MO11 wrote:

lightsaber wrote:

The limit of validity of an MD-80 is 110,000 FC and 110,000 FH.

http://www.boeing.com/commercial/aeroma ... ticle2.pdf

The only way to use up that durability in a mere 20 years is 13.7 hours or cycles everyday. Most of these are being retired with 50,000+ hours remaining and even more cycles. Most likely they are done due to fuel burn and the lack of spare parts. But only Hawaiian wears out a DC-9 family in 20 years (on cycles).

Last I looked, only JetBlue was on track to wear out an A320 in 20 years (on hours, 120,000FH limit). IIRC, LH takes 26 (also on hours), not 60,000 FC limit.

With a life of 110,00 FC and 125,000 FH, I'm not aware of a 737 used up in 20 years. Has it happened?

Lightsaber

I knew something wasn't right - per that article, the MD-80 is good up to 150,000 hours.

The DC-9 shows 110,000 hours, and Delta's N923RW had 109,294 when it retired in 2010.

She... My error copying the cycle value for hours.

Either way, my point stands. These are not worn out aircraft. So instead if being retired with about 60,000 FH with 50,000 FH left, it will be 90,000 FH more to go with the 150,000 FH life.

Lightsaber

Does anyone have any updated insider info on the last MD-80 flight? I was going to New Orleans for Labor Day weekend so I booked my return to Dallas on last MSY-DFW flight on Sept 3, which is currently the last scheduled MD-80 arrival into DFW at 9:16. I'm hoping it stays that way, even if a little delay is necessary to make sure it's the last MD-80 revenue flight landing for AA!

What's the AA MD-80 retirement schedule!? I want to fly on one before they're gone for good. What routes are they on now? I missed the DL B744 retirement so hopefully this one is sweeter!

I believe all remaining Super 80's will be flown from DFW - ROW right after Labor Day,
much the same way as the previous mass retirement flights.

I think they'll be 20-30 S80's left by then

Gotta catch another one of these before they go.

Had the pleasure of being on N501AA a bit ago.

I am booking a round trip to DFW in July on the Maddog. I haven't been to DFW since 2008 so it'll be something to not see them everywhere.

-Rowen

x1234 wrote:

What's the AA MD-80 retirement schedule!? I want to fly on one before they're gone for good. What routes are they on now? I missed the DL B744 retirement so hopefully this one is sweeter!

These days they only fly in and out of DFW. Next month (June) you can find them flying to the following airports the following number of times (total for the month in parentheses):

ABQ (24), AMA (25), BNA (47), CLE (86), CMH (85), CVG (84), DSM (90), DTW (46), ELP (40), GRR (30), IAD (3), IAH (47), ICT (119), IND (25), JAX (15), LBB (46), LIT (4), MCI (87), MEM (29), MFE (64), MKE (40), MSP (23), MSY (94), OKC (53), OMA (120), ORF (10), PNS (60), RDU (76), SAT (82), SDF (30), STL (171), TPA (5), TUL (30), VPS (119), and XNA (7).

I wonder if AA will delay their retirement until the MAX issue is resolved.

tjwgrr wrote:

I wonder if AA will delay their retirement until the MAX issue is resolved.

They said that's not going to happen. And it seems that EIS aanouncement is immenent with the FAA meeting with high level folks in the DFW area. There's also a scheduled meeting in Canada with airline executives. Shouldn't be a problem.

Cannot find an MD-80 scheduled past the 3rd of September.

Took one yesterday DFW-ELP. Full flight and powerful takeoff. Love the sounds you hear on the Maddog!

We did take a 30 minute delay due to mx in DFW

Any update on the last flight and if there will be some sort of special event? I'm currently booked on the very last scheduled MD-80 landing, an MSY-DFW on the night of September 3rd, which I booked specifically for this reason. I would love to make sure I'm on the last flight. Hoping AA doesn't pull any surprises on this one.

I wonder if there is going to a mass retirement after Labor Day. A couple of years ago AA retired 20 in one day. I could see a batch retired in mid to late August as summer travel winds down (schools begin to open) and the second batch immediately after Labor Day weekend. So far no official announcements from AA that I know of.

i', booked on one DFW-OKC on June 10th, which I guess will be my last chance to fly on one. I'm going to miss these comfortable airplanes. Especially the 2-3 seating in coach.

Miamiairport wrote:

I wonder if there is going to a mass retirement after Labor Day. A couple of years ago AA retired 20 in one day. I could see a batch retired in mid to late August as summer travel winds down (schools begin to open) and the second batch immediately after Labor Day weekend. So far no official announcements from AA that I know of.

That is the time. Airfleets lists 28 in service (many held as backup). At this time, if even a dozen are retired, there is no longer a large enough pool to pay for all the support to keep a type in the fleet.

Note:. This is a US3 specific comment; the US3 have processes in place to efficiently staff and service large fleets. Those processes go from cutting costs to increasing them at about 25 aircraft. There is a downside to the US style of economy of scale thinking/work style.

