TWA 747: Your Castle In The Air

TWA’s 747 service made air travel more desirable and more available for the average traveler of the 1970s and beyond. The larger capacity and lower cost of flying made this wide body aircraft an obvious choice for TWA. Its spacious and roomy interiors and luxurious experiences made it the choice for travelers. Take a closer look at TWA’s 747 jumbo jet and get TWA 747 PlaneTags of your own. 

TWA 747: Leading the Way, TWA

The Boeing 747 was developed in the late 1960s, in response to airlines’ requests for an airplane that could carry more passengers at lower costs in a more efficient manner than existing aircraft available at the time. TWA, like other airlines, asked for public input on comfort and service features and customized its aircraft accordingly. TWA received its first 747-100s in December 1969 and introduced scheduled service soon after in February 1970. An additional 15 joined the fleet over the next two years, with eight more added in the 1980s, and the final two added in 1996, including N129TW. 

TWA touted its new jumbo jet in commercials and with exciting new brochures, extolling its “excitingly different” amenities and “totally new way of flying” to a new generation of travelers. The spacious interiors offered a new living room look, with bright colors to its thick carpeting and rich upholstery, with roomy areas and space to move around. The 747-100 boasted an iconic winding stairway, which led to the First Class penthouse lounge of our dreams.

Even the seats were something to wonder at - roomy, wider and deeper with a built in lumbar support that contoured to one’s spine. Food service? The larger, more extensive kitchen facilities allowed for grander meals and bar service at any time during the flight. 

In addition to these luxurious touches, TWA offered new services such as automated baggage systems, business class and international amenities, and containerized air freight service. 

 Video courtesy of Mike Moran

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A slower, more concise walkthrough of TWA's N129TW, a Boeing 747-128 that has been stored at Pinal Airpark, Marana, AZ since January 11, 1997. She has not left since, and is an actual time capsule into what passengers flew in during the closing years of TWA's history. Check out my other post for other videos and the history of this unique bird in today's day and age! No sound, once again, because we're AMTs! One more thing: I did not get a tour of MZJ, so please do not call them requesting tours of the interiors of birds stored there; my coworkers and I were working aircraft reactivations for Delta, and I reached out to Ascent Aviation Services (Pinal Airpark's owners) to inquire about seeing the inside of N129TW. They were amazing and aided me in contacting Logistic Air, the owners of her, due to us already working there. Big thank you to Ascent and Logistic Air for giving me this opportunity. I will never forget it! UPDATE: @planetags is now making tags out of N129TW! #747 #747lovers #aircraftmaintenance #aviationmaintenance #aviationmaintenancetechnician #aviationlovers #aviationdaily #aviationtimecapsule #aviation4u #avgeek #avnerd #avporn #aviation #aviationdaily #b747 #boeing #boeinglovers #boeing747 #instaplane #instaflight #pilotlife #pinalairpark #twa #transworldairlines

A post shared by 𝓜𝓲𝓴𝓮 𝓜𝓸𝓻𝓪𝓷 (@mikeandsomeikes) on Aug 8, 2020 at 6:26pm PDT

N129TW

MotoArt TWA 747

Although N129TW began and served through most of its career with other airlines, it was as a TWA 747 that this aircraft retired. It was the last of the complete TWA passenger 747s remaining, still painted in its experimental TWA livery. It remained in its resting place in Pinal Airpark, Marana, AZ for years after, a treasure wasting away under the hot sun. Although it was surrounded by other retired planes in various colors and liveries, N129TW always stood out from the rest to MotoArt owner Dave Hall.

“Seeing this plane evokes a lot of warm memories for me, as it does for so many others,” says Hall. “TWA was not only one of the biggest airlines when we were growing up, but it was an iconic brand of its own. It symbolized travel and luxury and the joy of flying. We’re stoked that this plane has joined the PlaneTags fleet.”

“We get so many messages and comments from people all over the world who have worked for TWA or took their first airplane ride in a TWA. This is going to be a special memento for many and we’re glad to be a part of it.”

TWA PlaneTags

This 747 has been preserved as PlaneTags and can join your collection of 747 memorabilia or given to your favorite aviation enthusiast or pilot. They are available in blue and are numbered to 20,000. Own a piece of aviation history and grab your TWA PlaneTag today.

In case you missed it

Check out these related articles about some of the 747s that MotoArt has transformed into lasting memories for you to enjoy. 

• Thai Airways 747: Culture and Hospitality On Board
• Welcome to Korea: KAL’s Boeing 747-400
• Inside the Stratolaunch: The United Boeing 747 Behind the Giant Plane
• MotoArt Transforms A 747 Cowling Into A Grand Chandelier

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