<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by azj:
ACtually, the facts prove that even though they are 30+ years old, they are still THE most reliable fleet in the NW fleet. The airbus reliability is the only other to come near that of the DC9.
AZJ</font>
The DC-9's are currently the second most reliable airplane in the NW fleet (2nd to the A-319). The fact that they are paid off allows NW to have a few spares around which of course helps in the dispatch reliability.