American Airlines MD-80 Retirement Discussion Thread

Narfish641 · Sun Nov 05, 2017 10:25 pm

In a quick summary, American has announced that their MD-80 fleet will all be retired in 2019. They will end this year with 45 aircraft, then drop to 26 next year.

That's one down, and 2 more airlines to go. Sad to see them go.

https://airlinegeeks.com/2017/11/02/ame ... ng-md-80s/

ytib · Sun Nov 05, 2017 10:27 pm

Looks like Delta will provide us with some Mad Dog 20/20 as 2020 is when they are targeting the retirement of theirs.

SESGDL · Sun Nov 05, 2017 10:41 pm

ytib wrote:
Looks like Delta will provide us with some Mad Dog 20/20 as 2020 is when they are targeting the retirement of theirs.

I think the C Series debacle will push that back a bit.

Jeremy

ehaase · Sun Nov 05, 2017 10:50 pm

Since the C series will initially replace regional jets, I wouldn't think the C series debacle would affect MD88 retirements. I would think some regional jets will stay around longer. Besides the MD90's will be still be around.

N626AA · Sun Nov 05, 2017 11:27 pm

Gosh I remember the days when that's all you'd pretty much see in AA metal at their non-hub airports.. AA S80s inbound, outbound, parked, overnighting, etc. Hold on a little longer girls.

CHI2DFW · Sun Nov 05, 2017 11:35 pm

Latest rumor is DFW is the last crew base and it will be a strange xxx-DFW final flight.

AA747123 · Sun Nov 05, 2017 11:44 pm

Will be strange to see an AA with no MD80's it was such a workhorse for AA over the years... Going to catch a few last rides on the great silverbird!

Dalmd88 · Mon Nov 06, 2017 12:01 am

2020 is a hard date I believe. I think they need an avionics upgrade to keep flying past that date. Now some of the airframes that are set to retire in 2018 may get a lease on life due to the C Series delays. Those airframes would need a HMV check to stay alive I believe.

Ziyulu · Mon Nov 06, 2017 12:30 am

What is the wingspan of a MD80 vs. a 737? I was told that certain gates at DFW were originally designed to only allow MD80s side-by-side. Anything bigger would not fit. Is that true?

DeSpringbokke · Mon Nov 06, 2017 1:20 am

Delta has 95 A321s plus five options and 45 737-900ERs on order. They have just one more old 757, two A320s, and two 76Qs to be retired. At the moment, they have 111 MD-88s in their fleet Delta doesn't need the CSeries to retire the MD-88. Indeed, I believe Ed has stated that the these two types will replace the MD-88s and the CSeries will be used for continued 50 seater replacement, they plan to cut the 50 seaters to less than 100 by 2020, and for growth.

Tan Flyr · Mon Nov 06, 2017 1:30 am

AA747123 wrote:
Will be strange to see an AA with no MD80's it was such a workhorse for AA over the years... Going to catch a few last rides on the great silverbird!

yup..it sure will. it will come close to 35 years (or so) ..almost as long as the 727..it was a sad day when they departed the fleet..2 great examples of solid performers, year after year..probably the 2 examples of assets performing to help AA hold together in some tough times over the service life of each model.

Now, if anyone wants to guess the date of the last 737 (of whatever MAX model) will leave the fleet..that would make a great pool to bet on..many of us will be watching from a bit higher altitude by that time. My guess...2055..and even by that time maybe the MOM 797 or maybe 767X?? (757 replacement) will have been in service 25 years!!

who knows?!..but I'm going to try to schedule a few more legs on the MD-80 in 2018..built with pride and guts..in Long Beach!

Long live Douglas jets!

william · Mon Nov 06, 2017 1:36 am

Ziyulu wrote:
What is the wingspan of a MD80 vs. a 737? I was told that certain gates at DFW were originally designed to only allow MD80s side-by-side. Anything bigger would not fit. Is that true?

Yes.

william · Mon Nov 06, 2017 1:38 am

Crandall was a hard bargainer and in essence got every third MD80 free.

