?United Airlines is completing the retiring of their 737 fleet which was announced last year. During the retirement of the fleet, they have placed in storage additional equipment, such as owned 747, awaiting an economic turn around, or a sale. The retiring of the fleet has been actively discussed on Flyertalk, within the UA MP Forum. While living in Chicago, I would often track the 737 throughout the day and see which were heading off to be retired. With enough research, you could find the tail numbers, and track some you may have flown on. With over 200 flights on UA, I had many on that fleet.
United announced flight 737 will run as the last 737 (737-322), the tail number is believed to be N331UA (pictured above). According to airfleets.net, N331UA was put into service on 7/26/1988, LN:1590, Serial: 24192. The only other 737 flying that day will be N329UA doing ORD-SFO. N329UA was put into service on 6/12/1988 (737-322) with LN: 1574. The flight is believed to be scheduled to?be under the command of the chief pilot of the 737 of N331UA on her last leg. Flight 737 will begin in IAD, travel to ORD-DEN-SFO, hitting almost all of UA hubs.
N329UA has not been repainted in the new color scheme. What an unusually long flight on a 737, ORD-SFO, I don’t think I have ever done that routing on that equipment. United has been operating the 737 for decades and this will end another era of fleets for the airline. Back in better times, UA was the launch customer for B727-200, B737-200, B767-200, B727-100,?DC-10 (shared w/AA), ?B777-222. The planes have been stored?at few airports, most notably?Goodyear and?Victorville airport, for their dry weather conditions. One or two were noted as going to other airports, possibly sold/released or destroyed.
Had I not been traveling for work that week, I would have gladly booked a ticket to be a part of the retirement of?a work horse for UAL.?With Ted?dead, the airbus has come into a much greater light for UAL, with only the 757 being the?only Boeing narrow body operated by the airline.? The wide-body fleet remains completely Boeing equipment at this time.
Where have the?retired 737 gone? You can google Victorville? or Goodyear and?see many of them in photos sitting in the dry conditions. Hopefully these birds will fly once again. One or two were destroyed, some already resold / released.
