Remembering the MD-80

Sadly, for the wrong reason. The crash in Madrid today of an MD-82 - a variant of the original - "adds a little more tarnish to the plane's legacy," posts the NYT's Micheline Maynard. Nearly 1,200 MD-80s were built in Long Beach between 1980 and 1999 - first by the plane's original manufacturer, McDonnell Douglas, and then by Boeing, which acquired MD in 1997. In 1999, Boeing decided to discontinue production and focus instead on the Boeing 737, which has become the workhorse of commercial aviation. Developed as a descendant of the DC-9, the MD-80s have had their share of tragic mishaps. In 2000, an Alaska Airlines MD-83 crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Point Magu, killing 88 people (improper maintenance was blamed). Most recently, American grounded 300 MD-80s - and cancelled thousands of flights - to make sure that wiring had been properly secured. But what’s really done in the plane is economics. It’s just not very fuel efficient – and these days, that’s the name of the game. From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

"FLY DC JETS," proclaimed the huge neon-lighted sign that once adorned the McDonnell Douglas jetliner factory in Long Beach, Calif. The legendary sign, which referred to the original Douglas Aircraft Corp., represented an aviation jet legacy that began with the DC-8. But with oil prices at record levels, it's also a sign of the times that many of the McDonnell Douglas jets that rolled out of that factory are being retired from service by U.S. airlines because they are not as fuel-efficient as the newer planes from Boeing and Airbus. Seattle-based Alaska Airlines has been replacing its MD-80s with new 737s from Boeing, and will retire the last of its McDonnell Douglas jets by the end of August. The airline announced this week that it would take a charge of $60 million related to the retirement of those planes. A closer look at Alaska's fuel-burn numbers for the MD-80 shows why they will soon be gone from the airline's fleet. The MD-80, according to Alaska, consumes around 1,050 gallons per hour. But the newer and bigger 737-800 burns about 850 gallons per hour.