US Airways has retired the last 737 from its pre-merger fleet.
The "Classic" 737-400 model made its final revenue flights for the carrier on Tuesday, FlightGlobal.com reports. The aircraft – tail number N435US – flew from Charlotte to Dallas/Fort Worth to Philadelphia before returning to Charlotte on its final passenger flight for the carrier. The flights operated as US Airways Flight 737.
Piedmont Airlines, which ultimately merged with US Air to become US Airways, was the launch customer for the 737-400, putting the jet into commercial passenger service in the fall of 1988.
American, which now includes US Airways as the airlines progress with their merger, confirmed the retirement of the 737 from US Airways' fleet.
"We're proud to have been the launch customer of the B737-400, which formed an integral part of the US Airways fleet over the years," American says in a statement to Today in the Sky. "American is focused on updating our fleet with hundreds of new planes and refreshing our existing aircraft to bring our customers a more modern, comfortable and connected experience."
American says it has added 53 new mainline aircraft and 18 new regional jets to its fleet so far in 2014.
The 737, of course, will continue to fly in the fleet of the "new" American. AA already had the popular Boeing aircraft in its fleet prior to the merger. And the carrier has more than 150 additional 737s on order.
As for the 737-400 retired by US Airways, its Tuesday flights also marked a milestone for US Airways Captain Jeff Tarr, who retired from the airline after flying the 737-400 on its final flight to Charlotte.
The only U.S. passenger airlines still flying the vintage "-400" model of the 737 on regularly schedule passenger service are Alaska Airlines and PEOPLExpress, FlightGlobal says, citing the Ascend Fleets database. Vision Airlines owns and operates the 737-400s that fly under the PEOPLExpress brand.
Gate C11 at Charlotte shows the departure information for US Airways' last Boeing 737-400 as it began its final day of service for the carrier.(Photo: American Airlines)
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