Lightsaber

AA flight 80, DFW-ORD 04SEP at 09:00 is allegedly the final farewell flight. Booked it at 05:00 and 15 hours later it doesn't show up as bookable.

AA flight 80 DFW-ORD 04SEP at 09:00 is allegedly the final farewell flight. No longer showing in the booking search.

Dazed767 wrote:

AA flight 80 DFW-ORD 04SEP at 09:00 is allegedly the final farewell flight. No longer showing in the booking search.

Isn’t that the same day the 737 MAX tentatively returns for service? Also, it looks like that flight is already sold out.

Hey y'all, I'm wondering if there is something/someone out there who knows when the last MD80 flights are?

I really am curious when the last MD80 flight out of KSTL is, as I live right next to it.

The very last one is on September 4: AA80, DFW-ORD. Already sold out.

As far as I've heard, they have a fairly normal schedule up until the night of September 3, where most of the MD80s will fly from DFW to various outstations and then onward into retirement from there. Don't know about STL specifically, but you can do your own searches starting at Sept 3 and working backwards to find the last one scheduled.

sketch wrote:

The very last one is on September 4: AA80, DFW-ORD. Already sold out.

As far as I've heard, they have a fairly normal schedule up until the night of September 3, where most of the MD80s will fly from DFW to various outstations and then onward into retirement from there. Don't know about STL specifically, but you can do your own searches starting at Sept 3 and working backwards to find the last one scheduled.

Alrighty, thanks.

There is a separate thread on this but does AA plan to fly all existing MD80s through Labor Day weekend or will some begin to retire as the summer travel season starts to wind down during the second half of August? I've got a flight on an MD80 around mid August, MSY/DFW. I'm hoping my upgrade clears-one last time to enjoy a roomy F seat.

They are done flying September 4th.

Looks like they'll fly back to DFW on the early morning flights on the 4th, and presumably from there to ROW.

https://worldairlinenews.com/2019/06/25 ... e-flights/

Posted on AA.com:

http://news.aa.com/news/news-details/20 ... fault.aspx

Flight Date Departure Time Arrival Time
1449 Sept. 3 GRR 1425 DFW 1606
2372 Sept. 3 SAT 1955 DFW 2110
2257 Sept. 3 MSY 1943 DFW 2122
1010 Sept. 3 DFW 2034 STL 2218
267 Sept. 3 DFW 2226 TUL 2329
2454 Sept. 4 ICT 0500 DFW 0615
2180 Sept. 4 AMA 0500 DFW 0618
2232 Sept. 4 LBB 0500 DFW 0627
2586 Sept. 4 PNS 0500 DFW 0656
2200 Sept. 4 CLE 0540 DFW 0732
2891 Sept. 4 VPS 0545 DFW 0754
2338 Sept. 4 MFE 0615 DFW 0755
2540 Sept. 4 OMA 0600 DFW 0758
2605 Sept. 4 RDU 0600 DFW 0758
2326 Sept. 4 DSM 0600 DFW 0800
2185 Sept. 4 SAT 0700 DFW 0814
2500 Sept. 4 CVG 0629 DFW 0802
1999 Sept. 4 STL 0730 DFW 0924
1538 Sept. 4 VPS 0719 DFW 0934
1038 Sept. 4 ICT 0810 DFW 0937
2335 Sept. 4 ABQ 0650 DFW 0938
80 Sept. 4 DFW 0900 ORD 1135

rturner wrote:

Hey y'all, I'm wondering if there is something/someone out there who knows when the last MD80 flights are?

I really am curious when the last MD80 flight out of KSTL is, as I live right next to it.

9/3/19 STL- DFW

American Airlines icon 2261 American Airlines
6:00 AM
STL
7:51 AM
DFW
M80
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American Airlines icon 1410 American Airlines
7:45 AM
STL
9:41 AM
DFW
M80
View seatmap for flight, 1410 American Airlines
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American Airlines icon 152 American Airlines
9:49 AM
STL
11:40 AM
DFW
738
View seatmap for flight, 152 American Airlines
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American Airlines icon 385 American Airlines
11:36 AM
STL
1:28 PM
DFW
M80
View seatmap for flight, 385 American Airlines
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American Airlines icon 2851 American Airlines
1:31 PM
STL
3:23 PM
DFW
M80
View seatmap for flight, 2851 American Airlines
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American Airlines icon 2360 American Airlines
4:05 PM
STL
5:58 PM
DFW
M80
View seatmap for flight, 2360 American Airlines
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American Airlines icon 1616 American Airlines
5:35 PM
STL
7:29 PM
DFW
M80
View seatmap for flight, 1616 American Airlines
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American Airlines icon 2444 American Airlines
7:36 PM
STL
9:30 PM
DFW
738
View seatmap for flight, 2444 American Airlines
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Here is the official link:

http://news.aa.com/news/news-details/20 ... YmKquLY6Do

September 4th is the very last day of MD-80 operations. The last official departure out of DFW will be AA80 to ORD leaving DFW at 9.00am sharp, and the last arrival into DFW will be AA2335 38 min later coming from ABQ. Flight 80 to ORD is already sold out, but flight 2335 from ABQ is still open for reservations according to aa.com. By the time AA80 gets in ORD at 11.35, it will be IT for paying customers flying the MD-80 on American. Better take AAdvantage of the last opportunities for fly on an American MD-80 now before it's too late.

