American Airlines to retire entire Embraer 140 fleet in May
Another set of planes is destined for the boneyard.
Over the weekend, American Airlines removed the Embraer 140 (E140) fleet from its schedule effective May 5, 2021, according to Cirium timetables and later confirmed by the carrier. It's no secret that the E140s were on their way out. It was just a matter of when.
American's vice president of network planning, Brian Znotins, told TPG that "we are publishing our plans now to phase out that aircraft type. As we continue bringing larger regional jets into our system, the Embraer 140s are the first we are phasing out."
Cirium Fleet data shows that there are 31 E140s either in service or in storage for American's regional affiliate Envoy Air, with only eight actively flying for the airline. These planes were all delivered from 2001 to 2003, making them roughly 18.8 years old on average.
With 16 rows of seats in a 1-2 layout, the Embraer 140s are the smallest regional jet that American currently flies. With just 44 seats in an all-coach configuration, most flyers likely won't miss the tight arrangement. (However, solo travelers might miss the single-seat option.)
In February 2021, Cirium schedules show that the E140 is primarily based at American's mega-hub of Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), with a total of 810 commuter hops to cities like Laredo, Texas (LRD) and Montgomery, Alabama (MGM).
In years past, American has placed these jets on a number of routes from its two New York-area hubs of JFK and LaGuardia. But with the recent news of the Northeast-focused alliance with JetBlue, American promised to upgauge its New York flying to aircraft with a first-class cabin, like the Bombardier CRJ-700 or the Embraer 175.
The E140 will become the latest plane to exit the American fleet during the pandemic. To date, the Fort Worth-based carrier has retired the Airbus A330, Boeing 757, Boeing 767, Embraer 190 and Bombardier CRJ-200.
More: American Airlines unveils major Miami expansion, another new route to Tel Aviv
American Eagle was the launch customer for the E140 with an order for 130 aircraft in October 2000. The carrier originally ordered the jet when its pilot unions didn't approve a clause to expand the number of 50-seat planes allowed in the regional fleet. With just 44 seats, the Embraer 140 was a way around the scope clause.
Since then, the plane has been a mainstay in Envoy Air's fleet. At one point, the affiliate operated the majority of E140s ever built.
And then the pandemic accelerated the plane's demise for American Airlines.
When Envoy announced that it would close its New York bases in September 2020, the carrier also confirmed that the E140's days were numbered.
Znotins conceded that the exact retirement date could always change: "as we've learned through this crisis, sometimes things need to be tweaked from time to time."
For now, though, there are just about three months left to catch a ride on an American Airlines Embraer 140.
TPG featured card
at Bilt's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 1X | Choose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee |
| 2X | Earn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases |
Pros
- Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
- Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
- $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
- $200 Bilt Cash annually
- Priority Pass membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
- Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.