In the late 1950s, Douglas Aircraft Company began developing a narrow-body aircraft for short to medium haul routes, which would complement its only operational aircraft at the time, the Douglas DC-8, configured for long-haul routes, along with its high density.

Douglas DC-9

The first flight in the history of the DC-9 took place on February 25th, 1965, entering regular service on December 8th of that year with Delta Air Lines. Registered as N3304L, this aircraft was the first DC-9 ever built, produced in Long Beach, as were the remaining 975 aircraft manufactured.

Delta Air Lines was one of the main historical operators of the DC-9, which it retired from service on January 6th, 2014, following its last flight from Minneapolis to Atlanta with flight number DL2014. DC-9s had commercial and cargo operators around the world, with a few currently active, approximately 30, most of which belong to Aeronaves TSM, a Mexican cargo airline.

Douglas to McDonnell Douglas

As part of its development, now under the name McDonnell Douglas, the company launched the second generation of the DC-9, initially planned as the DC-9-80, and later named the McDonnell Douglas MD-80.

MD-81 was the first aircraft of the new generation, whose maiden flight occurred on October 18th, 1979, and which entered service on October 10th, 1980, with Swissair. Meanwhile, the maiden flights of the MD-82 and MD-83 took place on January 8th, 1981, and December 17th, 1984, respectively.

The last two versions of the MD-80 generation, the MD-87 and MD-88, completed their first flights in 1987 and 1988, coming into service shortly thereafter. In addition, by mid-1980s, McDonnell Douglas was planning to introduce the MD-89, although it was never produced. Much of this technology was transferred to the McDonnell Douglas MD-90.

MD-80 generation in the US

McDonnell Douglas MD-80s, in all its versions, had a significant presence in the United States, with American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, Delta Air Lines, and Spirit Airlines, being some of the airlines currently operating that have used the MD-80.

The main operators

American Airlines holds the record for the first scheduled flight of an MD-80 within the United States, on May 15th, 1983, with a service between New York LaGuardia and Nashville, operated by the McDonnell Douglas MD-82 with registration N218AA.

Delta Air Lines also has an important role in the history of the MD-80, as it was the first regular operator of the McDonnell Douglas MD-88 in the United States. Its first flight occurred on January 5th, 1988, and it was the main operator of this aircraft worldwide.

American and Delta retired their last McDonnell Douglas MD-80s between late 2019 and early 2020, ending an iconic era for American aviation. One of the most important American aircraft in history bid farewell to its most prominent operators, after 37 and 32 years, respectively.

Other North American passenger airlines that operated the McDonnell Douglas MD-80, either for a long or short period of time, were Midwest Airlines, ValueJet Airlines, AirTran Airways, Southeast Airlines, Miami Air International, Ryan International Airlines, North American Airlines, Trans World Airlines, Continental Airlines, Northwest Airlines, USAir, Hawaiian Airlines, Reno Air, AirCal, among others.

Some U.S. airlines operated most versions of the MD-80, while others only one:

McDonnell Douglas MD-81

• American Airlines (AA/AAL)
• American International Airways (AIA)
• Alaska Airlines (AS/ASA)
• Continental Airlines (CO/COA)
• Hawaiian Airlines (HA/HAL)
• Midwest Airlines (YX/MEP)
• Olympia Aviation (MD-81 VIP)
• Spirit Airlines (NK/NKS)
• Trans World Airlines (TW/TWA)

McDonnell Douglas MD-82

• AirCal (OC/ACL)
• Alaska Airlines (AS/ASA)
• Allegiant Air (G4/AAY)
• American Airlines (AA/AAL)
• Continental Airlines (CO/COA)
• Delta Air Lines (DL/DAL)
• Everts Air Alaska (5V/VTS)
• Midwest Airlines (YX/MEP)
• MuseAir (MC/TST)
• New York Air (NY/NYA)
• North American Airlines (NA/NAO)
• Northwest Airlines (NW/NWA)
• Reno Air (QQ/ROA)
• Republic Airlines (RC/REP)
• Ryan International Airlines (RD/RYN)
• Spirit Airlines (NK/NKS)
• Southeast Airlines (SL/SNK)
• US Airways (US/AWE)
• World Atlantic Airlines (WL/WAL)

McDonnell Douglas MD-83

• Alaska Airlines (AS/ASA)
• Allegiant Air (G4/AAY)
• American Airlines (AA/AAL)
• Continental Airlines (CO/COA)
• Delta Air Lines (DL/DAL)
• Everts Air Alaska (5V/VTS)
• Miami Air International (LL/BSK)
• Midwest Airlines (YX/MEP)
• North American Airlines (NA/NAO)
• Northwest Airlines (NW/NWA)
• Reno Air (QQ/ROA)
• Ryan International Airlines (RD/RYN)
• Spirit Airlines (NK/NKS)
• US Airways (US/AWE)
• USA Jet Airlines (UJ/JUS)
• World Atlantic Airlines (WL/WAL)

McDonnell Douglas MD-87

• American Airlines (AA/AAL)
• Allegiant Air (G4/AAY)
• Delta Air Lines (DL/DAL)
• Dynamic Aviation 
• Erickson Aero Tanker
• Great American Airways (MV/GRA)
• Miami Air International (LL/BSK)
• Midway Airlines (ML/MDW)
• Midwest Airlines (YX/MEP)
• Reno Air (QQ/ROA)
• Spirit Airlines (NK/NKS)

McDonnell Douglas MD-88

• Allegiant Air (G4/AAY)
• Delta Air Lines (DL/DAL)
• Erickson Aero Tanker
• Everts Air Alaska (5V/VTS)
• Midway Airlines (ML/MID)
• Midwest Airlines (YX/MEP)
• Southeast Airlines (SL/SNK)
• USA Jet Airlines (UJ/JUS)
• World Atlantic Airlines (WL/WAL)

At present, McDonnell Douglas MD-80s continue to operate in the United States, both for passenger and cargo flights.

