Boeing is considering killing the 747, the aircraft that many consider democratized air travel, while Airbus does the same for it's A380. They don't seem to be able to compete with more efficient twin engined aircraft like the Boeing's 787 or Airbus' A350 XWB.
Both the 787 and the A350 XWB are better fit for airlines, since they have lower operating costs. Most importantly, with turbofan engines becoming more reliable and efficient, and thus allowing longer extended operations(ETOPS) for twin engine airplanes, seems to have doomed the 747 and the A380 to the graveyards.
The decision to ax the 747 or A380 hasn't been made, but that both Boeing and Airbus have made public the decision of doing so is on the table makes it at least likely, since such a choice will have quite a big impact on both companies.
As an aviation enthusiast, seeing the 747 or the A380 go is something I don't want to see. The 747 is such an iconic aircraft, and the A380 is one of my favorite airliners, so seeing any of them go feels for like an end of an era even though there will be examples of both flying for some time after their respective production line is closed.
Airplanes have made the world a smaller place, allowing more people to travel further and getting to know different cultures in person. While information technologies gives us the chance to interact with people without having to be there in person, and puts information about those far away places at our finger tips, they don't really come close to the impact of actually being there in person and getting to know the people who lives on those places.
While we don't loose that ability if Boeing decides to close the production line of the 747, it would be bittersweet to see it happen. But in the end, the 747 delivered on it's promise of making the world a smaller place by allowing more people to know more of it.
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