Editing Boeing 757 (section)

===Service entry and operations===
[[File:Eastern Air Lines Boeing 757-200 Wallner.jpg|thumb|[[Eastern Air Lines]] began domestic 757 operations in January 1983 and later deployed the aircraft on [[Transcontinental flight across the United States|transcontinental]] routes.|alt=Side view of silver twinjet in flight, with "757" markings on tail.]]

Eastern Air Lines operated the first commercial 757 flight on January 1, 1983, on the Atlanta-to-Tampa route.<ref name=norris161/> On February 9, 1983, British Airways began using the aircraft for London-to-Belfast shuttle services, where it replaced [[Hawker Siddeley Trident|Hawker Siddeley Trident 3B]] trijets.<ref name="b49">{{harvnb|Birtles|2001|p=49.}}</ref> Charter carriers Monarch Airlines and [[Air Europe]] also began 757 operations later that year.<ref name="757entry">{{Cite web |date=July 28, 1983 |title=Boeing 757: six months in service |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1983/1983%20-%201307.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120723032740/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1983/1983%20-%201307.html |archive-date=July 23, 2012 |access-date=February 2, 2011 |website=Flight International |pages=195–201}}</ref> Early operators noted improved reliability and quieter performance compared with previous jetliners.<ref name=757entry/> Transition courses eased pilots' introduction to the new CRT-based cockpit, and no major technical issues arose.<ref name=757entry/> Eastern Air Lines, the first 727 operator to take delivery of 757s, confirmed that the aircraft had greater payload capability than its predecessor, along with lower operating costs through improved fuel burn and the use of a two-crew member flight deck.<ref name=757entry/> Compared with the 707 and 727, the new twinjet consumed 42 and 40&nbsp;percent less fuel per seat, respectively, on typical medium-haul flights.<ref name=norris147/>

Despite the successful debut, 757 sales remained stagnant for most of the 1980s, a consequence of declining fuel prices and a shift to smaller aircraft in the post-[[Airline Deregulation Act|deregulation]] U.S. market.<ref name=norris161/> Although no direct competitor existed,<ref name=intro12/> 150-seat narrow-bodies such as the [[McDonnell Douglas MD-80]] were less expensive and carried nearly as many passengers as some airlines' 757s.<ref name=b16/><ref name=norris161/> A three-year sales drought abated in November 1983 when [[Northwest Airlines]] placed orders for 20 aircraft, which averted a costly production rate decrease.<ref name="b50">{{harvnb|Birtles|2001|pp=50–51.}}</ref> In December 1985, a freighter model, the {{nowrap|757-200PF}}, was announced following a launch order for 20 aircraft from [[UPS Airlines]],<ref name=norris161/> and in February 1986, a freighter-passenger combi model, the {{nowrap|757-200M}}, was launched with an order for one aircraft from [[Nepal Airlines|Royal Nepal Airlines]].<ref name="b28">{{harvnb|Birtles|2001|pp=28–29.}}</ref> The freighter model included a main deck cargo hold and entered service with UPS in September 1987.<ref name=eden100/> The combi model could carry both cargo and passengers on its main deck and entered service with Royal Nepal Airlines in September 1988.<ref name=b28/>

In the late 1980s, increasing [[airline hub]] congestion and the onset of U.S. airport [[noise regulation]]s fueled a turnaround in 757 sales.<ref name=norris161/> From 1988 to 1989, airlines placed 322 orders, including a combined 160 orders from American Airlines and United Airlines.<ref name=norris161/><ref name="aaua">{{Cite web |last=Dormer |first=Ian |date=June 4, 1988 |title=American and United buy 757s |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1988/1988%20-%201456.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120724022924/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1988/1988%20-%201456.html |archive-date=July 24, 2012 |access-date=July 15, 2011 |website=Flight International}}</ref> By this time, the 757 had become commonplace on short-haul domestic flights and [[Transcontinental flight across the United States|transcontinental]] services in the U.S.,<ref name=eden100/> and had replaced aging 707s, 727s, [[Douglas DC-8]]s, and [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9]]s.<ref name="b53">{{harvnb|Birtles|2001|pp=53, 55.}}</ref> The {{nowrap|757-200's}} maximum range of {{convert|3900|nmi|sigfig=3}},<ref name=757tech/> which was over one-and-a-half times the 727's,<ref name=727tech/> allowed airlines to use the aircraft on longer [[nonstop flight|nonstop]] routes.<ref name="b26-52">{{harvnb|Birtles|2001|pp=26, 52.}}</ref> The 757 was also flown out of airports with stringent noise regulations, such as [[John Wayne Airport]] in Orange County, California,<ref>{{harvnb|Birtles|2001|pp=48–49.}}</ref> and airports with aircraft size restrictions, such as [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport|Washington National Airport]] near downtown Washington, D.C.<ref name=davies103/> The largest U.S. operators, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines, would ultimately operate fleets of over 100 aircraft each.<ref name=eden100/>

