Originally Posted by
dmurphynj
Yes, they were 767-200ERs, and it definitely served the South American market at least under pmCO, if not post-merger. In fact, as I recall, Boeing reopened the 767-200 order books just for Continental. (Bethune may have had a friend or two at Boeing back then ...)
Great planes; they were fairly new, in great shape, comfy as could be as a passenger. As you said - would've been perfect for the transcon routes, especially in the "modern" J-heavy era. Back when they were retired, I don't think the J revenue was nearly as strong as it is now.... would've been a different cost/profit profile today I suspect.
I don't blame UA for retiring them - they were certainly niche and tailored for a few routes, but still wish they hadn't.
C'est le vie.
The 767-200ER was on offer until 2010 or so, mostly as a tanker or VIP jet. They never stopped offering it until then. It’s built on the same line as the 300 and was the basis for the KC-767 tankers Japan got in the early 2000s (different than the KC46)
CO buying them when they did was a stupid decision. It was already inefficient by then, airlines were moving on and the last non VIP order was like 5 years prior.