American Airlines has announced the final commercial flights of its McDonnell Douglas MD-80 aircraft. The last twenty-six remaining MD-80s, that are often referred to as ‘Mad Dogs’ or ‘Super 80’, will be retired in September after many years of service for American and even Trans World Airlines (TWA), which was acquired by American Airlines in 2001.
The airline’s very last MD-80 revenue flight is scheduled to be operated on September 4 from Dallas/Fort Worth to Chicago O’Hare. After the last commercial flights, the so-called ‘Super 80s’ will be ferried to Roswell, New Mexico (IATA-Code: ROW).
Besides American Airlines, there are still a few remaining airlines that operate the MD-80 jets, for example Delta Air Lines, the largest operator of the MD-88 and MD-90. US low-cost carrier Allegiant Air retired its last MD-80 in November 2018.
American Airlines, a founding member of the oneworld airline alliance, currently operates a mixed fleet of various Airbus, Boeing and Embraer aircraft. Furthermore, additional Embraer and CRJ jets are operated by Skywest Airlines, PSA Airlines, Envoy Air and others under the American Eagle brand on regional services.
As part of a fleet modernisation, American Airlines has recently taken delivery of its first Airbus A321neo jet. Together with the Boeing 737 MAX, the A321neo jets will replace the retired McDonnell Douglas aircraft. Moreover, American Airlines has outstanding orders for additional Boeing 787 Dreamliners, 737 MAX 8 and Airbus A321neo. During the Paris Air Show 2019, the carrier also announced an order for 50 of the new A321XLR long-range aircraft, which will be used to replace aging Boeing 757-200 aircraft from 2023.
Nick Wenzel founded International Flight Network in 2016. He is the Social Media Manager and an Editor for IFN.news.
