As a self-described airplane nerd, I could not help but wax a little nostalgic when I read that the final flights of the Boeing 737-400 for US Airways were scheduled. According to the FlyerTalk thread dedicated to the topic, the last flight will be tomorrow, August 19th, from Philadelphia to Charlotte. Some dedicated frequent flyers have booked the entire last day’s flying which includes CLT-DFW-PHL-CLT.
I well remember my first ride aboard a brand new 737-400 operated by Piedmont Airlines, the type’s launch customer. The flight was from Los Angeles to Charlotte, and it had that new airplane smell. It’s hard to believe so many years have passed, and now there’s a whole generation of newer 737s and coming soon, the 737MAX to fly us where we need to go. August 19th has special meaning for me because August 19, 1980, was the day I took my first airplane flight. It was aboard an Eastern Air Lines DC-9-50 from Raleigh (RDU) to Washington (DCA). The fare was $68.00 one-way, and I still have the boarding pass safely preserved in a scrapbook! I wish I’d been paying attention as I would’ve considered booking one of these segments just for fun!
Goodbye old friend. You’ve served us well.
-MJ, August 18, 2014
