Aa587.....

From another airline employee... Thanks for pointing out this anniversary. God bless all the victims, family, friends, and American Airlines.

Peace.

I have made 28 flights over those salt marshes leaving JFK, DR bound...and i am always wondering how awful the experience was for them.......life is so much about being in the right or wrong place at some point in time..

bad bad bob

I don't fly out of JFK, but whenever I'm on the AB6 from MIA-SDQ or back,(this route is being gradually changed to 757 now) being in the same model aircraft on the same airline to the same destination, my mind is brought back for a minute or so to that horrible tragedy. My only comfort is that while the last minute or so of those poor people's lives was just filled with unimaginable fear, at least their actual physical end certainly must have been quick. What a horrible year 2001 was for AA.

Yes, the AB6 will be completely retired before the end of next year, and part of me will miss them. These are great planes, oldies but goodies, and huge! Whatever plans AA has to replace these aircraft, (looks now like a combination of 757's and the 767-200's) both hold less passengers and much less cargo than the airbus a300, so capacity to the DR will certainly fall.

These are great planes, oldies but goodies, and huge!

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I agree, these bad boys are old but they ARE the workhorses of AA. It's sad to see them go, the A300-600R is one of my favorite heavies.

First One

I was a ramp rat in ATL when the first A3 from the box was delivered to Eastern and it was a b*tch to work back then has been a b*tch to work ever since, but sure made a ton of money fo EA and AA. My former boss and assistant died in that crash. I wish HER well.

Pay tribute to AA???

Odd that one would want to "pay tribute" to AA on the anniversary of flight 587 - given that AA was officially found primarily negligent in causing the mishap.

This is not to say that flying on AA's A300s are at all dangerous today - even given the age of the aircraft. They have served AA, and this island, well overall. I agree that, in the medium term at least, whatever AA employs in their place will not be their equal.

Old???? Northwest Airlines DC9 are 30 years old in passenger service in the good ol USA and nobody complains...... until one crashes for whatever reason.... yeah... old

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No doubt..when I interned over at NWA back in the Summer of 2006, I sat jumpseat on a few DC-9's that were built in 1967 and 1968! The manufacturer placard was on the bulkhead right next to the jumpseat. Since they've been paid off for so long, NWA actually owns them and saves itself leasing expenses.

I was a ramp rat in ATL when the first A3 from the box was delivered to Eastern and it was a b*tch to work back then has been a b*tch to work ever since, but sure made a ton of money fo EA and AA.

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TFlea, how different, maintenance wise, were the A300B4's that Eastern got way back in the late 70s from the A300B4-600R's that AA got back in the late 80s?

STIOP said:

Old???? Northwest Airlines DC9 are 30 years old in passenger service in the good ol USA and nobody complains...... until one crashes for whatever reason.... yeah... old

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Yes they are old, but I would get on one tomorrow without hesitation. These planes were solidly built, and like most other planes, when properly maintained, can easily fly for 30+ years without any safety issues. The DC-9's that NW has are at least paid for, and they are able to serve markets with mainline jets that otherwise could not support mainline aircraft and would only have propellar or regional jet service. And when you are inside the cabin, you would never know how old it is as the interior has been refurbished at least 5 times in its life and the interior is not as dated as you would think.

The same story with the A300. AA took delievery of most of these in the late 1980's and they have been meticulously maintained. These planes are as solid as a rock and AA has no other aircraft that can compare with the passenger and cargo capacity of the A300. (the 777, while a large plane, is 3class service plane for high yield routes to Europe and Asia. it would never work for US-Caribbean routes, which requires high-density passenger service to be profitable)

While it has been a long standing dispute between AA and Airbus, the NTSB ruled the cause of AA587 as pilot error.

AA is not retiring these planes for safety reasons! They are solid as a rock. It's the cost of maintaining these aircraft and the fact that they are not very fuel efficient.

"How different, maintenance wise, were the A300B4's that Eastern got way back in the late 70s from the A300B4-600R's that AA got back in the late 80s?"

Can't answer that with any authority as I'm not an A&P guy, was in ramp management at the time. Can say their automated bin systems were cutting edge however, that is to say, every time we tried to use them they would cut us or the pallets, on the edge! The whine of the A3 engines flying over is like I recognize the chirp of sparrows compared to a wild parrot - they are unique, and have unfortunately seen their better days. A certain unforgettable whine that brings memories of a former boss and a co-worker that perished that fateful day in NY.