Since 28th December ANA (All Nippon Airways) has put a mass tourism symbol up for sale: a limited number of their former Boeing 747 seats, because ANA’s partnership with the 747 lasted over 40 years.
For Japanese tourists, the aircraft embodied the discovery of the Japanese archipelago and subsequently the world. In the 90’s, the company operated nineteen 569-seater specially refurbished 747-400’s ; designed solely to serve the short-haul, high-volume Japanese domestic market, at the time, these aircraft had the highest seating capacity in the world, but having been retired on 31st March last year, they have been replaced by 54 Boeing 777’s.
With this sale, ANA offers you the possibility of bringing some of that legend into your lounge, on condition that you are a Japanese resident since it is reserved exclusively for the Japanese market.
The company has of course been careful to remove the wiring and adapt the feet so that they can be placed on a normal floor without damaging it.
For 4,400 Euros ($ 5,200), those nostalgic of the Boeing 747 can therefore acquire a Premium Economy Class seat, and for 700 Euros extra (€ 5,100 or $ 6,000), pick up a bargain by buying a pair of seats. One small point is that, in total, there are only seven seats up for sale because their transformation is highly time-consuming.
This very original operation will end on 28th February with a random draw from prospective purchasers’ names – just a pity that this sale is not open to interested parties resident outside Japan.
