Travel
The Airline Propeller Era Is Coming to an End
American retires the Dash 8, joining the other two major U.S. carriers in going all-jet, all-the-time.
Photographer: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg
A chapter of U.S. air travel came to a quiet end on July 4 when the final turboprop flight at American Airlines Group Inc. landed on Maryland’s Eastern Shore at dusk.
American regional carrier Piedmont Airlines was the final operator of turboprops among the Big Three U.S. carriers and their affiliates, an era that stretched back to the first flights by Delta Air Lines Inc. and United in 1928. American’s initial commercial service in June 1936 used a Douglas DC-3.