American Airlines Is Giving Away 10 Seats on the Final MD-80 Flight to Top Tier Elites
After 37 years of faithful service, American Airlines is retiring the last of its old McDonnell Douglas MD-80s on September 4. Although there are 17 MD-80 flights scheduled that day, the last flight is where most of the fanfare is planned.
Aptly given flight number 80, the last-ever scheduled American Airlines MD-80 flight will depart Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) at 9:00am and arrive in Chicago O'Hare (ORD) at 11:35am. This flight has been sold out for months -- even before American Airlines announced it as the final flight -- as AvGeeks caught the unique flight number and scooped up the tickets before the announcement.
In addition to being sold out, 157 non-revenue passengers have already listed themselves on the standby list as of a few weeks ago:
There's still a chance of getting on the flight -- but only if you're a top-tier American Airlines Concierge Key member. TPG contributor and Concierge Key member Flight Wonk found that "select Concierge Key members" have the chance to enter a lottery for a seat on the final flight:
To see if you're targeted for this giveaway, head to the Promotions tab of your American Airlines account and see if the lottery is listed.
The prize includes the flight from Dallas to Chicago and a one-night stay at the Grand Hyatt in DFW the night before the flight, but winners are responsible for their own travel to Dallas and from Chicago.
Even better, there's isn't just one seat being given away. The terms and conditions note that there are 10 prizes. There are only 140 seats on an MD-80, so that's a substantial number of seats to give away to lucky Concierge Key members.
One thing not mentioned anywhere: where the winning Concierge Key members will be flying. There are 16 first class seats on the MD-80. While there's enough room for all of the winners, there are sure to be many airline executives and media on the flight, so this is one upgrade that the Concierge Key members might not get.
No matter which cabin they fly in, Concierge Key members will be able to enjoy the stunning new Dallas/Fort Worth Flagship Lounge before the flight and the excellent Chicago Flagship Lounge after the flight.