According to company press release, AirTran today operated their last scheduled DC-9 flight, on an ATL-MCO-ATL trip. Aircraft was N849AT, delivered to Austrian in 1971. Another remnant of the ValuJet era is gone...
Last Of The 'critters'
- Thread starter mga707
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Kev3188
Veteran
I miss the DC-9s. Those loud, noisy, smelly, cranky, beaten-up pieces of #### had more comfortable seats than the 717s. 
The DC-9s had a very useful purpose and they served it. Their days were numbered at AAI, but I guess not everywhere(NW). If it had not been for the DC-9s being so plentiful and rather cheap to acquire, I am not sure AAI would be as big as it is now. Just my thoughts.......
USAir757
Veteran
Their days at NW are numbered too. They'll all be scrapped, overseas or in the desert before long.
Kev3188
Veteran
USAir757 said:
I doubt it. The 3-4 million spent to "redo" them several years ago has, in retrospect, proven to be a brilliant move, and are helping NW weather this storm.
By the way, I'm not sure if it's still accurate, but as of very recently, they still had the highest dispatch reliability of the fleet.
USAir757
Veteran
I would have seen that as more of a short- to mid-term solution to keeping up their fleet while not draining them of cash. How long can they remain this reliable as they continue to age? I would think it's only a matter of time before the A319/20s become much more cost efficient for the airline to maintain. Of course, it will take time for them to phase out as well.
Not to turn this into another NW DC9 thread, but don't you know that the crew who ferries the last Airbus to the desert will be brought back to base on a DC-9!
B) There is nothing wrong with the DC-9. It allowed airlines like Allegheny, Southern, Bonanza, North Central to enter the pure-jet age. It allowed airlines to grow and make money. You could MEL the hell out of it and it would still go. I loved the DC-9 but then I liked the BAC 1-11.
- Thread Starter
- #11
MR AIRPORT said:
...also Ozark, Trans-Texas, and West Coast. Of the other Local Service carriers that were extant in the mid-60s, Mohawk went with the BAC (and thus was the first of the group to have 'real' jets), while Frontier, Pacific, and Piedmont started jet service with the admittedly too big 727. Frontier's and Piedmont's were stopgaps until the 737 came along a few years later, while Pacific's were quickly sold off after the three-way merger into Air West. Lake Central had also ordered the 737 but was swallowed up by Allegheny before any were delivered. Central had likewise been merged into Frontier before any jets had been ordered, but I believe they too were seriously looking at the 'nine'.
If you had to cancel a DC9 flight due to MX, it's because you were missing pieces!
The only exception to this was a bad PA. I always shuddered when the FA told me her PA didn't work. Other than that, the -9 just kept on going.TC
The only exception to this was a bad PA. I always shuddered when the FA told me her PA didn't work. Other than that, the -9 just kept on going.TC
phllax said:
LOL! That could be true! When NW refurbished the 9 including the hushkit, I believe it was said the majority of the 9's would last up to another 15 years. They're solid and reliable. And they are the backbone of NW's midwest operation.