448205 · Mon Nov 06, 2017 1:53 am

I could set a clock by the sound of MD-80's flying out of MCI to DFW. End of an era.

cheapgreek · Mon Nov 06, 2017 1:57 am

N626AA wrote:
Gosh I remember the days when that's all you'd pretty much see in AA metal at their non-hub airports.. AA S80s inbound, outbound, parked, overnighting, etc. Hold on a little longer girls.

When RDU was a hub, the banked flights would all arrive in a short time and most were MD-80's. Hate to see them go, the 3-2 seating was the best.

Austin787 · Mon Nov 06, 2017 2:00 am

AUS was 100% MD-80s for many years. Recently, 737s, A319s, and even A321s have started taking over AA's AUS flights.

Aloha717200 · Mon Nov 06, 2017 2:51 am

This is better than the initial projections that 2017 would be the last year for them. I'm grateful to have a bit more time to fly on a few. I love the Mad Dogs.

Narfish641 · Mon Nov 06, 2017 3:03 am

ytib wrote:
Looks like Delta will provide us with some Mad Dog 20/20 as 2020 is when they are targeting the retirement of theirs.

Agreed! Always nice seeing the horde of Mad Dogs landing and taking here in the ATL! Trust me, it's a heaven for these birds lol!

American 767 · Mon Nov 06, 2017 3:09 am

AA747123 wrote:
Will be strange to see an AA with no MD80's it was such a workhorse for AA over the years... Going to catch a few last rides on the great silverbird!

The same was repeatedly said for the 727 when those were leaving the fleet in the late 90s/early 2000s. The 727 was a true workhorse in the 70s and 80s, just like the MD-80 was in the 90s and 2000s. Please used to say all the time, oh it will feel strange to see the US majors without 727s and we eventually got used to that. With all due respect to MD-80 lovers, the MD-80 is a very nice airplane to fly on but honestly I personally don't feel as bad seeing the MD-80s leaving the fleet as I did when the 727s were leaving about 20 years ago or so.

Narfish641 · Mon Nov 06, 2017 3:11 am

DeSpringbokke wrote:
Delta has 95 A321s plus five options and 45 737-900ERs on order. They have just one more old 757, two A320s, and two 76Qs to be retired. At the moment, they have 111 MD-88s in their fleet Delta doesn't need the CSeries to retire the MD-88. Indeed, I believe Ed has stated that the these two types will replace the MD-88s and the CSeries will be used for continued 50 seater replacement, they plan to cut the 50 seaters to less than 100 by 2020, and for growth.

I do have a feeling of Delta of retiring a few more A320s next year since they are getting up to their age almost. And if I'm not mistaken I believe American is also getting rid of a few A320s as well.

DeSpringbokke · Mon Nov 06, 2017 3:44 am

Narfish641 wrote:
DeSpringbokke wrote:
Delta has 95 A321s plus five options and 45 737-900ERs on order. They have just one more old 757, two A320s, and two 76Qs to be retired. At the moment, they have 111 MD-88s in their fleet Delta doesn't need the CSeries to retire the MD-88. Indeed, I believe Ed has stated that the these two types will replace the MD-88s and the CSeries will be used for continued 50 seater replacement, they plan to cut the 50 seaters to less than 100 by 2020, and for growth.

I do have a feeling of Delta of retiring a few more A320s next year since they are getting up to their age almost. And if I'm not mistaken I believe American is also getting rid of a few A320s as well.

