Do airplanes that board from the rear tail still exist? and/or are still used?
Posted by MidfieldGeneralKeane@reddit | flying | View on Reddit | 67 comments
Having a chat with a friend about planes and I remember seeing one of them Holidays From Hell shows many years ago where people in a poorer country were boarding from the rear tail instead of the sides. Apparently using a by then 20 to 30 year old plane that wasn't safe. It got me thinking, was that the norm to board that way? And does boarding this way still exist?
jet-setting@reddit
The last big operator in the US at least was probably Allegiant with their MD-80 fleet, but they fully transitioned to Airbus quite a few years ago now.
Portable stairs to a rear door are still a thing though, especially at some smaller airports that only use portable ramps/stairs.
Fit_Homework532@reddit
My first time flying Allegiant, I entered through the Planus.
thefruitypilot@reddit
The APU is direct evidence of evolution, back in the day planes used to have a whole entrance back there but since it wasn't being used it mostly disappeared
Fit_Homework532@reddit
Now the planus is exit only, just like the tattoo on my right butt cheek.
MidfieldGeneralKeane@reddit (OP)
Interesting! How long ago was the Allegiant MD80 planes still flying?
jet-setting@reddit
If I remember correctly, they finished their transition around 2017? Something like that.
Sommern@reddit
what’s really crazy is American operating MD-80s in their old livery just about up to when COVID was becoming a thing in 2019.
I really miss seeing them flying around
FearlessAttempt@reddit
Delta didn't retire their Mad Dogs until 2020. I don't remember them using the stairs though.
smcsherry@reddit
They technically haven’t fully retired em as they still operate the 717, which was supposed to be the MD-95 prior to MD merging with Boeing.
bureaucrat37@reddit
We dropped the stairs almost every flight. Mostly for cleaners to come on.
Swedzilla@reddit
I wanna remember that the stairs were dropped by SOP in case of evacuation
bureaucrat37@reddit
No, we would just blow the tailcone slide.
superspeck@reddit
Delta still flies B717s which were called MD-95 until the merger with Boeing. They still have the rear emergency exit but no stairs.
Bunslow@reddit
hawaiin still has some "boeing" maddogs too dont they?
MidfieldGeneralKeane@reddit (OP)
Quite recent then! Blimey!
starBux_Barista@reddit
I remember boarding planes from the rear like this as a kid when I was 5 or so. Ah the Memories this brought back.
flycrg@reddit
I flew them very regularly 15 years ago and used the rear stairs often in St Pete, FL
MJC136@reddit
Frontier uses aft stairs as regular operations in many of their outstations.
coloradokyle93@reddit
In Denver too-their main hub
jet-setting@reddit
Yeah I deleted a couple lines about those, I think OP was specifically asking about boarding through the tail itself, not just an aft side cabin door.
MJC136@reddit
Ah gotcha!
realopticsguy@reddit
AA loaded a 737 from the back and front at KBUR three weeks ago.
dontcrashandburn@reddit
Frontier does in Denver.
MidfieldGeneralKeane@reddit (OP)
Forgive me if I'm not up on plane terminology etc, I tried to ask this question in one of the main 'Ask' subreddits but it wouldn't let me post for some reason, then I was given a list of subs that I could post to hence why I'm here :) learning things already from the comments so thank you.
747ER@reddit
To directly answer your question, there’s probably less than ten planes in worldwide airline service that still have this specific feature, where the airstairs fold down from the back of the aircraft. There are no more 727s in airline service, only about 1-2 DC-9s, and only a handful of MD-80s. I’m not sure how many Yak-40/-42s are still flying but these aircraft also came with the rear airstairs.
All ATR turboprop aircraft have rear airstairs, but these fold down conventionally from the side of the plane, rather than the bottom of the tail.
Far_Top_7663@reddit
Any BAC 1-11 still in service?
de_rats_2004_crzy@reddit
Flew on an ATR this past summer that boarded from the rear. But as I typed this I realized that’s not exactly what you’re asking.
AdNew4281@reddit
C130s
Dave_A480@reddit
And the C5
Barnzey9@reddit
Only one that comes to mind as a prior service dude
dodint@reddit
Osprey as well.
pattern_altitude@reddit
Is there any other tail than the rear tail?
Dave_A480@reddit
There is on a Cozy
TheDuckFarm@reddit
I suppose the Wright Flyer had a bit of a front tail…
jet-setting@reddit
As a ground agent, we were ground boarding both forward and aft, with a little bit of a walk from the gate to the plane so the entire plane was pretty easily in view.
I had a pax come up, and very politely ask “um, excuse me, where’s the back of the plane?”
I know what she was asking, the actual stairs were sometimes difficult to see from a distance. But I still giggle at that one.
