TRIP REPORT - American Airlines (MD-80), St Louis to Memphis

[@billbobbingson673]

Just when I thought my weekend couldn't get any better. Thanks for all the great content.

[@JBugz777]

The miracle of flight!

[@CrispyCream27]

I was lucky to fly on an American MD-80 back in 2014. It's nice to see them still flying.

[@northtexasfan]

It will be bittersweet to see these birds go. I live near DFW airport, and there is still a huge amount of these planes there. Beautiful aircraft!

[@richardmorgan6285]

I used to work for an upscale historical hotel which was part of a big chain. Soon after i retired the entire hotel was about to be remodeled down to each room being gutted and redone from the ground up, new wiring, plumbing etc. Except for a short list of rooms all were eliminating the tubs and replacing with shower units similar to what you showed in your video. The GM told me that after extensive research guest did not care to use the tubs and housekeepers prefered this new concept. He told me this was the going thing for the future of the hotel industry. BTW fantastic video as always.

[@TheElevatorChannel]

I've noticed this at some newer Marriott properties. Makes a lot of sense. It's pretty rare that I think "wow, sure would be nice to take a bath in this random tub that's like 1 ft deep" xD

[@DansJets]

Great video, that MD80 kicks butt, one powerful bird.

[@davidsadler419]

Great report. Really appreciate the room tour.

[@buba4267]

I've flown on several of Americans MD-80s, and I do agree they have a certain character to them. My favorite memory of them is walking onboard and instantly smelling coffee. 🤤

[@Jaguar6gaming]

That was a very gradual takeoff, not very steep. Awesome video! Keep up the good work!!

[@manubird2475]

Who knows if you'll see my comments, but I'll make them anyway. Neat to hear the "buzz-saw" MD-80 engines. I miss them like the "throbbers" on the long gone B-727s on the Air Micronesia route. Perhaps the closest I come now to a MD-80 is the Hawaiian Air B-717s it uses on its inter-island flights, which I've been told are MD-80 grandchildren. Not the same. I landed at DFW for the first time last summer while flying from Bradley (CT) to Portland. The taxi time at DFW seemed longer than the flight from Hartford! SkyLink really messed me up since I was a 69 year-old man with a bust back, but you are right: the views from the tram are super. I'm still trying to catch up with your old videos, but I look forward to new ones. You do excellent work, and your aside comments are priceless. Mahalo from Hawai'i!

[@SirensAndElevators]

Little late here but awesomely done! Glad you got to experience an AA MD-80 (two) before they're all gone. Unfortunately Delta is having their MD-80's retired by I believe 2021, so I'm trying to fly on as many as possible. Lucky for me I'm flying two in a row later next month. Also their MD-90's are getting retired too. At least 5 have been retired already within the past year.

[@Kipple2088]

I like you're trip reports! Makes me feel like I'm on a vacation . I will SUB!

[@21xd09]

Really awesome video!

[@AlbanyAviation2951751]

Yes!!! Another trip report! Really enjoyed it! I hope you had a great experience in the amazing AA mad dog! Liked!

[@TheElevatorChannel]

Thanks! I have a few more really cool ones that I just pulled into Final Cut for editing. Should all be up in the next few months :)

[@AlbanyAviation2951751]

The Elevator Channel ok thank you :D

[@SuperKingRiz]

Excellent video!

[@zacharynascimento3921]

Flew on this magnificent bird from MSP to DFW back in 2015. I love the sound of those JT8D engines!!!

[@bodhisilberling8763]

Awesome footage!!! Sad to see the md80s go...

[@crazyboy72375]

that cape air Cessna was like crap gotta get out of the way

[@nolantherailfan5048]

Yeah ikr

[@weasdf8718]

Agree

[@ebob1967]

Holiday Inn started in Memphis, so that aspect of the decor makes sense.

[@ebob1967]

I have not done any trip reports. I am not sure what you are talking about.

[@sboswell5298]

I flew from PNS to DFW Sept '18 on an MD-80. it was a smooth ride

[@sboswell5298]

BTW the MD -80 that pulled up next to you is now stored in the desert

[@ELEVrjATOR]

Gotta love the md-80!

[@jr13227]

I miss flying that old mad dog from Chicago to Palm Springs to visit my grandparents. They now tend to use 737 on the route.

[@gabesuper80]

Fantastic video! Nothing says more than a good 'ol trip in the back of an AA Super-80! I actually just flew STL-DFW and DFW-MEM and back on AA Super-80s as well! Do you happen to remember the registration #s? I think they were both ex-TWA

[@fabrizioferrara4738]

31:16 love that sound❤️

[@seanbrosnan2074]

love that MD80!

[@ChrisGoforthChannel]

cant wait for you to review Delta's replacement of the MD80/717, the A220. I got to wonder if it make Boeing take a look at maybe new 717 or 727

[@pilerks1]

Boeing will try to leverage somthing with thier embraer deal but an a220 competitor wont be for another 5-8 years at least

[@71tarheelfan]

The Mad Dog...my favorite aircraft of all time.

[@WindowSeatFlyer]

Just last weekend I landed on 17L/35R in an A321 at DFW. I was a tad surprised we were pushed over to that runway too. I suppose it’s more efficient than landing on either of the main west side runways if you are parking on the east side. That’s about all I can come up with!

[@TheElevatorChannel]

Yeah, I think that must be it. Probably easier for ground controllers to move traffic around when it lands on the correct side. Even if it means a 15-minute taxi out to that remote runway.

[@MyNameBorax]

Love the MD80's

[@davidk2842]

Great video. Thank you for sharing. Too bad there weren't any nonstops. From a Mississippi River City, completely over Arkansas, into Texas, and back over Arkansas to another Mississippi River City.

[@BrokebackBob]

I flew back to Indianapolis from Minneapolis in 1991 on the oldest (at that time) DC-10-30 in service on Northwest Airlines.

[@richardsundown2175]

amazing how airlines flew the BIG birds on short domestic routes back in the day....I flew a 747 between DTW and Chicago back in the day.

[@damiancooper3063]

I was on that Plane that came in next to you at STL

[@robfromthe3154]

Hi you knocked your trip report out of the park! I was just wondering if you could do a domestic comparison from new york or newark for united to las angeles and document a live comparison in first class to see which on is the best.

[@Straya27]

What do you do for a job that allows you travel so much?

[@SamSitar]

very nice MD-80. MEM baggage area C is a bit cramped for me. hadley ma has a holiday inn.

[@mda037]

The title is a bit misleading even though your destination ultimately may have been Memphis.

[@junkiexl86]

43:09 misleading? He started in St Louis and ended in Memphis. Not sure how that is misleading lol

[@seanbrosnan2074]

16:34 BUTTER

[@ChrisGoforthChannel]

I do like the 2/3 seating. it is perfect for when my wife I travel. She gets her window and I get my isle. But they are loud! I know Delta is going after ever MD88/717 it can find. They are also purchasing an Embiarer to replace their 88s

[@carselevators930]

What's the name of that song on 42:21?

[@QuarioQuario54321]

It’s fastest to have a friend mail yourself, but you’ll arrive around midnight, as Memphis receives more cargo transferring planes than actually going there

[@Kaden303]

Hey! connencting through DFW.

[@isaac24]

Cool.

[@MeTeach2]

As always, I enjoyed watching vicariously the plane rides. What is the drive time and distance from St. Louis to Memphis? Does your company prefer you travel one mode vs. another?

[@504RoadTrips]

MeTeach2 Adventures I was wondering the same thing. St Louis to Memphis is like a 2-3 hour drive.

[@TheElevatorChannel]

It's about 5 hours. Per the travel policy I get the option to fly for anything over 3 hrs (makes more sense when a direct flight exists).

[@504RoadTrips]

Yeah, I guess it's a bit further than I thought. We drove down through Arkansas to Memphis on I-55 a few months ago, and it seemed like it only took 1/2 hour to cross that corner of Arkansas, but it's 72 miles. St. Louis is a lot further north than I thought. I've never driven that far. Google is giving me 3 hours and 55 minutes from St. Louis to Memphis via I-55. But I guess it depends on where you start out in St. Louis. I could see it taking you an hour just to get to the starting point that Google gave me in St. Louis if you're on the opposite side of town.