According to a reliable DL employee in this forum, no further A320 retirements are scheduled at this moment. There are 1990 build aircraft receiving the Phase 2 mods, which include in-seat AVOD installation. Right now it appears Delta is going all in on MD-88 retirements. Hell even with 111 MD-88 being replaced by 45 737-900ERs and 95 A321s and maybe five more A321 options, Delta could still retire more A320s if they needed to. I believe Delta received a life cycle extension for the early build A320s. As mentioned earlier, sounds like the 2020 retirement date is set in stone and it'll probably be cheaper to continue to operate more A320s than put some MD-88s through another HMV. AA is getting rid of their A320s with the 737-8 MAX and A321 NEO deliveries, although its probably not going to be until 2020/2021 until they are fully phased out.

psumd80 · Mon Nov 06, 2017 4:12 am

Dalmd88 wrote:
2020 is a hard date I believe. I think they need an avionics upgrade to keep flying past that date. Now some of the airframes that are set to retire in 2018 may get a lease on life due to the C Series delays. Those airframes would need a HMV check to stay alive I believe.

What is the avionics upgrade that is needed?

j3ster1369 · Mon Nov 06, 2017 4:16 am

psumd80 wrote:
Dalmd88 wrote:
2020 is a hard date I believe. I think they need an avionics upgrade to keep flying past that date. Now some of the airframes that are set to retire in 2018 may get a lease on life due to the C Series delays. Those airframes would need a HMV check to stay alive I believe.

What is the avionics upgrade that is needed?

ADS-B transponders are required for all aircraft as of Jan 1, 2020. For some of the older aircraft the investment is not worth the return to keep the aircraft around.

twincessna340a · Mon Nov 06, 2017 4:25 am

ADS-B Out Capability required by Jan 1 2020.

http://www.aviationtoday.com/2017/06/15 ... ercial-ga/

Brian Will, director of Flight Operations Technical for American Airlines, said the Texas-based carrier made a decision with one segment of its older aircraft fleet to replace rather than upgrade.

“At American we’ve determined that two airplanes a day need to be in and out of hangars to get the airplanes ready by the 2020 mandate. we have a fleet of MD-80 and E190 aircraft that we ran the numbers on them we didn’t see the financial justification to equip those fleets so we’ve elected to retire those fleets prior to the Jan. 1, 2020 mandate,” said Will.

727LOVER · Mon Nov 06, 2017 6:29 am

When was the new livery introduced?

2012?

So 7 years and know MD-80s receiving new livery....that must be a record/

I think DL had the old record with the L-1011s

DL introduced a new livery in 2000 and the 727 got it, granted not too many.....and they were gone in April 2003

Dalmd88 · Mon Nov 06, 2017 10:11 am

j3ster1369 wrote:
psumd80 wrote:
Dalmd88 wrote:
2020 is a hard date I believe. I think they need an avionics upgrade to keep flying past that date. Now some of the airframes that are set to retire in 2018 may get a lease on life due to the C Series delays. Those airframes would need a HMV check to stay alive I believe.

What is the avionics upgrade that is needed?

ADS-B transponders are required for all aircraft as of Jan 1, 2020. For some of the older aircraft the investment is not worth the return to keep the aircraft around.

Dl was also going to do a complete new avionics suite. The current FMS is very capacity restrained. I think that is the real reason why DL pulled the Mad Dog from LGA. I believe the current database load omits LGA. AA probably got around the limits by omitting other airports in their system.

lightsaber · Mon Nov 06, 2017 11:33 am

DeSpringbokke wrote:
Narfish641 wrote:
DeSpringbokke wrote:
Delta has 95 A321s plus five options and 45 737-900ERs on order. They have just one more old 757, two A320s, and two 76Qs to be retired. At the moment, they have 111 MD-88s in their fleet Delta doesn't need the CSeries to retire the MD-88. Indeed, I believe Ed has stated that the these two types will replace the MD-88s and the CSeries will be used for continued 50 seater replacement, they plan to cut the 50 seaters to less than 100 by 2020, and for growth.

I do have a feeling of Delta of retiring a few more A320s next year since they are getting up to their age almost. And if I'm not mistaken I believe American is also getting rid of a few A320s as well.

