A chapter of aviation history closes Tuesday when bids farewell to the 747, the jumbo jet that made air travel way more affordable for millions of people around the globe.

The double-decker plane with the humped fuselage is one of the world's most recognized planes. But after flying the four-engine, fuel-guzzling plane for decades, United and other airlines are retiring the so-called Queen of the Skies in favor of sleeker, more cost-efficient models. The planes are used frequently for cargo, which was the reason for the plane's design. Some models were given a hinged nose to allow for easy loading of goods.

United's first 747 took off from San Francisco and flew to Honolulu in 1970. It's repeating that route for the final passenger flight Tuesday, complete with a crew dressed in 1970s uniforms. Smoking will not be permitted, however.

In a sign of how efficient modern planes have become, last month , and new, single-aisle Boeing 737s will likely do the job.

will retire its Boeing 747 fleet by January, the last U.S. airline to do so. But the plane will live on as a workhorse cargo jet, flown by and others.

Here's a look at the Boeing 747, and how it changed the world from its introduction nearly five decades ago: