This is the cover of the 9 November 1981 Aviation Week & Space Technology showing United Airlinesā first two Boeing 767-200s, N601UA and N602UA. United introduced the 767-200 on 8 September 1982- the first commercial flight of the 767 was with United as Flight 1767 Chicago to Denver. ā£ ā£ Interestingly while we mostly think of United and the 767 in terms of transcontinental and international services, when United first got the 767-200, they were deployed as replacements for the Boeing 727 on main domestic routes in Unitedās network. The 767-200 was about 29% more cost efficient than the 727-200 on a typical United domestic trunk route. ā£ ā£ The passage of the Airline Deregulation Act in 1978 followed by the PATCO strike in 1981 had cost legacy carriers like United millions of dollars and hampered post-deregulation expansion plans. It wasnāt until the 4Q of 1982 that United could confidently state that it had regained market share lost in the prior years- key to the airlineās improved performance was the deployment of the 767-200 to Unitedās main trunk routes. By the end of 1982, United had six 767-200s in service and took delivery of another thirteen in 1983, having deferred most of its order on account of current economic challenges. ā£ ā£ At the time the 767-200s were arriving at United, the airline had nearly 22% of the domestic market share, itās best showing since deregulation and despite competition from eight other airlines, it maintained a 50% market share on the Hawaii market. ā£ ā£ While the 767-200s were not intended as a replacement for the 727-200 in Unitedās network, the boost in efficiency and capacity allowed for a growth in seat capacity without an increase in fuel costs, one of the keys that ensured Unitedās survival in the post-deregulation chaos of the early 1980s. ā£ ā£ #Avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #airlines #Boeing #767 #United #UnitedAirlines #N601UA #N602UA #AWST #AviationWeek #instagramaviation #splendid_transport #instaaviation #aviationlovers #flight #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation #TeamAvGeek https://www.instagram.com/p/B3YX_CKhTj0/?igshid=1jta2twnlp2ey