[@nikospodas6201]

YOU HAVE A VIDEO OF THE HILTON GARDEN INN AT WOLFCHASE

[@cbiasizzo]

The purser shouldn't be hiding behind the flight deck door. As a former flight attendant I must inform that the purser, and all other flight attendants who are greeting passengers, must have hands clasped in front.

[@diegoford7814]

I wonder what a air Canada express plane is doing all the way down in dallas

[@richardsundown2175]

absolutely nothing better than a Mad dog takeoff ...

[@Skyvator92]

I gotta get myself on an MD80 before AA retires them.

[@noahjohnson9305]

How loud are those engines is person?

[@WinginWolf]

At least from the back, the sound fills up the whole cabin and it's a little difficult talking to someone right next to you ;) (mostly on takeoff).

[@planeflight1202]

very

[@tjs468]

I did that walk to the rental car facility in a t shirt in 18° weather it sucked. Also I have hertz gold and rented here last month, got to choose from a zone of cars.

[@TheElevatorChannel]

Yep, they finally rolled out Ultimate Choice at MEM a few months ago. Big improvement.

[@MrFlyboy1313]

The Elevator Channel Have you ever had a problem with another renter wanting the exact same car at the same time? I know that whoever gets to it first should win but,I am wondering if you have ever had someone ask,beg, or get angry with you about wanting the car you chose?

[@squawk012h]

Just wondering of all the different passenger airline carriers you fly on, can you rank your favorite to least favorite? Or who do you prefer to fly on if you were paying out of your own pocket and why? One of my favorite classic aircraft that doesn’t fly no more is the Boeing 727. I do enjoy watching your videos.

[@TheElevatorChannel]

My family used to fly on a little charter airline called Champion Air down to Mexico. Got to experience the 727 all the way up to 2007 our so as a result. Really miss those guys. To answer your main question, Southwest and Delta are my personal favorites. Southwest has great customer service and Delta runs a great operation (plus I love their vintage MD fleet). United has also made great improvements to their operation in recent years but has a way to go. Not a huge fan of AA.

[@squawk012h]

I mainly fly American now but thinking about going to Delta for domestic travel. I fly American because I enjoy all the Oneworld lounges overseas. I grew up in Memphis, so I was flying on Northwest quite a bit. Not too happy that after the merger with Delta that Memphis was dehubbed. I moved out of Memphis so anytime I travel to Memphis, it is always so expensive. I have never been on Southwest because their flight scheduling never worked with me. American seems to have the most flights into Memphis, but their customer service and upper management is going downhill in my opinion. I haven't flown United in over 20 years. Delta seems to have better customer service, and their employees seems happy to work for their company from what I read. Sorry for the long reply.

[@rafaeldiaz7870]

Why did you stop at Texas and then go to Memphis?

[@the_alex_ellis_channel6923]

I think it's not only the MD-80 family that's dying out, but rear-mounted engine jets in general. There's just not many commercial airliners built to this configuration anymore. all of your 737's, A320's, CS300/CS100's and EJets' are all wing-mounted engine aircraft. Even the Russians have gone down that route with the Tupolev Tu-204/214. I think part of it is also becuase we don't have as many manufacturers as we used to.....we don't have Douglas or Fokker or BAC. and those that used to make rear-mounted engine jets aren't really doing them anymore.

[@cubsrule2040]

The_ALEX_ELLIS_Channel The 727 was the only rear-mounted engine plane that Boeing made, and it's no longer in service. My bad, Boeing also made the 717 from 1999 to 2006. It was initially the MD-95 but was redesignated as the 717 after McDonnell-Douglas merged with Boeing.

[@the_alex_ellis_channel6923]

The 717 is more like a McDonnell-Douglas than it is like a Boeing.....It is essentially just a Douglas with a Boeing name slapped on it. It is the only MD aircraft that got a Boeing name and not an MD name. The MD-11 was marketed as the Boeing MD-11 in its later years.

[@buba4267]

There's still Bombardier.

[@isaac24]

I think it's your longest trip report!!

[@TheElevatorChannel]

I believe you're right, but another one I have in Final Cut right now may beat this record :)

[@isaac24]

Oh wow...

