Your next flight may be on a very old airplane and you probably won’t know it | CNN

Step aboard a Boeing 767 operated by United Airlines and you’ll encounter the carrier’s very latest cabin comfort experiences — a smart foyer with gray walls and the rich blue United globe logo, rows of Polaris business-class suites, a dark purple premium economy section and blue economy seats equipped with the latest inflight entertainment systems. While the cabin fittings might be everything a traveler expects from one of the world’s leading airlines in 2026, on some 767s there’s an experience they probably didn’t expect — a ride on one of the oldest airplanes that United flies. United took delivery of four 767-300ERs in the spring of 1991 that, 35 years later, still safely ply the skies on routes like Newark-London and Washington-Geneva. Their vintage, for the most part, is unknown to the flyers onboard. While jetliner travel may still feel like a creation of the modern age, it’s now been around for more than 75 years. And while most of us would like to think we’re boarding a plane that represents the cutting edge of aviation, many modern aircraft can spend decades in service. “Airplanes are built incredibly durably,” says Nathaniel Pieper, the recently hir

Apr 7, 2026 → Apr 7, 2026