Looks like all 26 remain flying until that day

Announced over Instagram about an hour ago. Final flight September 4th, DFW-ORD with a list of several other "final flights" over September 3,4 from other common S80 stations to DFW. Sad to see it go.

https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2019-06-25/american-sets-retirement-date-md-80s

NOTE: If any of you are trying to get tickets, the flight is currently unbookable, while AA's schedule shows the flight nearly full (17 seats remaining). I have been unsuccessfully attempting to secure a seat for the last hour.

I’m a bit surprised they are not doing any special final flights between various PMAA hubs (except ORD obviously). This plane use to be the backbone of their domestic fleet.

I would have hoped STL would have seen some more love considering the last MD80s were from TWA and STL has been a huge MD80 base over the years.

PhilMcCrackin wrote:

I would have hoped STL would have seen some more love considering the last MD80s were from TWA and STL has been a huge MD80 base over the years.

Agreed, tho ORD makes sense considering 20 years ago the MD80 pretty much ruled at ORD ... not to mention most of the flights between ORD-DFW-ORD were on the MadDog.

TWA1985 wrote:

PhilMcCrackin wrote:

I would have hoped STL would have seen some more love considering the last MD80s were from TWA and STL has been a huge MD80 base over the years.

Agreed, tho ORD makes sense considering 20 years ago the MD80 pretty much ruled at ORD ... not to mention most of the flights between ORD-DFW-ORD were on the MadDog.

Yes, I believe it was Bob CrAAndal who pioneered the business strategy of flying 429 daily Super 80s between DFW and ORD!

Usually, AA80 is DFW-LHR 772.

TWA1985 wrote:

PhilMcCrackin wrote:

I would have hoped STL would have seen some more love considering the last MD80s were from TWA and STL has been a huge MD80 base over the years.

Agreed, tho ORD makes sense considering 20 years ago the MD80 pretty much ruled at ORD ... not to mention most of the flights between ORD-DFW-ORD were on the MadDog.

And not to mention either most of the flights between ORD-LGA-ORD which were on MD-80 from the early 90s till the early 2010s when the 738 started taking over gradually. Yes ORD-DFW-ORD and ORD-LGA-ORD were almost all MD-80 for two decades.

I’ll bet my next paycheck that the last flight will be flown by N501AA. It’s the last single remaining MD-82 and original American (Non-TWA) MD-80 in the fleet. Seems quite fitting.

I've been following the airfleets.net production summary for the MD-80 for years. So far in 2019, AA has retired two. I speculate those two were due for a c-check and were instead grounded, down to 28.

I would expect some small additional number to be due for service before September 4th. But I would expect most to be retired for the slow season post the holiday.

By the Thanksgiving rush, I would expect AA to have topped off their fleet at least 75%.

Lightsaber

So, AA operated one or more MD-80s for 36 years... 1983 to 2019

That's a LONG run... Will Bob Crandall be on AA #80???


Here are two photos taken in 1983!

Flight SAT-DFW is $384, among all other dailies of just $84. No doubt it won’t be just anyone flying on that routing.

Super quiet up front super loud in the back. Good bye super 80. What will become of N984TW the Spirit of Long Beach?

Are these retirements contingent on the MAX8 coming back? Those airplanes are in the schedule on September 4.

MO11 wrote:

Are these retirements contingent on the MAX8 coming back? Those airplanes are in the schedule on September 4.

The FAA noted that the MAX may be grounded well into the Fall, perhaps even towards the Holidays. I wouldn't doubt AA will be delaying them even further than 9/4.

No those dates are firm. There will be no crews available they will not be extended.

UpNAWAy wrote:

No those dates are firm. There will be no crews available they will not be extended.

I think you are right. They decided the final MD-80 retirement will be Sept 4th even if the MAX is still grounded by then. They will continue to adjust their schedules like they have been doing up until now since the day the MAX got grounded.

From OMA's Twitter Page:
https://twitter.com/AmericanAir/status/ ... 0006572032

I flew an AA MD80 this week DFW to ICT. Sat in the back near the galley, it was loud. I asked the Captain what he was flying next, he said he is moving to the 777. Lots of round gauges in the cockpit. The interior looked rather tired and worn, as one might expect.
My next (and probably last) MD80 flight will be on July 15, DFW to ICT. All flights between ICT and DFW have been MD80s for quite some time.

sketch wrote:

The very last one is on September 4: AA80, DFW-ORD. Already sold out.

As far as I've heard, they have a fairly normal schedule up until the night of September 3, where most of the MD80s will fly from DFW to various outstations and then onward into retirement from there. Don't know about STL specifically, but you can do your own searches starting at Sept 3 and working backwards to find the last one scheduled.