What was the route network for United’s 737-200 fleet in the late 1960s/early 1970s?

Were they configured with First Class?

First one ever was ORD-GRR

GalaxyFlyer wrote:

Yeah, they had first class, everybody and every plane did in regulated years.

Piedmont didn't have First class until they launched LAX in 1984 and only on trancon. It didn't become fleetwide until 1987. USAir didn't have First Class until they merged with Piedmont in 1989. A lot of airlines didn't have First Class.

United broke my heart in either 67 or 68 when I was 12. We were supposed to fly from ATL to CLE in a Caravelle. Instead we got a brand new 737. I should have sued for emotional damages.

i flew one MCI-ORD in June 1973 connecting to DC8 ORD-CLE..

To Mohawk: My parents flew CLE=ATL on Caravelle in 1966 on way to MSY . I remember being on observation deck to see them off!

Early United 737-200 routes affecting Northern Indiana airports SBN and FWA. The B727 replaced the Caravelle flight 246 ORD-SBN-FWA-EWR returning Flight 447 EWR-FWA-SBN-ORD. These flights were replaced by a B737-200 in the 1969 timeframe which added a stop in TOL. B737-200's gradually replaced DC6B's and Viscounts in Both SBN and FWA.

Wesbound route examples were: DCA-PIT-TOL-FWA-SBN-ORD-MLI, BOS-BDF-CLE-FWA-SBN-ORD-MLI, PVD-BDF-CLE-FWA-SBN-ORD-MLI, FWA-ORD-MLI-CID and SBN-ORD
Eastbound route examples were: DSM-ORD-SBN-FWA, ORD-SBN-FWA-CLE-DCA, FWA-TOL-EWR, ORD-SBN-FWA

Did they serve the west coast in the 60s?

They had a 3-man cockpit with a flight engineer in the jumpseat working the throttles for the first bit of time the United 737s were in service. I think they had a little focus city out of MDW at the time with them also, though of course UA had moved most of it's flights to ORD long before.

Jackbr wrote:

Did they serve the west coast in the 60s?

I haven't seen a photo of a United 737 in LAX/SFO (so the West Coast bases) from earlier than 1970, but it is possible they were there a few years prior despite the lack of photos on the usual sites.

Flew them a lot in the late 60s between PHL-ROC. Like other city pairs, it replaced DC-6Bs and Viscounts that previously operated the route.

I remember UA flying the 737-200 from Denver to Ely, and Elko Nevada back in the day. I was always curious to know what kind of loads these routes experienced. Doesn't seem like there would be a huge amount of demand, but I could be wrong.

They also had flight engineers! Few people remember that…

Pair of UA B737s at CLE 1968 (TW B727 in the background on the right)

Source: Postcard Curteichcolor 8DK-1402

Three UA B737s in this postcard at CLE in 1969. Two flanking a UA Caravelle and one at the United Airlines Hanger in the background parked in front of another aircraft (NE DC9, TW B727 also in the background)

Source: Postcard Curteichcolor 9DK-1140

UA B737 at BHM 1974 (DL DC9 in the background). The 1974 UA schedules shows these went to ATL.

Source: Postcard Curteichcolor 4EK-231

Flydude1063 wrote:

I remember UA flying the 737-200 from Denver to Ely, and Elko Nevada back in the day. I was always curious to know what kind of loads these routes experienced. Doesn't seem like there would be a huge amount of demand, but I could be wrong.

In the early 70's UA contracted with Frontier to operate the Ely/Elko service to SFO with a Convair 580.

Chasensfo wrote:

Jackbr wrote:

Did they serve the west coast in the 60s?

I haven't seen a photo of a United 737 in LAX/SFO (so the West Coast bases) from earlier than 1970, but it is possible they were there a few years prior despite the lack of photos on the usual sites.

Yes, they replaced the DC-6s on the central valley routes: SFO-SCK/MOD/MCE/FAT/VIS/BFL-LAX. Also SFO-MRY and SBA-LAX.

910A wrote:

Flydude1063 wrote:

I remember UA flying the 737-200 from Denver to Ely, and Elko Nevada back in the day. I was always curious to know what kind of loads these routes experienced. Doesn't seem like there would be a huge amount of demand, but I could be wrong.

