US Airways retires its last Boeing 737-400

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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United Takes Delivery of the 8,000th 737

On Wednesday April 16th, United took delivery of its latest 737, but this one was special.

A 737-900ER was delivered from Boeing Field, marking a special occasion for not only Boeing but also United.  The aircraft was the 8,000th 737 to roll out of the Renton factory, and became one of over 550 of the type to be delivered to United since its inception.

Since the first flight of the 737-series on April 9th, 1967, this latest aircraft marks a new milestone in a very long history. The first US airline to take delivery of the 737 was United, and it is a fitting tribute that they took delivery of the latest and most current version of the aircraft.

The 737-900ER, which can accommodate up to 179 passengers (in the two-class configuration United uses) is a far cry from the original 737-200, which could only hold 109!

“We’re thrilled to celebrate this huge achievement with Boeing,” said Ron Baur, vice president of fleet, United Airlines. “The 737 has been an integral part of our narrowbody fleet and we are pleased to continue this tradition by being the North American launch customer for the new 737 MAX 9.”

It should be noted that, for a while, it looked like United had moved past the 737; in 2009 they actually flew their “last” 737 flight, retiring their 737 “classic” fleet in lieu of the narrow-body offerings from Airbus.  It wasn’t until the merger with Continental (which was a big 737 Next Gen operator) that United got back in to the game.

Over the years, Boeing has produced endless numbers of 737s out of the tiny factory in the Seattle suburb of Renton. The 737 has has evolved from just a workhorse into an aviation powerhouse.

Holding the title of the world’s best selling aircraft, there are now almost as many 737s as all of the aircraft Airbus has produced.  Yep that is right, Airbus just topped over 8,000 total aircraft last August, and as 39 aircraft a month roll out of the Renton factory, the 737 should outstrip that mark very soon!

Even though this was aircraft number 8,000 to roll out of the factory, there are still another 3,700 planes on order. With the new 737 MAX due to fly in 2016, there will be many more 737s to come in the future. With the rate the 737 is going, it is likely that the model could be flying 100 years after its first flight — now that is an accomplishment.

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Boeing’s 737 Turns 8,000: The Best-Selling Plane Ever Isn’t Slowing

Boeing’s 737 aircraft just marked an aviation first: The 8,000th model has rolled off the assembly line, a round-number milestone for the best-selling airplane of all time. Boeing will deliver the aircraft, a 737-900ER, on Wednesday to United Airlines, the buyer of the first 737 sold in the U.S.

For an idea of just how popular the 737 is among airlines—several have built their entire business models around that one airplane—consider that Boeing’s archrival,Airbus, finished its 8,000th overall plane in August. The 737 program started in 1967, seven years before Airbus delivered its first airplane.

Today, however, Airbus is a strong competitor in the market for medium-range, single-aisle aircraft with its A320 family, which made its debut in 1988 and topped 6,000 deliveries last month—an illustration of how much more quickly airplanes are turned out in recent decades than in the early days of the 737. Boeing builds 42 737s each month and says it will boost output to 47 in 2017 because of strong demand; Airbus is increasing A320 production from 42 to 46 per month by 2016.

The initial 737-100, ordered by Lufthansa, was 93 feet long and 93 feet wide by wingspan, prompting engineers to dub it “the square.” The plane was designed as a complement to Boeing’s 727 model for routes of as long as 1,000 miles. United sought a 737 that was 6 feet longer, leading Boeing to build a 737-200. That design proved to be far more popular with airlines and was followed by variations that went through the 900ER, the currently the largest version of the plane.

“The 737 continues to be an important part of United’s narrow-body fleet, and this tradition will continue with our order for 100 737 MAX 9 aircraft,” United’s vice president in charge of fleet, Ron Baur, said in a statement.

Boeing’s next generation of the aircraft is called the 737 MAX, which will be available in 2017 and come in three versions of varying size. Those models will replace the current 700, 800, and 900ER series. Southwest Airlines, which flies an all-737 fleet, is the MAX launch customer, with 200 firm orders and options for 191 more.

Boeing had a celebration on Monday with workers at its plant in Renton, Wash., where the 737 has been built since 1970. And there will likely be many more such parties in the Puget Sound area as the program topples future delivery milestones. Engineering prowess has made the plane—along with its A320 nemesis—durable, flexible, cost-effective, and profitable for airlines. As that evolution continues, seeing the 737 soar to 16,000 seems like a real possibility.

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