Heel-Judder@reddit
There's the rear side door. Used frequently at some airports.
Heel-Judder@reddit
There is the rear side door which is used frequently at some airports.
ATACB@reddit
lol frontier in Denver has started boarding using front and rear airstairs. But no most planes don’t have stairs anymore due to weight savings
pilotshashi@reddit
Db cooper 🪜🚶
The_Jizzard_Of_Oz@reddit
First vacation in 1987, in a BAC One-Eleven. Damned noisy boarding through the rear stairs under the screaming APU, but still remember it 35 years later!
Busy_Medium6338@reddit
yes i think the atr does
clburton24@reddit
You board from the rear but not through Cooper stairs
ScaratheBear@reddit
About 2 years ago I worked a charter flight on an MD-82 (I think it was an 82) that loaded from the rear stairs. Was one of those slightly sketchy Miami based charter airlines. Not a scheduled flight like you're asking but there's still a few that exist.
gromm93@reddit
This is normal in aviation. Airframes last a long time, because they're made of aluminum, and aren't subjected to road salt. They're also built and maintained to a standard that is completely unheard of in motor vehicles.
For reference, everyone here talking about the MD-80, it was in production from 1979 to 1999. The very newest MD-80s therefore, are a little over 25 years old.
crimedog58@reddit
Aircraft that are parked on the ramp (see it in Europe a lot) will often board front and back.
trying_to_adult_here@reddit
When I was in Australia and New Zealand I think Qantas and Air New Zealand boarded from the front and back via stairs as well
pathofneo29@reddit
Yes, very common in AU for rear boarding
metalgtr84@reddit
Just had that experience last week on a flight to Mexico. Dual boarding should be the norm.
Quiet_Effort@reddit
Had dual boarding on a Delta flight out of SXM last year, 757. My first and only time experiencing that.
user0000069420@reddit
I remember seeing the San Jose Sharks (727, N724YS) and Detroit Red Wings (MD81, N682RW) used their own planes which had that feature, but I believe now San Jose uses a 737 charter and the Red Wings use a 737NG shared with the Detroit Tigers (N313TR)
Pretty_Marsh@reddit
Nice try, DB Cooper
starBux_Barista@reddit
They found the identity of DB Cooper. His kids discovered his identity in his last 3 years of life and decided to wait untill he passed away to tell the authorities. They found the duffel bag and a few stacks of the money in the attic......
https://nypost.com/2024/11/26/us-news/richard-mccoy-jr-s-kids-claim-hes-db-cooper-after-finding-hidden-parachute/
320sim@reddit
And did anyone verify the serial numbers on the money
Pretty_Marsh@reddit
Respectfully, I'll believe it when someone other than Dan Gryder and the New York Post confirm it.
LateralThinkerer@reddit
He did not jump in vane.
I'll see myself out...
ErmakDimon@reddit
In Russia there are a few airlines flying the Yak-40 and Yak-42, both of which have tail stairs, for the Yak-40 it's the only normal way to enter the aircraft
554TangoAlpha@reddit
JetBlue used to board from the front and back at LGB. Maybe WN does still too, can't remember. It's common at ground loading only spots.
SEA_tide@reddit
WN uses rear airstairs at LGB and BUR. Like most airlines, ot has the capability to do so at PSP as well , but chooses not to.
capsug@reddit
727’s are still out there and they can load from aft stairs.
DeathCabForYeezus@reddit
There are a few MD-80s out there with DB Cooper doors but they're getting fewer and fewer.
The B717 doesn't have a proper DB CCooper door, but there is a rear emergency exit where the tailcone drops off and a slide extends.
jet-setting@reddit
Fun story! At least on the MD80s I worked on, the tail stairs couldn’t be lowered from inside the aircraft. The control panel is outside on the belly just forward of where they drop out.
We had a mechanic once get stuck in the aft cabin, boarding started and he didn’t know. He tried lowering the aft stairs….. * pop * off goes the tailcone.
Ace_Laminar@reddit
Q400s will still sometimes board front and back
MJC136@reddit
lol literally just did this yesterday after I landed. We had passengers load from the front and the back of an Airbus.
spezbot69@reddit
Ericson Aero Tanker flies the MD87 which has air stairs.
https://www.eatanker.com/
thiago_c@reddit
ATR?
prex10@reddit
No
rFlyingTower@reddit
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
Having a chat with a friend about planes and I remember seeing one of them Holidays From Hell shows many years ago where people in a poorer country were boarding from the rear tail instead of the sides. Apparently using a by then 20 to 30 year old plane that wasn't safe. It got me thinking, was that the norm to board that way? And does boarding this way still exist?
Please downvote this comment until it collapses.
Questions about this comment? Please see this wiki post before contacting the mods.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. If you have any questions, please contact the mods of this subreddit.