QANTAS 737-300 retirement - FINALLY!

[saabflyer]

Wednesday 21st October, QF113, SYD-AKL will be the last-ever commercial Qantas/Jetconnect Boeing 737-300 flight in history. Aircraft touches down in AKL at 7.55pm local time. Operated by ZK-JNC. The final time we see a Kangaroo on a 733...kinda sad. As much as these aircraft were despised by pax and crews and despite their age and poor condition one can't help but feel a great sense of nostalgia at their long careers with TAA/QF/Jetconnect. I would assume that JNC will be flown to the desert upon her retirement but I think it's a pity she isn't going to Longreach...

 

[Flying Fox]

Bye, its been nice knowing you.

Now to get rid of the 737-400s next...

 

[serfty]

saabflyer, Welcome to AFF

It's good to have your information available here.

 

[russianrob]

Yeah, I second that. Welcome Saabflyer, and thanks.
Lets get rid of those horrid 767s next.

 

[saabflyer]

Thanks for your welcomes guys.

Just a note on ZK-JNC...it flew the last Qantas domestic service in New Zealand, flew for Solomons Airlines for a while in the 90s and was also an ex-TAA machine. VH-TJB was its original registration. Built 1988. It was also, I believe, the only QF 733 to be involved in a serious incident over the years in 2003 when it ran off the runway at DRW in a landing accident. She was the least reliable in the Jetconnect fleet in my opinion and was indeed talked about in Jetconnect circles as being the 'least favourite plane' to work on. It also had the worst paint job and a yellowed, cracked and chipped interior with seat fabrics coming apart and so on. However...she will have the honour on Wednesday of being the last 733...

It really deserves a water cannon at SYD and/or AKL...

 

[NM]

It really deserves a water cannon at SYD and/or AKL...

And perhaps a different sort of cannon after the pax have deplaned

 

[harvyk]

Meh, I was more sad about the 743's...
The 733's (and the 734's) are nothing special IMHO...

 

[straitman]

Meh, I was more sad about the 743's...
The 733's (and the 734's) are nothing special IMHO...

I have to agree harvyk.

 

[saabflyer]

A lot of people in New Zealand had a love-hate relationship with the QF 733. It broke down a lot, was unable to keep a proper schedule, OTP was shocking and of course they simply looked tatty. Plus there was the overwhelming feeling that the Aussies had sent these old planes to New Zealand to die (which more or less they did). However Kiwi travellers on domestic services certainly appreciated QF's level of service here which compared well above Air NZ's budget-style Virgin Blue-type domestic operations. QF is missed in NZ....but not THAT much.

Plus of course, for the nostalgic, QF 733s have a lot of memories for a lot of people but they won't be missed.

 

[saabflyer]

Well folks...JNC operating as QF113 arrived about 15 minutes early on Wednesday night; pulled up at AKL's gate 2 with a couple of ground crew taking pictures with cameras. Air bridge took a VERY long time to be attached to the aircraft so I'm not sure what that was all about but apart from that and some rather nice drinks at the airport bar afterwards very little else happened to indicate this was the last QF733 service. So that concludes all Qantas Boeing 737-300 operations and leaves Jetconnect with a newer, better looking and more reliable fleet.

 

[docjames]

Any idea what happens to it - broken up in AKL, on-sold to another carrier or off to the mojave?

 

[serfty]

ferried to the the great airplane graveyard in the states ...

 

[russianrob]

Is it possible to visit that place?

 

[harvyk]

Docjames - I'd say Mojave, especially as the airframe hours are just about all used,

Redroo - Yes, sometimes... It used to be open and anyone can visit, but I believe they now have organised tours. Don't know how much they cost...

 

[serfty]

Here's some movies of ZK-JNN's ferry flight to Tuczon AZ last month:

• YouTube - Landing in Apia
• YouTube - Take Off From Apia
• YouTube - Landing in Honolulu
• YouTube - Taking off out of HNL
• YouTube - Just Out Of HNL. A Bit Of Traffic.
• YouTube - Landing in Tucson

 

[harvyk]

It would be weird being the capt landing a plane like that at a graveyard knowing that it would never leave the ground again. It'd also be weird switching everything off for the last time...

 

[markis10]

There are at least 15 different locations right throughout the US that serve as aircraft graveyards, the QF 747's were recently retired to Evergreens Pinal Air Park facility which has an interesting history, and does not have tours. Pinal also was the final home for many Beech Starship canards, which I was lucky to have had a fly in many years ago.