According to a reliable DL employee in this forum, no further A320 retirements are scheduled at this moment. There are 1990 build aircraft receiving the Phase 2 mods, which include in-seat AVOD installation. Right now it appears Delta is going all in on MD-88 retirements. Hell even with 111 MD-88 being replaced by 45 737-900ERs and 95 A321s and maybe five more A321 options, Delta could still retire more A320s if they needed to. I believe Delta received a life cycle extension for the early build A320s. As mentioned earlier, sounds like the 2020 retirement date is set in stone and it'll probably be cheaper to continue to operate more A320s than put some MD-88s through another HMV. AA is getting rid of their A320s with the 737-8 MAX and A321 NEO deliveries, although its probably not going to be until 2020/2021 until they are fully phased out.

Besides the required avionics upgrade due 1 Jan 2020 (hard deadline), parts for the JT8D are getting scarce. AA finds ways to operate the MD-80s and has more parts than anyone else. However, once parts are gone, the supply chain has been fallow for years and is demanding very high payments on JT8D parts due to the tiny volumes. It is the shutdown of the supply chain that dooms the MD-80. There isn't an economical recovery at this point.

Used aircraft are getting cheap. If AA needs more aircraft, they'll be able to buy 10 to 15 year old 737NGs or A320s and operate those alongside the same types until they order C-series, NEO, or MAX.

Lightsaber

drdisque · Mon Nov 06, 2017 3:29 pm

Yes, I do feel less bad about the MD-80 leaving than the 727, I guess first because I grew up near DTW and thus rarely flew on MD-80's while I frequently flew on 727's. Secondly the 727 was such a game-changer in that it opened up so many new routes with its combination of payload, range, short field performance, and 3 engine redundancy without being too big to make the route nonviable. The MD-80 was just a bigger, quieter, DC-9. It's funny to think that it was quieter, but yes, it was.

Incidentally, despite growing up on DC-9's I was hardly sad to see them go. I hated the damn things. I also only took one flight on a 737-200 before they were retired, so I also felt nothing about them (I used to just always think of them in the context of "those crappy planes that USAir has a lot of").

The plane I'm really going to miss is the 757. I'm glad they'll at least be around in some capacity for awhile, even though I haven't been on a 757 since 2013.

atypical · Mon Nov 06, 2017 8:21 pm

william wrote:
Ziyulu wrote:
What is the wingspan of a MD80 vs. a 737? I was told that certain gates at DFW were originally designed to only allow MD80s side-by-side. Anything bigger would not fit. Is that true?

Yes.

No.

The airport design proceeded the MD-80. The buildings are not designed for any particular aircraft. The specific gate and jetway placement is a function of airline decision making (in this case) and can be reconfigured as the fleet changes.

The picture shows a gate configuration that no longer exists and has had several changes since.

Dalmd88 · Mon Nov 06, 2017 9:05 pm

Ziyulu wrote:
What is the wingspan of a MD80 vs. a 737? I was told that certain gates at DFW were originally designed to only allow MD80s side-by-side. Anything bigger would not fit. Is that true?

MD80 is 107' 8", first gen 737 is 93', 737classic 94' 9" and 737NG is finally bigger at 112'. So your assumption is not correct.

ual747den · Mon Nov 06, 2017 9:43 pm

ytib wrote:
Looks like Delta will provide us with some Mad Dog 20/20 as 2020 is when they are targeting the retirement of theirs.

No please don't ever drink that crap!! The last time I drank that I was about 17 and got so drunk that I tried to fight 3 guys with a golf club! I ended up spending a couple hours under a car in the freezing cold hiding from the cops. That stuff is brutal!

luv2cattlecall · Mon Nov 06, 2017 9:44 pm

j3ster1369 wrote:
psumd80 wrote:
Dalmd88 wrote:
2020 is a hard date I believe. I think they need an avionics upgrade to keep flying past that date. Now some of the airframes that are set to retire in 2018 may get a lease on life due to the C Series delays. Those airframes would need a HMV check to stay alive I believe.

What is the avionics upgrade that is needed?

ADS-B transponders are required for all aircraft as of Jan 1, 2020. For some of the older aircraft the investment is not worth the return to keep the aircraft around.