[@shreypatel3388]

Broo, i know im late but you stayed at the hotel my dad's friend owns. Hope it was at least decent

[@BHV0810]

Why didn't you fly directly to Memphis?

[@MrFlyboy1313]

BLACKHAWKSVISION American Airlines doesn’t fly directly to Memphis from St. Louis.

[@BHV0810]

@@MrFlyboy1313 👍 3 years late but oh well

[@disneyfan9099]

At 44:27 I cant believe that Hertz still has a 2016 Ford Fusion on their lot. I feel bad for you that you keep getting stuck with all of these cheap basic cars. Another reason why Hertz sucks.

[@TheElevatorChannel]

At least I've been doing pretty well lately with my Five Star status. But as hit-and-miss as the corporate-owned airport locations can be, the smaller franchised ones are so, so much worse. Last week I had a lady at one of these demand a receipt for my gas and then threaten me with refueling fees because it was from 20 minutes before I turned the car in. The tank was full. She also berated me for not buying the loss/damage waiver when I picked the car up despite it being in our corporate contract that they can't offer it to us. Ugh.

[@buba4267]

The fusion isn't exactly a bad car.

[@MrFlyboy1313]

I’m curious,sir. What do you do for rental insurance if your corporate contract doesn’t allow them to offer it to you? Is the insurance on your corporate credit card automatically or does your company have a separate insurance policy that covers every vehicle it rents?

[@seanbrosnan2074]

you get what you pay for. fusions arent bad cars actually.

[@michaelsharp3615]

probably got to daas early long taxi and had to wait for your gate

[@AlexLopez-rx8lw]

Gone are the days that MEM was a hub for Republic Airways and its successor Northwest Airlines. Northwest operated over 300 flights aday outta there to many domestic and international destinations. Delta airlines shut the hub down after their merger with Northwest in 2013.

[@clarkmckee4700]

I want to fly on one before they’re retired

[@TheElevatorChannel]

The MD-88 will stick around at Delta for a few more years so you have some time :)

[@zbvv002]

I am a college student and wondering how you ended up with a job that involves travel! If you could, I would love to find out information you would have for a college student such as myself. Please comment on one of my videos with any advice you have! Thank you!!

[@drakevocovich4237]

Are you gonna do more car wash videos?

[@Jen6374]

Should Hae gotten the Chevy cruze

[@ryankenyon5010]

DFW is so dystopian.

[@willtravels4908]

The SUV was for the pilots not statas members

[@disneyfan9099]

scott hughes Nah they usually use those for High rollers

[@rafaeldiaz7870]

I rode elevators a lot of the airport

[@MasonWright1234]

Memphis is in Tennessee

[@budweiser9nyc]

Hotels

[@trucesplaceforclockcollectors]

524

[@truthmatters8770]

Memphis has such poor city management that the major carriers pulled their hubs out and moved them elsewhere. Its still a good airport but just about the only thing keeping it relevant is FEDEX. Without getting controversial, lets just say that the problem with the Memphis airport is the will of the people and their political choices.

[@samuelramos-ortiz3988]

flying really leaves much to be desired. it sucks

[@mikesmith8606]

Why in the world would you FLY all the way to Texas from St Louis if you're only going to Memphis???????? Its less than a 4 hour ride or thereabouts!!!!! You could have driven there FASTER and probably 10x cheaper! LMFAO!!!!!!

[@TheDragonFire123]

Could be for the MD-80s. I don't know.

[@kyosuke19971]

Your car will never be AS exiting AS two JT8D jet engines Roar the way up on the sky! 😎👌🏻

[@seanbrosnan2074]

hub and spoke. theres not a lot of demand to head from STL to Memphis. And airlines wouldn't make profit flying direct only low cost airlines would probably do that

[@CruisnChris]

I work for American Airlines and can tell you he took the flight because he wanted to fly on the MD-80 but also because American does not have any flight from St Louis to Memphis. The fastest option is what he took a connecting flight to Dallas. Which I realize is out of the way but hey he got to experience the MD-80! :)

[@kyosuke19971]

Chris Potts the MD-80 is the queen of the skies! 😍