of that? And where did they keep excess chairs, floors, etc.?
I often flew on the KLM 747 Combi. Once I was lying down on a bed in a crew rest container in the cargo section during take-off. Quite an experience.
Use to work Lufthansa and KLM combi's back in the '80's at ORD. Miss seeing the Queen of the Skies.
I flew the Combi MEX to AMS back in early 2000's. The seating arrangement next to the front galley was quite comfortable.
Imagine the person who just thought "hmmm lemme just divide the plane"
😆😆😆
SABENA was omitted from your list of operators. .I know because i had three memorable flights on their Combis
I flew sometimes on the combi to Japan, fantastic plane!
Sabena had the 300 version back in the days which I flew frequently. For the past couple of years KLM. I will miss the 747's. Nothing like the roar of those 4 engines at take off
I flew on a KLM combi in 2016 on the route Amsterdam - Mexico City. Even if the aircraft was already old back then, the cabin was very well kept.
With passengers probably not coming back soon from covid I'm wondering if Boeing and Airbus can develop combi aircraft versions of the 777X and the A350 since those seats won't be filled anytime soon and cargo demand is higher than ever
Maybe a 777X Combi could be become a thing, I wouldn’t be too sure about the A350!
I flew on a KLM combi from DTW to AMS in 1992.
Swissair bought the very first one of the 747-300 series, and three of those were combis. I flew aboard one from Atlanta to Zurich in the late 90s.
fun fact: the 747 was supposedly Boeings attempt at making a military heavylift aircraft, hence the upper deck cockpit so it could have a a lifting nose. That didn’t go through but it turned out to be a good airliner too.
So looking at that 0:56 that’s actually the 747 at its most original form.
Flew first on an AF 742M in the 80s out of HKG, klm had a 742M out of hkg to AMS on the same schedule and they both made a stopver in BKK... remember seeing the klm fly parallel to my AF from hkg to bkk
I had the privilege of flying on PH-BUL at the time it was a Boeing 747-206SUD variant. KLM stretched the upper deck of a number of their 200s to give a similar capacity to the 300s.
I was a Ramp Rat for an airlines that took care of ground Operation for Air France, Lufty and Swiss Air and it was AMAZING how much WEIGHT those aircraft carry and got off the Ground !
Legendary airplanes:
Boeing 747
A10 warthog
Airbus a380
An-225
F22
B52
B2
A340
SU-57
F15
F16
Concorde
SR-71 blackbird
L1049
Dc7
Avro vulcan
X29
C5
C17
Tu 144
TU 95
An 22
Commet
Dc 11
Boeing 707
Dc3
Spitfire
Me 262
Comment more below! Ill add them to the list
A380
AN-225
F-22
B-52
B-2
SU-57
F-15
F-16
Concorde
Oh I can go on
Forgot to also include the SR-71 Blackbird
A340
@@yawningdoggo3106 and l1049 super Connie
Douglas DC-7
The 400M could also be converted to full pax layout if needed within a day to meet changing demands. The last surviving 747-200 Combi aircraft and also the last 747-200 with the stretched upper deck modification is PH-BUK, currently on display at the Dutch Aviodrome aviation museum.
Flew on a COMBI out of Hong Kong Kai tak in 1995. Lovely aircraft.
Was so much fun :)
KLM Purser opened the separating door to look into the cargo section and 2 horses were staring us. Couldn't believe that at that very moment.
That is funny - actually they moved a lot of horses around in the back of those 747's special during Olympic Games etc.
@@classicalmidiorgans Well, those 2 were in the very front 🤷♂️
I've ridden a KLM boeing 747-400 Combi, in 2014, I took a ride from Jakarta to Singapore.
Flyed it with KLM, AMS-JFK and back in 2008. Nice plane!
Great video , thanks for sharing;)
Flew B747-200 Combis on two occasions. First one was with Air Canada on their LHR - YYZ sector (August 1985) and the second time was with Qantas (NAN - HNL - LAX in November of 1993).🙂🙂🙂
I flew on a klm 747 combi, was pretty confused at the beginning but i could see true the backdoor and see the cargo hold
My first experience of the combi was a short flight on Thai, from BKK to HKG. Also experienced KLM on a long haul from AMS to HKG. This was about 5 years ago, where I had experienced much more comfortable long haul on 777s, the combi on this long haul flight really did show it was very dated.