In the early 70's UA contracted with Frontier to operate the Ely/Elko service to SFO with a Convair 580.

The Frontier wet-lease replaced the United DC-6 in March 1970 and continued into 1977. United tried to get out of its requirement to serve ELY/EKO throughout the '70s but the replacement service proposed never seemed to provide enough seats to satisfy the CAB. Finally, Golden Gate stepped in to provide replacement service on May 15,1981, then promptly went out of business. UA resumed service on September 25, 1981 and continued there until April 1, 1982, when Sky West took over the routes.

United had quite a local service network here in California during that time. Routes like the "Valley Queen" LAX-VIS-MCE-MOD-SCK-SFO, and airports like BFL, SBA, MRY and FAT saw the early 737s that had replaced Convair 340 and DC-6Bs.

Flew on a student "stand-bye" fare of $5.80 each way BDL-BOS-BDL on a Saturday night in October of 1968 when I was a student at the University of Hartford. The first flight was a 737-200 and incredibly the return was a DC-8-61! Both flights were the tail ends/beginning of r.t. BDL-ORD service.

United flew the 737-200 on the "California Milk Runs" in the late 1960's/early 1970's, doing routes like LAX-BFL-FAT-SFO, as well as other central valley cities. They also kept the 727-100's on this route into the 1980's, after deregulation, like DEN-BFL-FAT-SFO.

UA flew the 737-200 from PVD to CLE for a good many years starting in the early 70s, morning out, evening back. CLE in those days was a "mini" or "sub hub" and offered connecting flights to many cities with 2 banks each way in addition their other O & D flights. I think CLE dissolved just as CO began their build up.

Jackbr wrote:

Did they serve the west coast in the 60s?

Yes, they served 12 cities in CA, 4 cities in OR, and 3 cities in WA. Also flights to HNL from both SFO and LAX.
https://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/ua/ua61/ua61-01.jpg

Chasensfo wrote:

They had a 3-man cockpit with a flight engineer in the jumpseat working the throttles for the first bit of time the United 737s were in service. I think they had a little focus city out of MDW at the time with them also, though of course UA had moved most of it's flights to ORD long before.

]

Yes it did. It flew one into the ground southeast of MDW in 1973 .

bob75013 wrote:

Yes it did. It flew one into the ground southeast of MDW in 1973 .

That was a weird crash, lots of reports of FBI or similar agents beating first responders to the crash and combing for some kind of documents that had been on board with a passenger killed in the crash.

citationjet wrote:

Jackbr wrote:

Did they serve the west coast in the 60s?

Yes, they served 12 cities in CA, 4 cities in OR, and 3 cities in WA. Also flights to HNL from both SFO and LAX.
https://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/ua/ua61/ua61-01.jpg

I think he meant did the 737s serve the US West Coast in the late 60s, I'd assume he knew United did with their SFO/LAX hubs as well as PDX/SEA focus cities.

afcjets wrote:

A lot of airlines didn't have First Class.

Add the original TWA DC-9-10s to that list.



From: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RVc39njE9K0/T ... eat+06.jpg

Jackbr wrote:

Did they serve the west coast in the 60s?

737s were operating on the west coast in 1969.
https://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/ua/ua69/ua69-24.jpg

DL_Mech wrote:

afcjets wrote:

A lot of airlines didn't have First Class.

Add the original TWA DC-9-10s to that list.

I was about to include Ozark in my list because I didn't remember them having First Class but I wasn't 100 percent certain. Did TWA have DC9s before buying Ozark? That doesn't look like the original 727-100 configuration either because Boeing put the full size right door right before the wing because the early F cabins were larger and it divided F and Y.

citationjet wrote:

Jackbr wrote:

Did they serve the west coast in the 60s?

Yes, they served 12 cities in CA, 4 cities in OR, and 3 cities in WA. Also flights to HNL from both SFO and LAX.
https://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/ua/ua61/ua61-01.jpg

That’s not what he meant. He was asking if UA served the west coast with 737s in the 1960s.

And UA served 5 cities in OR and 2 in WA. Pendleton is in Oregon. I count 15 cities in California.