Super 80 jets at Roswell

On Wednesday, the airline terminated the last 26 aircraft in the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 fleet bound for Roswell, New Mexico.

Kerry Philipovitch, vice president of customer experience at American Airlines, told USA TODAY that the MD-80 was an important part of the airline's history.

"The MD-80 has been truly the mainstay of American Airlines' fleet for decades," said Philipovitch.

The MD-80 is also called "Super 80" by American Airlines or "Mad Dog" by aviation enthusiasts. It was the "workhouse" of their fleet for nearly four decades, said American Airlines in a press release. According to SeatGuru, the latest configuration of the American Airlines MD-80 had 140 passenger seats.

Joshua Freed, spokesman for American Airlines, told USA TODAY that the MD-80 was making domestic routes throughout the country.

Originally, the fleet had only three planes in 1983. It served airports in six cities, including Dallas / Fort Worth; Detroit; Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee; New York LaGuardia; and in Ontario, California. At the time of its introduction, the Super 80 was one of the most fuel efficient commercial aircraft in the world.

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In 2003, American Airlines, the first to introduce aircraft into its fleet, operated 362 MD-80s, or nearly a third of all MD-80 aircraft ever created by manufacturer McDonnell Douglas, the statement said.

Andrew Trull, a spokesman for American Airlines, told USA TODAY that one day, MD-80 aircraft accounted for 49% of the AA fleet.

"The 26 planes we are retiring with today have transported more than 87 million passengers during their years of service," said Trull.

On Wednesday, the last passenger flight of the MD-80, the US flight 80, arrived for the last time from the Dallas / Fort Worth International Airport to Chicago O'Hare International Airport. according to the release. Then the pilots transported the plane to his resting place, an aircraft storage facility in Roswell, Freed said.

Steve Cutler, a Boeing employee, has published a photo of his pilot father with an MD-80 commemorating farewell flights.

According to Cutler, theft is an important part of the family line. Before his father, his grandfather was a pilot. And because of his father and grandfather, he discovered his own passion for airplanes.

"I am obviously moved about this, I am proud of my father for flying the plane and holding it to an end," he said.

Chris Cutler, Steve's father, told USA TODAY that he had flown the MD-80 for about 26 years. In 16,000 flying hours, he never had problems with the model.

"I loved riding it," said Elder Cutler. "It's a very good plane, very solid and reliable."

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The Cutlers are not the only family to fly in the blood. Brian Kilian, who works at the American Airlines Credit Union, told USA TODAY that his family had been working with airlines for three generations, starting with his grandparents in the 1940s.

Seeing the retirement of the MD-80 was moving for him.

"It's a symbol of my youth, my childhood, it debuted in May 1983 and I was born in October 1983," said Kilian. "I did not know a world where it did not exist and where it would not take me where I wanted to go."

The aircraft were removed as part of the airline's fleet renewal program, Trull said. They will be replaced by new fuel-efficient models. Freed said that a mix of Boeing 737 and Airbus A321 would replace the MD-80 aircraft.

The retirement, said Philipovitch, marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of American Airlines.

Follow Morgan Hines on Twitter: @MorganEmHines.