According to our database, Everts Air Alaska, USA Jet Airlines, and World Atlantic Airlines are the U.S. carriers currently using the second generation of the DC-9. The first two airlines are focused on cargo flights, while the latter operates passenger charter flights, usually international.

Everts Air Alaska

Everts Air Alaska (5V/VTS) is a North American airline founded in 1979, based at Fairbanks International Airport (FAI/PAFA) as well as Anchorage International Airport (ANC/PANC), Alaska’s main airport. It has a fleet of over 30 aircraft, including British Aerospace BAe 146-300(QT), Cessna Grand Caravan, Cessna 408 Skycourier, Curtiss C-46 Commando, Douglas DC-6, McDonnell Douglas MD-80, and Pilatus PC-12/47. 

The airline added its first McDonnell Douglas MD-80 in May 2016, an MD-83 model. At the time of publication, it has six MD-83s in its fleet, all of which are active, and one MD-88.

Furthermore, by mid-2022, Everts Air Alaska added two former Delta Air Lines McDonnell Douglas MD-88s to its fleet, retired from service in 2020. Neither aircraft ever operated for the airline, nor were they configured for cargo flights, as they were used for spare parts.

Everts Air Alaska added its third McDonnell Douglas MD-88 (and first MD-88SF) in September 2024, registered N966CE, which is currently in service.

Routes

Flights operated with McDonnell Douglas MD-80 during December 2025 and January 2026, as per our database:

USA Jet Airlines

USA Jet Airlines (UJ/JUS) is another North American cargo airline that has McDonnell Douglas MD-80s in its fleet. It was founded in 1994 and began operations shortly thereafter with two McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15(F) aircraft, registration N198US and N199US. 

The last DC-9s were withdrawn from its fleet in 2023, all of them being replaced by McDonnell Douglas MD-88s starting in 2010. At publication time, in accordance with our database, the operational MD-88s have the registrations N831US, N832US, N833US, N834US, N835US, N836US, N837US, and N842US.

Between April and June 2021, USA Jet Airlines added eight ex-Delta Air Lines MD-88s to its fleet, with registries N912DE, N912DL, N913DL, N915DE, N916DL, N917DL, N918DL, N959DL, and N970DL, which it has been using for spare parts.

Routes

Flights operated with McDonnell Douglas MD-80 during December 2025 and January 2026, as per our database:

World Atlantic Airlines

In September 2002, a new North American airline was established, Caribbean Sun Airlines, commencing operations in January 2003 with a Dash 8-100 aircraft. Its routes were between Florida and the Caribbean, which it maintained for the next four years.

The airline was forced to cease operations in January 2007 due to financial difficulties. Despite attempts to resume flights soon after through Merengue Airlines Dominicana, the venture ultimately failed to materialize.

In 2009, the company was purchased by Tomas Romero, who launched a new airline model and renamed it “World Atlantic Airlines.” Shortly thereafter, it began adding its first aircraft, all of which were McDonnell Douglas MD-80s.

The first MD-80 introduced by World Atlantic Airlines (WL/WAL) was the McDonnell Douglas MD-83 with serial number 53052, which had previously operated with Alaska Airlines, Spanair, Air Comet, and Flightline. This aircraft, with registration number N802WA, has been operating with World Atlantic Airlines since August 2009.

World Atlantic Airlines is a charter airline based at Miami International Airport, with a fleet consisting of four McDonnell Douglas MD-83s, registered as N801WA, N802WA, N805WA, and N808WA.

Routes

Flights operated with McDonnell Douglas MD-80 during December 2025 and January 2026, as per our database:

According to our data, these are the McDonnell Douglas MD-80s that belong to Everts Air Cargo, USA Jet Airlines, and World Atlantic Airlines. All of them can be tracked via Flightradar.

MD-80s in the US

MD-95 (or Boeing 717)

By early 1990, McDonnell Douglas had plans to launch a new version of one of its most iconic aircraft, the McDonnell Douglas MD-80. The company intended to introduce the new MD-87-105, a shorter version of the traditional MD-80, configured with up to 105 seats, hence the 105 at the end.

Soon after, the new MD-87-105 was renamed MD-95, as it was known until the merger with Boeing in December 1996, when it became the Boeing 717.

As with the McDonnell Douglas MD-80, the Boeing 717 has had and continues to have the United States as its main market, with several well-known operators in the country. Currently, 98 Boeing 717-200s are in operation, all of them belonging to US airlines.

We will talk about the MD-87-105, MD-95, and Boeing 717 in another post shortly.

Cover photo: © Kass Betas – JetPhotos (Louisville, United States)