Thanks. About how much does ADS-B out cost? What makes it cost more than the few thousand it costs to retrofit into a Cessna?

william · Mon Nov 06, 2017 10:05 pm

atypical wrote:
william wrote:
Ziyulu wrote:
What is the wingspan of a MD80 vs. a 737? I was told that certain gates at DFW were originally designed to only allow MD80s side-by-side. Anything bigger would not fit. Is that true?

Yes.

No.

The airport design proceeded the MD-80. The buildings are not designed for any particular aircraft. The specific gate and jetway placement is a function of airline decision making (in this case) and can be reconfigured as the fleet changes.

The picture shows a gate configuration that no longer exists and has had several changes since.

He asked about the gates, not terminal. And that's an old postcard pic when that terminal was known as 3E. AA had to get creative in cramming more MD80s into both 2E and 3E since real estate in the 90s was pretty tight at DFW

Breathe · Mon Nov 06, 2017 10:59 pm

ual747den wrote:
ytib wrote:
Looks like Delta will provide us with some Mad Dog 20/20 as 2020 is when they are targeting the retirement of theirs.

No please don't ever drink that crap!! The last time I drank that I was about 17 and got so drunk that I tried to fight 3 guys with a golf club! I ended up spending a couple hours under a car in the freezing cold hiding from the cops. That stuff is brutal!

MD 20/20! That steal is horrific/leathal!

atypical · Tue Nov 07, 2017 10:03 am

william wrote:
He asked about the gates, not terminal. And that's an old postcard pic when that terminal was known as 3E. AA had to get creative in cramming more MD80s into both 2E and 3E since real estate in the 90s was pretty tight at DFW

He specifically said, "certain gates at DFW were originally designed to only allow MD80s". Any way you want to cut it, terminal or not, the answer is no. I agree with your assessment on what AA had to do creatively to fit so many planes in such tight quarters. I am surprised there were as few collisions (any recorded?) between aircraft and other aircraft or ground equipment.

midway7 · Tue Nov 07, 2017 10:30 am

AA was pretty handy with cramming in the M80 as they expanded their hubs in the 1980's and 1990's. I recall the same at ORD. They put a lot of gates in a small area of T-3. At the heyday in the late 80's and early 90's, when they were neck and neck with UA at ORD, they had about half the real estate of UA.

As they went to a rolling bank at ORD later in the 90's, seems like the creativity went away and some tight fit gates were not used much at all.

william · Tue Nov 07, 2017 2:18 pm

atypical wrote:
william wrote:
He asked about the gates, not terminal. And that's an old postcard pic when that terminal was known as 3E. AA had to get creative in cramming more MD80s into both 2E and 3E since real estate in the 90s was pretty tight at DFW

He specifically said, "certain gates at DFW were originally designed to only allow MD80s". Any way you want to cut it, terminal or not, the answer is no. I agree with your assessment on what AA had to do creatively to fit so many planes in such tight quarters. I am surprised there were as few collisions (any recorded?) between aircraft and other aircraft or ground equipment.

It was almost as if the MD80 was tailor made for the horseshoe terminals. Wth the MD80 wings so far back, AA could squeeze two MD80s in one gate area as the pic I posted shows. I do not believe an A320 or 737 would fit in the same gate configuration. It was at this time AA was using power push backs too.

As for collisions, it would not surprise me if there were a couple.

It is odd seeing them retired, I remembered when they debuted in the fleet. At that time the MD80 was state of the art, and at a time when the major airlines had three vendors to choose from instead only two today.

william · Tue Nov 07, 2017 2:35 pm

midway7 wrote:
AA was pretty handy with cramming in the M80 as they expanded their hubs in the 1980's and 1990's. I recall the same at ORD. They put a lot of gates in a small area of T-3. At the heyday in the late 80's and early 90's, when they were neck and neck with UA at ORD, they had about half the real estate of UA.

As they went to a rolling bank at ORD later in the 90's, seems like the creativity went away and some tight fit gates were not used much at all.

