Excuse me. Please allow me to restate. The average age of *American's* fleet is 18 years.

1/2 of them are 36?

The fact that the MD80 was introduced in 1980 doesn't mean that the fleet dates from then. They were made, I believe, up until the early 90's, with the final example of any variant being built in 2000, though by then they were really showing their age and weren't much in demand.

Interesting article. I'm sure all airlines, and in fact all operators of hi-tech machinery, face the same quandary. Technology is advancing so quickly. Of course, the fact that fuel has trebled in cost in five years is a major incentive.

When the article say that American's fleet of MD80s averages 18 years old, I think they must be including later derivatives as well, such as the MD90. Otherwise I don't see the 18 year average as likely. The MD80 itself was last made almost 18 years ago.