The Super 80 Send Off
September 4th, 2023 marks four years since the final day of revenue operations for the American Airlines MD-80, affectionately nicknamed the Mad Dog. On September 4, 2019, many aviation enthusiasts and employees mourned the end of an era as the last American Airlines MD-80 flights took to the air concluding 36 years of operations for the Dallas/Fort Worth-based airline.
I was one of the lucky ones to witness the occasion in person as I attended the "Super 80 Send-Off" hosted by the DFW Airport. As I gazed upon the sea of American MD-80s lined up on the tarmac, I couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia and gratitude for this aircraft - this workhorse of American Airlines that had carried so many passengers to destinations all over the world.
The numbers speak for themselves - the MD-80 constituted a whopping 44 percent of American Airlines' fleet at its peak in 2002 and carried over 87 million passengers in its lifetime - truly a testament to the aircraft's reliability and versatility.
In tribute to the airframe, American operated the final revenue flight from Dallas/Fort Worth to Chicago O'Hare as flight 80. The rest of the departures were non-revenue position legs with the majority going to Roswell for storage. Lucky for us watching, many of the pilots performed some rather spirited departures including wing waves and low transition departures!
Love it or hate it, here's to the Mad Dog - a true aviation legend. The skies are sure quieter without it!