I remember that battle between AA and UA. When UA built the "Terminal of Tommorrow" AA countered by raising the ceiling and allowing natural light in, the media called it the "battle of skylights" or something like that. I remember flying into ORD in the late eighties (UA727) and passing a brand new AA MD80 waiting on the apron. WOW! A polished metallic AA MD80 is one of most beautiful things to see.

dwachdorf · Tue Nov 07, 2017 2:47 pm

When was the last time AA used powered push-backs. If I remember correctly - they did it in the early 2000s.

eal46859 · Tue Nov 07, 2017 4:53 pm

As someone who travels exclusively on Delta, and regrettably within markets that are mostly served with MD80 series planes, I cannot wait to see them go.
They feel cramped, they are loud, especially in the far back, the overhead space is small and weird depending on which side of the plane you are sitting on and they are antiques .
The last one I was one, from the tag at the side of the door entrance, was built in 1988.

Tan Flyr · Tue Nov 07, 2017 5:30 pm

eal46859 wrote:
As someone who travels exclusively on Delta, and regrettably within markets that are mostly served with MD80 series planes, I cannot wait to see them go.
They feel cramped, they are loud, especially in the far back, the overhead space is small and weird depending on which side of the plane you are sitting on and they are antiques .
The last one I was one, from the tag at the side of the door entrance, was built in 1988.

I'd take a 1988 built, well maintained, McDonnell -Douglas aircraft any day of the week over some of the light weight-cost-cutting air frames now in service. You get into tough weather or situations, you will be glad you have those few extra mm of aluminum alloy between you and Earth.

mikejepp · Tue Nov 07, 2017 5:54 pm

Tan Flyr wrote:
eal46859 wrote:
As someone who travels exclusively on Delta, and regrettably within markets that are mostly served with MD80 series planes, I cannot wait to see them go.
They feel cramped, they are loud, especially in the far back, the overhead space is small and weird depending on which side of the plane you are sitting on and they are antiques .
The last one I was one, from the tag at the side of the door entrance, was built in 1988.

I'd take a 1988 built, well maintained, McDonnell -Douglas aircraft any day of the week over some of the light weight-cost-cutting air frames now in service. You get into tough weather or situations, you will be glad you have those few extra mm of aluminum alloy between you and Earth.

If I got into a tough situation in an airliner, I'd want it to be one with the latest in flight envelope protection, the best weather radar, sat-phone communication with the ground, better situational awareness for the pilots, the ability for it to self-report maintenance problems, etc etc etc.

A 1988 built MD-80 is a 29 yearold airplane who's day has come and gone.

glbltrvlr · Tue Nov 07, 2017 6:03 pm

luv2cattlecall wrote:
About how much does ADS-B out cost? What makes it cost more than the few thousand it costs to retrofit into a Cessna?

If you have to ask the price...

ATR class transponders aren't cheap. They also require connections to equipment that may or may not exist in older aircraft to populate all the fields in the ADS-B Out squitter. Plus, there is a requirement for upgraded GPS receivers that can tell when Selective Availability (degraded location accuracy) has been turned on. It is more than just a single box replacement and an overnight maintenance job card.

AApilot2b · Mon Jan 22, 2018 4:31 am

We have an American MD-80 every evening here in Pensacola right now. I relish every chance to see her as I know her days are numbered. I always loved the Super 80s and already have begun to miss them before they’re gone.

ikramerica · Mon Jan 22, 2018 4:41 am

The wingspan of the MD80 is only 1/2 the issue. The T tail meant that the wings were further back on the fuse. Combined with a longer fuse due to the t tail and the 3-2 seating, on a rotunda or circular concourse, more MD80s could fit than 737s. On a linear concourse, it made little difference.

