Shuttle By United

[skyguy]

This past weekend (3/26) I was waiting to board an a/c at DCA, when I saw a United Shuttle aircraft docked in the center peir (A B737/400). Is United pulling these aircraft back off the desert, or where they absorbed back into mainline previously? Either way, is there a reason the Shuttle decals weren't removed?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Shuttle all west coast, anyway? I just thought it was odd to Shuttle in the first place, the on the east coast. I sure hope UAL is planning on joing the east coast DCA-LGA-BOS shuttle fight!

 

[whlinder]

I thought UA never had any 737-400s?

Probably just old paint.

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/795429/M

 

[ZMAN777]

This was most likely a 737-300 aircraft that had been in the Shuttle livery and hasn't yet made its way to the paint barn. No plans at UAL to join the East Coast Shuttle dance.

Cheers,
Z B)

 

[mweiss]

UA has no -400s. Just 3s and 5s. ZMAN777's got it right.

That Shuttle (which shares only a name with the East Coast routes) had no fewer than three paint schemes, all running simultaneously.

 

[UALDC767]

This past weekend (3/26) I was waiting to board an a/c at DCA, when I saw a United Shuttle aircraft docked in the center peir (A B737/400). Is United pulling these aircraft back off the desert, or where they absorbed back into mainline previously? Either way, is there a reason the Shuttle decals weren't removed?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Shuttle all west coast, anyway? I just thought it was odd to Shuttle in the first place, the on the east coast. I sure hope UAL is planning on joing the east coast DCA-LGA-BOS shuttle fight!

[post="259052"][/post]​

Skyguy,

As others have said, we have no 737-400 models. And yes, Shuttle used to be a Denver -> West Coast thing but since the demise of Shuttle (post 9/11) a lot of those planes have made it to the east coast from Chicago. Especially in markets where the extra seats are needed.

Mainline 737-300/500's hold 8/112 & 8/96 with Econ+. The Shuttle birds hold 8/120 and 8/102 with Econ + respectively. And while the Shuttle planes have all been reconfigured for Econ+ they have not put the warming ovens back in the galley. (due to various reasons such as cost/weight=fuel savings/the ovens were trashed way back when...take your pick.)

DC

PS. And as far as I know....the only UAL 737's that have the new livery that I have flown are all former Shuttle planes. The Shuttle ones that haven't been painted yet may be just waiting their turn, and why paint the ones you are going to turn back to the leassors anyways?

Also as of last week UAL was down to 92 737's in its fleet (both models). Down from a high of 158!!!

 

[mga707]

I thought UA never had any 737-400s?

Probably just old paint.

Correct on both assumptions.
Still see "Shuttle"-painted 737s locally (operating TUS-DEN) from time to time.

 

[Light Years]

You see these all over the east coast these days. They have nothing to do with the Shuttles that US Airways and Delta run in the northeast triangle.