After labor at number one, fuel is the second largest expense for an airline.
Other economic reasons for trading up: The cycle count on the MD80 frame, what point in the maintenance schedule it is (possibly nearing a D check) and where the operators books are on the aircraft's depreciation. Minor consideration - the old gal may also be assessed higher landing fees due to her noisy JT8D's and limited to slots during the day where noise restrictions are tight.
edit: of course $50 million bucks American can buy a considerable amount of kerosene.
Last edited by vapilot2004; 2nd June 2010 at 05:53.