In 2000 I flew on a 747 Combi operated by Eva of Taiwan. San Francisco to Taipei. Had a row to myself so I managed to get some sleep and the food even in economy was fantastic. I was about 5 rows ahead of the dividing bulkhead.
You didn't mentiion the 747-200C (convertible).
Can the cargo section extend from the 3rg gate to the tale? How they operate as full cargo planes the last KLM Combis? How many of the 747-400M still exist (stored but not scrapped)?
This model Is the B747 version I am more interested in.
Never knew this! Thanks
I did fly on one. A Varig 747 from LAX to GIG. It normally would have been a DC-10 (MD-11?) but switched to a combi as they loaded two Formula 1type pace cars on board. It was very weird watching them get put through the side cargo door.
Hi, way back in the early 80s (prob 1983/4) i was returning to London from JFK and i have always been keen on planes. I was booked on a BA 747 in Club, in those days it included the helicopter from/to Manhatten too. The plane was a 200 Combi, as i found out when i asked the steward, as I got on the plane I was confused as there was a bulkhead you could see as you boarded. My seat was roughly at the point of the stairs to the bubble but on the other side of the plane. Have to say if ever i found out it was a combi again i would decline, but believe that BA didn't operate them for very long or if they did not on another flight for me. The reason, I did not like the plane was because it was a bumpy night all the way back across the pond. Every time the plane was violently hit by another wave or wall of turbulence, you could feel bumps and noises coming from behind us. I was not alone and the steward did say that they were noisy on nights like these. I did not sleep that night and kept dreaming and wishing for the flight to get home.
i remeber being on 747-300 combi from klm c 1999. I recall we could not de plane until the cargo had been removed as they were worried about an imbalance !
Flew on KL648 in a 400M, but didn't really notice it being a part cargo, because I flew in premium economy 😅
Flew on an Eva Air combi back when I was a kid. Was mildly confused why the cabin length didn’t quite match up to the aircraft length.
Flown on KLM combis quite a lot. Always the same route NCL-AMS-IAH on the section to/from Houston. You get a quite claustrophobic experience just after boarding because the partition was usually well forward,feeling like just got on to a very wide 737.
The return leg of this trip was weird because you got a three breakfast day. Huervos motulenos in the Houston morning, plane breakfast as you got hurled at the sun somewhere east Atlantic and another plane breakfast on the final short section, complete with the shock of the world’s worst instant coffee to acclimatise return to the UK. Then the week of bad jet lag.
Flew in the 747 Combi in October 2019 (my profile pic!). It was a cool plane, but as mentioned the cabin (unless you were in business class) was quite old and uncomfortable for the 10-hour flight. The PTVs didn't even work.
Yup, I did fly on them, once on a return trip from Amsterdam to Jakarta (through Singapore) with KLM, and another time on the first leg of a return trip from Paris to Hong Kong on Air France.
Didn't see much difference as a usual 747-400, as I was in Business Class & seated in the bubble (hump), in all cases.
Please do a video on the Douglas DC-7
Been flying on the KLM combi many times at they where heavy used on the Schiphol to Hong Kong route.
Flew four times on KLM combi on the ORD to Amsterdam route. Great service and easier to walk around because of fewer passengers. Also much easier trip through immigration and customs for the same reason.
A beautiful plane, I went on it from AMS to HKG in 2016 with KLM
I flew a Pakistan international airlines 747 Combi from New York to Paris in the mid 80s. I recall being surprised by how short the cabin was. Had a smoking section.
Flew a combi on KLM from Shanghai to Schipol about 11yrs ago
I flew on an Alitalia's 747 Combi between '94 and '95 From Rome to Chicago!
Yes i have travelled on a Swissair 747-300 Combi. You didn’t mention Swissair had 3 of them
EVA Air flew these on the LHR-BKK-TPE route for years until around 2006 I think. Flew on it numerous times.
I think I did. One of the crew members told that they where also transporting horses. It was probably from AMS to LAX.
Korean airlines and Philippine airlines operate the combi as well
Imagine if Boeing made a combi 777
Yes. Why not actually ? 200 people up front and the rest cargo.....Great idea !