I will miss them a little, but not a lot. For me, AA used them on too many routes where a better plane (757, 727) was needed. 3.5 hour flights to the west coast, "red eyes" to ORD, etc. and the F seats were cramped throughout their life. DL didn't do that nearly as much with theirs, probably due to the placement of their hubs making it more difficult.

mfe777 · Mon Jan 22, 2018 5:28 am

I didn't think I would miss the MD-80, but I know know I will due to them being replaced with Mesa CRJs on my most frequent route (Dallas to McAllen to visit family down there). The CRJs are terrible from a comfort perspective. AA used to fly 5 daily MD-80s on DFW-MFE, and now it's down to usually 1 MD-80 and 5 CRJs with skyrocketing prices. The cheapest fare all year is $303 for a BASIC ECONOMY ticket, for a flight within Texas that lasts only about 1hr 15 mins usually. Usually closer to $400 if you want a carryon in main cabin. FOR A ~1HR FLIGHT! Highway robbery. Less seats, that are less comfortable, for more money..... AA is slowly losing me as a customer as most of my recent flights down there have been United or Southwest.

I'm going to miss the MD-80 now!

Chemist · Mon Jan 22, 2018 5:31 am

American 767 wrote:
AA747123 wrote:
Will be strange to see an AA with no MD80's it was such a workhorse for AA over the years... Going to catch a few last rides on the great silverbird!

The same was repeatedly said for the 727 when those were leaving the fleet in the late 90s/early 2000s. The 727 was a true workhorse in the 70s and 80s, just like the MD-80 was in the 90s and 2000s. Please used to say all the time, oh it will feel strange to see the US majors without 727s and we eventually got used to that. With all due respect to MD-80 lovers, the MD-80 is a very nice airplane to fly on but honestly I personally don't feel as bad seeing the MD-80s leaving the fleet as I did when the 727s were leaving about 20 years ago or so.

I'm with you. I've always felt the 727 was the most beautiful airliner other than Concorde. I remember getting to fly a '27 MIA-SJU in F in the late 90's. Nice and quiet up front.

The Mad Dogs are fun and great seating, but somehow I won't miss those as much. My first MD80 flight was out of BUR on PSA way back I believe in the '80s.

MartijnNL · Mon Jan 22, 2018 8:18 am

eal46859 wrote:
As someone who travels exclusively on Delta, and regrettably within markets that are mostly served with MD80 series planes, I cannot wait to see them go.
They feel cramped, they are loud, especially in the far back, the overhead space is small and weird depending on which side of the plane you are sitting on and they are antiques.

I never understand replies like this on an aviation enthusiast website. The MD80 is a real aircraft, extremely quiet upfront and has great 2-3 seating. To me this far outweighs the small overhead space and other discomforts.

I have travelled from Europe to the USA so that I could enjoy the American MD80. I looked for the longest possible route, eventually buying a ticket from Portland to Philadelphia with a stop in Dallas. On the return to the West Coast I logged a Delta MD90.

I have great memories of MD80 flights on Alitalia, Finnair and SAS too.

Stay strong eal46859!

grbauc · Mon Jan 22, 2018 8:39 am

mfe777 wrote:
I didn't think I would miss the MD-80, but I know know I will due to them being replaced with Mesa CRJs on my most frequent route (Dallas to McAllen to visit family down there). The CRJs are terrible from a comfort perspective. AA used to fly 5 daily MD-80s on DFW-MFE, and now it's down to usually 1 MD-80 and 5 CRJs with skyrocketing prices. The cheapest fare all year is $303 for a BASIC ECONOMY ticket, for a flight within Texas that lasts only about 1hr 15 mins usually. Usually closer to $400 if you want a carryon in main cabin. FOR A ~1HR FLIGHT! Highway robbery. Less seats, that are less comfortable, for more money..... AA is slowly losing me as a customer as most of my recent flights down there have been United or Southwest.

I'm going to miss the MD-80 now!

How much was a ticket 20 years ago on your route.?

Are these last minut fares are advanced purchase tickets?

This tread is about MD-80 not fares so I’m wondering are you saying the fares were better with the bigger MD-80? On the route

washingtonflyer · Mon Jan 22, 2018 12:10 pm

AA certainly was the king of tail mounted jets - amongst the 727s, MD-80s and F-100s.

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