United Airlines phases out last 737 aircraft

United Airlines has retired the last of its Boeing 737 jets, fare welling it with a cross-country flight that was also the retirement flight for one of its long time pilots too.

The plane was piloted by Captain Bob Russo, who flew the plane from Washington to Chicago to Denver to Los Angeles on Wednesday with a final flight to San Francisco.  Russo said that as he flew the plane across the country, air traffic controllers noted that it was the final United 737 flight.

Captain Russo said during a stopover in Los Angeles that most understood that this was the last one, and were sorry to see the airplane go, but was their pleasure to help.

United was the one of the first customers to order the Boeing 737 jet in 1968, with the final aircraft to be phased out delivered in 1988.

As part of a cost cutting strategy by the airline, United had begun phasing out older aircraft as fuel prices spiked, but as fuel prices have come down, United has still been committed to shrinking its fleet as demand dropped.

The 59 year old captain grew up in Chicago where United is now based.

He said that as a teenager he used to watch 737s take off from Midway Airport at Chicago in 1968.

Russo had flown 737s for much of his 31 year career with the airline, and figured that he would retire whenever United’s 737s did.

Boeing has delivered over 6,000 of the 737 aircraft with newer versions still popular with many airlines.