Want a piece of aviation history? United Airlines is auctioning parts of retired 747 planes
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Fans of the Boeing 747 jet — once known as the Queen of the Skies — can take home a piece of the iconic plane, which recently retired from passenger service.
United Airlines has announced an auction that will let members of the airline’s loyalty reward program, MileagePlus, bid for plane numbers, passenger seats and airspeed indicators, among other pieces of the planes.
MileagePlus members bid using their reward miles, instead of cash, to win the 747 items. The proceeds will benefit Air Camp, a program that teaches children and adults about science, technology, math and engineering through aviation and aeronautics.
Members who don’t want to bother with an auction have a “buy now” option that will set an amount for each item.
According to the website, fans of the 747 can buy a set of three economy seats taken from a retired jet for 250,000 miles.
“It is a great addition to the collection of any aviation enthusiast and certain to be a conversation piece in any environment,” according to the United auction website.
Based on calculations from the thepointguy.com, a website that compares loyalty reward programs, United miles are worth about 1.5 cents each. That means the seats are selling for about $3,750.
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