The perfect present for that aviation fan? Old Boeing 747 seats to go on sale
By Junko Ogura, CNN • Updated 22nd December 2014
What could be better than experiencing the comfort and reclining pleasure of an airline seat than replicating that experience in your own lounge room or office?
Yep, for those keen to have their very own Boeing 747 seat or are looking for the perfect gift idea for a beloved aviation fan, Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) is selling seats from a decommissioned 747-400D.
The plane, used on domestic routes, was retired in March and the seats go on sale from December 25 to February 28, 2015.
Sadly, the electronics will be dismantled, which means no service button to get another glass of champagne or complain that the entertainment system has malfunctioned again.
Bonus though -- little to no chance of some annoying passenger kicking the back of your seat.
The other catch is that the seats are limited to domestic Japanese sales. They will be sold via this ANA online shopping site run by ANA Trading company (a division of the ANA group). ANA is expecting high demand -- lucky purchasers will be selected by lottery.
There will only be a total of seven premium class seat sets available -- three single seats and four double seats. The single seat is listed at 647,000 yen ($5,420) and 747,000 yen ($6,260) for the double. This includes tax and shipping with deliveries due in March.
ANA Trading Company's Ryota Isomura says his company wanted to make sure aviation fans could own their own part of such an iconic airplane.
Boeing's 747 debuted at the Paris Air Show in 1969 and quickly revolutionized air travel. More than 1,400 747 variants have been delivered by Boeing.
The 747-400 ended production in 2009. Its successor, the 747-8 Intercontinental rolled out in 2012.
