B763 - While this is the first time we've seen an official date (Dec 2025) it really is maybe 1-2 year prior to where they were scheduled to be retired pre-COVID. The aircraft were all basically at, near, or recently through their last heavy maintenance cycles. Considering the backlog of A339 orders/deliveries, the writing was on the wall. Announced last quarter was the early retirement of 7 B763s which were likely all due for heavy maintenance over the next year.
B712 - there has been a lot of rumor and speculation about this fleet. The fleet had been primarily leases with renewals coming due over the next several years. Rumors about keeping to 2030 and installing PTVs prior to Covid, rumors about working a deal with Boeing for 737 MAX a few months ago. An airworthiness directive that would require seats to be replaced by the end of 2022 that may or may not have been extended. In reality, even pre-covid keeping them to 2030 seemed like a stretch especially with the backlog of A220 orders. I honestly right now more surprised they are keeping them until 2025 versus what easily could've been a decision to let them go in 2021 or 2022 in the covid era. The part that we don't know yet is how they've renegotiated all the Airbus deliveries over the next few years. Right now only ~45 of the 91 are flying, it will be interesting to see if they reactivate the ones in storage.
CR2 - I personally don't have the hate against this type that so many do, but I get it. I have no issue with them on the short flights into small markets, granted that I was used to flying SF3 and/or the "Bro into back in the day. (Full disclosure - was a fan of turboprops, thought they were pretty cool). Granted, back in the day flew a CR2 on SLC-MSP next to a dude who was like 6'5 with football lineman shoulders - not cool. Anyways, this fleet was approaching its twilight anyways. This obviously applies to the DL-owned CR2s which are operated by Endeavor (9E). Unclear exactly if this impacts the Skywest (OO) owned CR2s that primarily do EAS-flying. I think the Skywest at-risk flying was terminated with Covid and that has reverted to flying under capacity purchase agreements. Some of the flying will simply go to larger 2-class RJs, the EAS stuff will stay under EAS contracts maybe still with CR2s, but there could be some small market fall-out. 50-seat flying is in its twilight anyways at all of the US3.