I'm sure it's coming
Thanx for this video :) Im so blessed I had the chance to work on this airplane :) Had some wonderful memories :) cars, horses etc.
A former KLM 747-Combi is for display at the Lelystad Aerodrome museum in The Netherlands.
I flew on KLM 747 Combi’s many times. Sad to see them retire.
SAA Flight 259. RIP 159 souls
So sorry. Yes you are correct.
Helderberg.
Another operator of the 747 Combi for a time (late 1990s / first decade of the 2000s) was African carrier, Air Namibia. If I remember correctly, Air Namibia’s Combi made a weekly flight from the Namibian capital Windhoek to Frankfurt in Germany (incidentally, the former colonial power in the then-Southwest Africa until 1919). The main purpose of the Combi was to deliver fish caught off Namibia’s coast to European markets.
What about weight distribution? Could you in theory have a nose loading 747 with all pax seated in an extended top deck?
The DC-8 combis have freight in the front and passengers in the back. For example the DC-8 operated by Samaritan's Purse (which is over 50 years old, so if a bunch of 747 combis are being retired, maybe they need to look into a newer plane). So it is possible to do it that way.
747 cult going strong!
I flew a 747-400 Combi on EVA Taipeh - Dubai - Amsterdam in January 1999. As a passenger you wouldn't notice the difference. The cabin is just much shorter.
Yes I did. KLM 747-400 Combi KUL-AMS back in 2009.
Flew it on EVA sfo to tpe. Plane was so old that made UA 747 feel modern. I avoided EVA until they switched to 777
Flew twice on 747-400M: once on HKG-YVR with Air Canada and once on TPE-HKG with EVA Air. Air Canada puts economy class on the upper deck with 3-3 seating configuration. Enjoy that a lot since the window seat has huge leg room and storage capacity on the side due to the curvature of the fuselage. EVA Air put the Premium Economy section at the nose so I was sitting in that zone. Their original premium economy in 747 has more generous spaces than the newer ones.
How many combu jets are still flying
so airlines had a problem, not full 747s. so Boeing, make a combi with cargo. smart idea
I believe I flew an Air Canada version from YYZ or YUL to CDG circa 1990. One of my traveling companions made a joke about the "big closet" at the back.
Flew on the Air Gabon combi a couple of times. It was a little tired even then (1995).
I did fly KLM 747combi from Mexico to Amstredam way back 2009..
I flew with KLM PH-BUM, the Charles Kingsford Smith, from Amsterdam to Mumbai in the summer of 2000. I even was allowed to visit the cockpit mid-flight. A treat now impossible since 9-11. The aircraft left the fleet to join Pucket Air, which had a bad reputation at maintenance. I felt sorry for this aircraft. Sistership PH-BUF was involved in the Tenerife disaster. Another sistership, PH-BUK is preserved at Lelystad Airport in the Netherlands though not in cmbi configuration. A lot of exhibits etc. Small quirk, the tail now has a red light on top since the plane will never move and now technically it is a building now.
Also, I saw the last ones standing near a hangar at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport being made ready for their last ever flight. Two of them were painted with white tails, their identity deleted. No more KLM markings. I don't know what destination they will go, probably Mohave Desert, but a lot are also stored in Spain at Teruel Airport. Check out Google maps for that.
My most recent Long-haul flight was in November 2019 on British Airways’ 747
Can you make a video how to convert a passenger plane to Cargo...and why big Airlines are not doing it? For example cargo jet stock has sky rocketed but air Canada hasn’t. Please put some highlights on THIS.
I Flew on a VARIG 747-300 Combi on the route GIG-JFK in the late 80's
It was weird. There was a huge wall right on the middle of the plane.
My only flight on a 747 was on a KLM combi from Germany to South Korea october ‘19
I have flown the KLM 747 combi. The configuration doesnt matter the queen is the queen.
0:35 It’s peak would be the Boeing 747-400...
_Technology_ ..747-800 🤔
The 747-400 was the most popular variant, therefore it’s considered the peak of the program! The 747-8 wasn’t as successful as the 747-400!
@@spongebubatz _Technologically_ the 748s are the peak.
747 combies are also used by EVA Air before.