I’m not quite sure how such an anniversary slipped by so quietly, but a friend of mine just sent me an article that reminded me that this month celebrates 80 years since Pan Am’s inaugural flight.

It was October 18, 1927 that Pan Am’s first flight departed Key West for the short hop to Havana. Of course, Pan Am died in 1991 after a long illness. This shot summarizes my memories of Pan Am.

That’s ship N740PA, Clipper Ocean Pearl, at LAX in May 1988. (Copyright © AirNikon) I can remember two trips on Pan Am. One on 747s the whole way from LAX to JFK to Zurich and then back. The second trip was even more exciting as I flew again on a 747 from LAX to JFK and then JFK to Berlin on an A310. The return London to LAX on a 747 was my first time on the upper deck.

It’s sad that such a pioneering airline wasn’t able to survive deregulation. All we can do now is remember and recognize all the incredible contributions the airline made over the years.

The 747 has been around for a long time. In fact, the 747-100 had its first commercial flight with Pan Am 37 years ago this Sunday. So as the plane approaches its fortieth birthday, you’d think it would be on its way out, right?

Not so much.

The program was given new life back in the late 1980s with the 747-400 version. That was the first version to have a new cockpit which required two instead of three people to fly it as well as other big improvements. As orders for that plane wind down, the 747-8 has been launched to carry the torch.

Just yesterday, Boeing announced that the interior on the 747-8 will be much improved. There is a new mockup which showcases these features.

Pretty slick, huh? This shows you the larger windows (equal to the size of windows on the 777) and overhead bins embedded into the ceiling to allow for more headroom and a more open feeling. You can also see the cool lighting that can be changed depending upon the time of day. There’s also a curved staircase up to the upper deck right as you walk in. Here are some more pictures if you’re interested.

As you look through these pictures, be careful. The seats are just what Boeing put on there and not necessarily what the airlines will choose to use. Any lounges or cool sitting spaces are completely at the discretion of the airline, so it’s not going to mean much.

In case you’re not impressed, how about this flashback to an old 747

(photo credit: http://members.tripod.com/~gerardfoley/olga.html)

Yeah, that’s what I thought.