US East B737-300 Retired?

[Diamondbacks2004]

There are currently 19 B733s left in the US fleet (14 West / 5 East), so I believe the plan is to have all the B733s retired by the end of 2012 or earlier. Down from 24 to 19 today. Is that correct?

Current 19 B737-300:
East (516, 529, 532, 533, 574)
West (154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 302, 303, 305, 313, 314, 315, 316, 332, 334)

Retired 5 B737-300:
East (504, 505, 506, 530, 531)

 

[ebwgs]

There are currently 19 B733s left in the US fleet (14 West / 5 East), so I believe the plan is to have all the B733s retired by the end of 2012 or earlier. Down from 24 to 19 today. Is that correct?

Current 19 B737-300:
East (516, 529, 532, 533, 574)
West (154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 302, 303, 305, 313, 314, 315, 316, 332, 334)

Retired 5 B737-300:
East (504, 505, 506, 530, 531)

She's been a great bird for US. I remember my first ever trip to SEA...A733LR block time was 5:58...from CLT! It was long and uncomfortable with the galley lavs and those old overhead monitors. Great memories actually.

 

[ChockJockey]

She's been a great bird for US. I remember my first ever trip to SEA...A733LR block time was 5:58...from CLT! It was long and uncomfortable with the galley lavs and those old overhead monitors. Great memories actually.

Well they were fun for a time and it's a nice change to work them (from a ramp perspective) but I'm tired of dealing with them. Hooking up the ground air amid sharp, randomly placed fuselage protrusions. Cracking the back of my skull against the inward-opening bin doors. Double-digit gate check bags for lack of overhead space. I won't miss them, especially you, N332AW. :angry: Just give us a 319. B)

 

[UPNAWAY]

157 has now left the building!

 

[AstroLounge]

Well they were fun for a time and it's a nice change to work them (from a ramp perspective) but I'm tired of dealing with them. Hooking up the ground air amid sharp, randomly placed fuselage protrusions. Cracking the back of my skull against the inward-opening bin doors. Double-digit gate check bags for lack of overhead space. I won't miss them, especially you, N332AW. :angry: Just give us a 319. B)

I certainly will NOT miss the -300. Horrible plane..........most uncomfortable in the fleet. Can't wait until they ALL go .....BYE BYE! Never cared for the set-up of the cabin/galley/bathrooms on ANY airline either, not just the US fleet. The -400 was a Big improvement over the -300 but I still prefer to ANY airplane over the B737. It may be the industry 'workhorse' but IT IS a B-e-a-s-t to work.

 

[wings396]

It is sad to see them leave the fleet. I remember when we got the first one back in 83 or 84 at PI, and it was/is a great aircraft. I never had any issues working them, and they are much easier to ground handle than the 190's, and the 320 series a/c. One person in the fwd bin could do the job if needed, and you could toss on a few last minute bags without the saga of pulling the belt up because the door was too high to reach.
They can't be all that bad given that SWA has been able to run their operation with an all 737 fleet for many years...

 

[Travelpro72]

Have you ever sat in a seat on a Southwest 737-300? How could you even compare a WN 737 to ours? You can sit in a row and cross your damn legs on a WN plane. Please. Apples and oranges people.....Our 737's are old, uncomfortable, HOT AS BLAZES and can't hold bags. Again a problem WN doesn't have. Though seeing a fleet retired is sad in a way they can't make beer cans out of them soon enough.

 

[wings396]

Have you ever sat in a seat on a Southwest 737-300? How could you even compare a WN 737 to ours? You can sit in a row and cross your damn legs on a WN plane. Please. Apples and oranges people.....Our 737's are old, uncomfortable, HOT AS BLAZES and can't hold bags. Again a problem WN doesn't have. Though seeing a fleet retired is sad in a way they can't make beer cans out of them soon enough.

I was never comparing the seats on SWA's 737's to ours. I was making a statement about the 737 A/C in general, and stating this it is a very good A/C overall. I hate to think of how many last minute bags have been waved off by the rampers due to the hassle of getting a belt in order to reach the A320 door. As far as the ramp is concerned, give me a 737 anytime....

 

[does this plane go to paris]

Travel,

For Wings to gvie WN a back handed compliment is about as good as you're gonna get from him.

 

[wings396]

Travel,

For Wings to gvie WN a back handed compliment is about as good as you're gonna get from him.

And this has what to do with this topic? The fact that it's some off the wall crap from a poster that I'm not even familiar with, gives it even less merit. IF you would actually read my post, you would have noticed that I'm paying a compliment to the 737's. I didn't know that you were in a position to judge my posts to begin with.

 

[USFlyer]

Are the 737s departing the fleet also coming off leases? Or, will US be paying leases on these aircraft even though they are parked?

 

[Travelpro72]

I'm not sure if the "off the wall" comment was directed at me but whatever. I can see your point about working the ramp and reaching the door. Other than that I wouldn't call the 737 a great airplane "overall". It was absolute torture working that tuna can to the west coast with hot meals and all. Couple that with the 4th flight attendant with nowhere to go. Back to the boeing, I love when I hear "If it ain't Boeing I ain't going". Has anyone been on a brand new 737-700 or 800? Ummmm they are just as plastic as the airbus. Nothing is made like it use to be. So again, they can't be retired fast enough. 🙄

 

[ebwgs]

I agree in that I won't miss the 737 once it's off the property. But when I look back on my early days in this company while based in BWI, I remember the preferred a/c of choice was the 733/734. There were nicer trips on that a/c--boy how I long for those 24+ hr SJU layovers--and we were all happy to not be in a base that flew the DC9 and MD80. But everything is relative and change is a good thing, and as the 319/320/321 came on board most of us came to see just how much harder we have to work on the 73s. I won't miss the girt bars, the clam shells, the in-galley lavs on the 733, the restocking of the bar carts and all of the other quirks of the 733/734 that make us work a little harder. At one time it was the plane of choice for many, but times change. And thank God for change.

 

[AstroLounge]

I'm not sure if the "off the wall" comment was directed at me but whatever. I can see your point about working the ramp and reaching the door. Other than that I wouldn't call the 737 a great airplane "overall". It was absolute torture working that tuna can to the west coast with hot meals and all. Couple that with the 4th flight attendant with nowhere to go. Back to the boeing, I love when I hear "If it ain't Boeing I ain't going". Has anyone been on a brand new 737-700 or 800? Ummmm they are just as plastic as the airbus. Nothing is made like it use to be. So again, they can't be retired fast enough. 🙄

Totally agree. I NEVER liked the 7-dirty-7 series when they were New, let alone 20 plus years later. The -200 was hideous and the -300 was one of the most UNCOMFORTABLE shells of aluminum built. The -400 is comfortable but has other issues to deal with. I never saw the fascination for the 737 in aviation circles either, it REALLY is an U-g-l-y airplane on the outside too........and we are looking at many versions -200/300/400/500/600/700. Ugly. The -800 is ok but the -900 looks strange (give me a 757 instead). Can't wait till they "Purge the Bird" from the fleet!

 

[N965VJ]

One year at the Beaver County Airshow in the 80s, a US 737-300 did a really low level fly-by B) . I think there's still a picture of it in the pilots lounge in the little terminal building there.