This year is shaping up as the best year in my traveling career. I’ve flown on nearly every wide-body aircraft in service today and flown with nearly a dozen different airlines. While it’s always fun to try out new planes and new hard products, I often notice the older generation of aircraft falls by the wayside. That’s why I think it’s important to review the classics. Besides, someday soon American Airlines won’t operate the MD-80 aircraft and that’s somewhat sad.
Let me start out by saying that I absolutely love the MD-80. Growing up it’s the first plane I distinctly remember flying on. At that time, as a St. Louis based traveler, we generally flew with TWA. I still remember walking to the back of those planes, near the engines, and falling in love with flying. As the years went by American took over TWA and repainted the planes, but the interiors remained nearly the same. As I grew older I actually flew less and less. In college I actually developed an acute fear of flying. It wasn’t until a return flight from Vegas to Chicago on the MD-80 that I fell back in love with flying. It’s for these reasons that I’m reviewing the MD-80 now, so that I’ll forever remember this majestic aircraft.
Without further ado, here’s my review of my recently economy class flight on American Airlines’ MD-80 aircraft.
Heading To Denver For A Labor Day Weekend Wedding
I needed to get to Denver for a wedding which was taking place on the Saturday afternoon of labor day weekend. I waited until the last-minute and scored a killer deal on the last flight of the day. That flight put me in Denver at 10PM. From there I’d have to drive 3 hours to Steamboat Springs. I had to work a half-day (yes, I have a day job) which limited my options of getting on an earlier flight. As the day progressed I started to become anxious about the late night drive through the mountains. I decided to call American and get a feel for the current load factors. After I asked the phone agent laughed and recommended I don’t go to the airport earlier because every flight showed overbooked.
Arriving At Chicago O’Hare International
Usually I listen to that advice, but this time I decided to hop on the CTA Blue Line from Downtown Chicago and risk it. For a while I only took Uber to the airport. Prices hover around $25-40 for an Uber while the CTA costs just $2.50. While the CTA isn’t as comfortable as the back of a Nissan Sentra, I’ll take the savings any day. The ride takes just over an hour and drops you off near the center of Chicago O’hare International (assuming the train stops).
Once at the O’hare CTA Station it’s just a short walk to Terminal 3. Security lines were a bit longer than normal due to the holiday weekend, but I moved through the TSA PreCheck lane in less than 10 minutes. Once through security I ran to the Denver flight departing at 1:40PM. For those who don’t know, Terminal 3 is the Terminal from the movie Home Alone!
Although I missed the 1:40PM departure, the gate agent mentioned several passengers made it on earlier flights and the 5:00PM departure looked promising. Sure enough at approximately 4:30PM as the boarding process began the gate agent called my name. Not only did I get on the earlier flight, but I also received a Main Cabin Extra (MCE) seat.
Boarding The American Airlines MD-80
As I proceeded down the jetbridge, giddy to get on the earlier flight, I met the MD-80 that would take me to Denver. There’s something so beautiful about the high gloss chrome paint jobs of the old American Airlines fleet.
As I boarded the aircraft I noticed a new sticker on the side of the plane. The new, blue, sticker let’s passengers know that American Airlines won Air Transport World‘s Airline of the Year award. Now, I thought I knew of every fake award out there, but this one seemed especially fishy. I started to do a little research on my phone, but I quickly became distracted by the shiny paint job and Wi-Fi sticker. Not to mentioned I had to know when our particular aircraft was born!
When I step foot on the aircraft I was quickly reminded why flight attendants hate the MD-80. The plane was HOT. MD-80’s get extremely hot during summer layovers and this was no exception. I continued to pass through the first class cabin and quickly found my comfy Main Cabin Extra seat.
American Airlines MD-80 Cabin
One thing I love most about the MD-80 is the 2-3 cabin layout. If you think about it, it’s the perfect layout for passengers traveling in groups. A pair sits comfortable on the 2-side. A trio sits well on the 3-side. A four person group fits comfortably in two consecutive 2-side rows. A quintet fits in an entire row… Need I continue?
The seats themselves aren’t exactly new. They are extremely bulky by today’s standards, but I find the added cushion depth extremely comfortable. Also, the seats are cloth which makes me stop and wonder when the last time American washed the seat covers? Maybe it’s best not to think about that.
Another thing I simply love about the MD-80 interior is the dated buttons found above the seat. Huge, clunky, orange and yellow buttons sit directly overhead. There’s something so satisfying about the audible click of each button when you press it.
The air vents also are among the strongest of any aircraft. I often find myself closing them off completely mid-flight because they work so efficiently.
As you can see the American Airlines MD-80 cabin isn’t the most modern, but there’s something so familiar and comfortable about it that makes it feel like you’re home. Sure, the cabin is missing essential modern-day amenities such as power outlets, but at least that temporarily forces me to put my mobile device away and watch the world go by as we fly through the clouds.
American Airlines MD-80 Amenities
As I mentioned above, the MD-80s amenities are extremely limited. Seats don’t feature in-flight entertainment screens or power outlets. There is a DC power port beneath the seat, but I don’t carry a car charger these days…
Luckily however, American equips the MD-80 with Gogo Wifi. The Wifi is only available above 10,000 feet, but once airborne passengers have access to dozens of movies and other entertainment through the American Airlines app. Additionally, T-Mobile One customers (which I am) get 1 hour of free wifi and unlimited in-flight messaging. Those without T-Mobile mobile service may purchase Gogo wifi, but I wouldn’t do so for such a short flight unless absolutely necessary.
Besides the in-flight wifi there isn’t much more offered from the MD-80. Economy class flights feature either a bag of pretzels or Biscoff cookies as a complimentary snack. Economy class complimentary beverage options include soft-drinks, juices, or coffee. Additionally, passengers have the option to purchase premium beverages or larger snacks for a small fortune. Luckily some AAdvatnage credit cards offer a 25% discount on in-flight purchases.
The American Airlines MD-80 In-Flight Experience
At the end of the day, none of the above really matters to me. The reason I love the MD-80 so much is the in-flight experience. Since the engines sit near the tail of the aircraft the front of the plane is extremely quiet. Until the plane reaches cruising speeds the first few rows of the plane experience the beauty of flight without all the drama. Also, since the wings of the plane are pushed so far back the plane offers unobstructed views of the ground to majority of passengers. I’m not sure what it is about the MD-80. My favorite part is when the plane rolls shortly after takeoff and you’re basically looking straight down at the ground. There’s just nothing quite like it on any other plane today.
Additionally, I get the feeling that the pilots are really flying the MD-80. I especially notice that feeling on days with dense scattered clouds. It always seems that the pilots are shooting through the gaps between the clouds. Maybe that’s my imagination running away from me. Then again, that’s probably why I love the MD-80 so much. When flying on the MD-80 with no seat power I’m forced to put my mobile device away and actually experience the flight. After all, isn’t that what flying is all about?
Final Thoughts
American Airlines continues to phase out the MD-80 aircraft in favor of more economical planes. Although this is clearly a smart business decision and has an overall positive environmental impact, I’m sad to see these planes disappear. I love everything about the MD-80 and hope to fly the plane several more times before it’s phased out entirely.
Currently, American Airlines only operates 42 MD-80s domestically. The airline plans to phase the plane out entirely by 2019. That gives me just one more year to experience the joy of flying on the MD-80.
