Flying in an MD-80
 

My wife has this fear of flying in the smaller airplanes like the MD80. She gets motion sickness and in general is a terrible flyer.

My question, because I've never flown on a smaller airplane, is there any real difference between the MD80 and say, a 737-800?

Thanks!

It really is not that much smaller. Any plane is going to bump around in turbulent air.

I like MD-80s in that you can sit on the 2 seat side and have one less neighbor, although if you sit in the back of the plane you'll have the engines right by your ears.

Flying in an MD-80
 

Not really. The 737 is a little wider (assuming you are not in first class) with 3x3 seating instead of 3x2. if it's just the two of you the MD will be nicer if you get seats on the two side. Depending on models the MD will often be longer.

Depending on where you sit the MD can be quieter - or louder. The 737 has engines on the wing and the MD has engines in the rear. If you are seated at the back the MD can be louder - especially at the very back. if you are seated in the middle or forward. the MD is a little quieter. Overall both are incredibly safe and reliable aircraft. The MD has a better raw number safety record - but that's likely because there are more 737s than MD so you would expect higher numbers.
The MD iis not a regional jet - it is bigger than the regional jets - bigger than the CRJ 900 etc.

The MD was built back in the 80s as the McDonnell Douglas answer to the 737. It had some early advantages for altitude and climate issues with short runways but today's models are pretty equal. Today the MD is known as the Boeing 717 and they are still being built.

No, they're not, and haven't been for almost a decade. Boeing stopped making them right around when they stopped making the 757

Whatever the aircraft try to book seats in the wing section as
that will be the most stable.

If you are way in the back there is more movement and with
some aircraft, such as the MD80, the noise will be louder.

most of the MadDog's fuselage/cabin length is ahead of the wing, so the Dutch roll is much less noticeable in the back

as far as designators, the MD-80 was originally the DC-9-80; the 717 began as the MD-95 ... only the MD-90 hasn't had a change of nomenclature in its history

Well, the Mad Dog's original planform, like the 737's, dates from the mid-1960s, when it was designated the DC-9... not the 1980s. And after the MD-80 / / 81 / 82 / 83 / 87 / 88 period the airframe was updated (stretched) yet again and sold as the MD-90. A shortened MD-95 was rebranded as the Boeing 717 after the merger. 717 production ended in 2006; it is not still being built.

Like the long-running Volkswagen Beetle, the aircraft known as the DC-9 / MD-80 / MD-90 / Boeing 717 went through major technological changes during its 40-year production history, but they all pretty much look the same.

That said it is a great airplane and, in a world of CR2s and EMB145s, should not be considered a "smaller" airliner. It is standard-sized, and very nice to fly, especially if you can get seats on or just forward of the wing spar. Rearmost seats can be noisy.

The Mad Dog, despite having a smaller cabin cross-section, feels more spacious inside in economy because of the 2-3 seating configuration. It feels about the same in first class.

The further forward you sit, the quieter it will be, as described above. In first it is one of the quietest narrowbodies around in my experience.

Given a choice between a flight on a 737 and a Mad Dog, I would choose the dog every time.

As a few people have already pointed out, the MD80 is not a "smaller aircraft". It does however differ from both the 737 and A320, which are similar in size. I love the MD80 and always pick it (or DC9/717/MD90) rather than a 737 or A320. The main reason is the 2-3 seating.

Im not sure if everyone would agree with me, but I find the MD80 take-offs much more "violent" than on other aircrafts. This sometimes makes me dizzy. Also the MD80 seems to be less stable when descending, which has also caused me a little bit of motion sickness. I havent noticed any differences during cruise. This opinion is based on about 30 DC9/MD80/MD90/717 flights.

Yes but I enjoy it. Before the development of quieter engines sitting in the back of a DC9 taking off from a short runway was something I looked forward to. Low-bypass turbofan, full power, rapid climb, tilted back, pressed in the seat, engines roaring. It was great!

I agree, though I'm not sure this is something a very nervous flyer would look forward to, lol. ;)

That said, I love the MD-80 and the 2x3 configuration, which indeed can be more comfortable but feels no less substantial than a 737.

Haha, that sounds like something I would enjoy thoroughly while my wife is in the seat next to me wanting to die.

Thanks so much for all the responses!

Nicely put.

OP, I think you may be confusing the MD-80 with smaller regional jets like the CRJ-200 or -700 because they LOOK similar (all have T-tails and engines in the back) and it is difficult to gauge size from pictures alone. As others have pointed out the MD-80 is not a small regional jet, it can seat 130+ passengers, comparable to many 737 models.

If you sit towards the back of the MD-80, they may run out of Dutch rolls by the time meal service reaches your seat. (Thank you for making me Google Dutch roll, BTW... ;))

The Mad Dog is my favorite narrowbody to get an upgrade on: super silent ride up there. Even a decent seat assignment in the forward half of Y isn't too bad.

On routes where the MD still operates, you probably won't have a lot of widebody options, if any. As others have stated, it's a large-ish plane compared to the RJ's that now operate a lot of traditional MD-80 routes.

Once you get down into the various RJ's, you can certainly get a different experience on different types. For example, I quite like the bigger Embraers (170 and up) but would be perfectly happy if I never had to fly a 135 or 145 ever again.

If motion sickness is a factor, your wife should actively seek out services operated by MD-80 equipment. Why, you ask? Because the MD-80s have a very high wing loading, which translates directly into a much more comfortable ride in turbulent weather.

Never let prejudice get in the way of facts!