Captain Bob Russo is so fond of flying the Boeing 737 that he swore he'd retire if United ever discontinued the aircraft.
Russo, who began flying for United in 1978, will sit in the cockpit of his beloved commercial jet for the last time today.
USA Today reported that the final 737 to fly for United will be landing at San Francisco International tonight, after it completes its last act: a four-leg, cross-country jaunt. As fuel costs soared this past year, the carrier decided to ground the 737 and seek more fuel efficient planes.
For its grand finale, the plane will fly from Dulles in Washington, D.C. to O'Hare in Chicago, then from O'Hare to Denver, Denver to Los Angeles, and Los Angeles to San Francisco. Russo will captain the plane on the last leg of the escapade.
"I never really thought I would be flying the last 737 flight," Russo told USA Today. "I intended on retiring with the aircraft, but I never really thought that I would be able to fly the last flight. It's a tremendous honor for me."
Calling the final flight both "exciting and bittersweet," Russo continued: "I hate to see the airplane leave the fleet at United, but under the present economic conditions, there are a lot of decisions (like this) that have to be made to make us competitive in this industry."
In the absence of the 737, United will be upping the use of its already owned Airbus A319 and A320 jets. These models roughly match the capacity that the 737s had and are generally more fuel efficient.
The Boeing 737—considered the "workhorse" of commercial aviation—is the world's most-ordered and most-produced commercial aircraft in history. According to Flightglobal, there are an average of 1,250 Boeing 737s in the air at any given time. The model has been consistently manufactured since 1968.
According to USA Today, United President John Tague said retiring the 737 would "dramatically simplify our fleet and reduce our maintenance liability, significantly cutting the future investment required to maintain a modern fleet at United Airlines."
Other are lines are trimming their fleets as well, including American Airlines, who discontinued the Airbus A300 in August and is currently phasing out the "aging, fuel-guzzling MD-80 jets," according to USA Today. Northwest also recently stopped using its 1970s-era Boeing 747-200 planes.
In contrast, budget airline Southwest only flies 737s. Until recently, the airline has consistently been the most profitable US airline.
According to USA Today, United has no concrete plans at this time to renew their fleet. The newspaper reported that the carrier said they are "evaluating options, including placing no orders" and "expects to make a decision by the end of the year."