Liberal Talk Radio

American Airlines is ditching the MD-80:

American Airlines, the world’s largest carrier, is accelerating delivery of 47 previously ordered Boeing 737-800 jets by four years as it begins replacement of some of its oldest planes.

…

The new jets will replace some of American’s 300 MD-80s, which have an average age of 17.2 years and are the largest single jet type in the airline’s 672-plane fleet.

Fuel efficiency helps:

The MD-80s burn about 25 percent more fuel than 737-800s. Spending for jet fuel, the carrier’s second-largest expense after labor, rose 14 percent in 2006 to $6.4 billion.

I’ll be even happier when Alaska Air follows suit, which, according to Wikipedia, will happen sometime in 2008. Sweet.