Capt. Bob Russo has flown for United since 1978, with nearly all of his years in the cockpit of a Boeing 737. He loved flying the jet so much that he said he'd retire with the 737 if United ever removed the aircraft from its fleet. Wednesday will be Russo's last day as a commercial aviation pilot.

When he lands the last leg of United Flight 737 Wednesday night at San Francisco International, his career and that of the world's best-selling commercial aircraft will draw to a close at United, the nation's No. 3 carrier.

"I never really thought I would be flying the last 737 flight," Russo says. "I intended on retiring with the aircraft, but I never really thought that I would be able to fly the last flight. It's a tremendous honor for me."

 

Russo says Wednesday's curtain call for the 737 at United will be both "exciting and bittersweet."

"I hate to see the airplane leave the fleet at United, but under the present economic conditions, there are a lot of decisions (like this) that have to be made to make us competitive in this industry," he says.

While the retirement of the 737 marks the end of an era at United, it also underscores a fundamental change underway in the industry.

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