[[File:Monarch Airlines Boeing 757-2T7 Innsbruck Wedelstaedt.jpg|thumb|[[Monarch Airlines]] began 757 [[charter airline|charter services]] in March 1983.|alt=Side quarter view of aircraft at takeoff, with snow-covered mountains behind.]]
In Europe, British Airways, [[Iberia (airline)|Iberia]], and [[Icelandair]] were the 757's largest mainline customers,<ref name="b62">{{harvnb|Birtles|2001|p=62.}}</ref> while other carriers such as [[Lufthansa]] rejected the type as too large for their narrow-body aircraft needs.<ref name=making/> Many European charter airlines, including [[Air 2000]], [[Air Holland]], and [[LTU International]],<ref name=757_O_D_summ/> also acquired the twinjet for holiday and tour package flights in the late 1980s.<ref name=eden100/><ref name=b53/> In Asia, where even larger aircraft were commonly preferred because of greater passenger volumes, the 757 found fewer orders.<ref>{{harvnb|Birtles|2001|p=6.}}</ref> A 1982 sales demonstration was unable to attract a purchase from potential customer [[Japan Airlines]],<ref name=757_O_D_summ/><ref>{{harvnb|Birtles|2001|p=25.}}</ref> and the first Asian customer, [[Singapore Airlines]], sold its four 757s in 1989 in favor of standardizing on the 240-seat wide-body [[Airbus A310]], just five years after debuting the type on Indonesian and Malaysian routes.<ref>{{harvnb|Birtles|2001|p=50.}}</ref> The 757 fared better in China, where following an initial purchase by the [[CAAC Airlines]] in 1987,<ref name=eden100/> orders grew to 59 aircraft, making it the largest Asian market.<ref name=757_O_D_summ/> Operators such as [[China Southern Airlines|China Southern]], [[China Southwest Airlines|China Southwest]], [[Shanghai Airlines]], [[Xiamen Airlines]], and [[China Xinjiang Airlines|Xinjiang Airlines]] used the 757 on medium length domestic routes.<ref>{{harvnb|Birtles|2001|p=54.}}</ref>

In 1986, the FAA approved RB211-powered 757s for extended-range twin-engine operational performance standards ([[ETOPS]]) operations over the North Atlantic,<ref name=eden98/><ref name="752b">{{Cite web |title=Boeing 757-200 Background |url=http://www.boeing.com/boeing/commercial/757family/pf/pf_200back.page |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141027024743/http://www.boeing.com/boeing/commercial/757family/pf/pf_200back.page |archive-date=October 27, 2014 |access-date=October 26, 2014 |publisher=Boeing}}</ref> following precedents set by the 767.<ref name="no159">{{harvnb|Norris|Wagner|1998|pp=159, 162.}}</ref> Under ETOPS regulations, a set of safety standards governing twinjet flights over oceans and other areas without nearby suitable landing sites, airlines began using the aircraft for mid-range intercontinental routes.<ref name=eden98/> Although the 757 was not originally intended for transoceanic flights, regulators based their decision on its reliable performance record on extended transcontinental U.S. services.<ref name=no159/><ref name="b26" /> ETOPS certification for 757s equipped with PW2000 series engines was granted in 1992.<ref name=b28/>

In the early 1990s, the FAA and other U.S. government agencies, including the [[National Aeronautics and Space Administration]] (NASA) and the [[National Transportation Safety Board]] (NTSB), began studying the 757's [[wake turbulence]] characteristics.<ref name="wake">{{Cite web |title=Concept to Reality – Wake-Vortex Hazard |url=http://oea.larc.nasa.gov/PAIS/Concept2Reality/wake_vortex.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090731181404/http://oea.larc.nasa.gov/PAIS/Concept2Reality/wake_vortex.html |archive-date=July 31, 2009 |access-date=July 29, 2011 |publisher=National Aeronautics and Space Administration}}</ref> This followed several incidents, including two fatal crashes, in which small private aircraft experienced [[aircraft upset|loss of control]] when flying close behind the twinjet.<ref name=wake/> Smaller airliners had also suffered unexpected rolling movements when flying behind 757s.<ref name=wake/> Investigators focused on the aircraft's aft-loaded wing design, which at certain points during takeoff or landing could produce [[wingtip vortices]] that were stronger than those emanating from larger 767s and 747s.<ref name="vortex">{{Cite web |last=Maksel |first=Rebecca |date=May 27, 2008 |title=Is the Boeing 757 a threat to other airliners? |url=http://www.airspacemag.com/need-to-know/is-the-boeing-757-a-threat-to-other-airliners-50733375/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140511025853/http://www.airspacemag.com/need-to-know/is-the-boeing-757-a-threat-to-other-airliners-50733375/ |archive-date=May 11, 2014 |access-date=March 25, 2012 |website=Air & Space}}</ref> Other tests were inconclusive, leading to debate among government agencies, and in 1994 and 1996 the FAA updated air traffic control regulations to require greater [[Separation (air traffic control)|separation]] behind the 757 than other large-category jets.<ref name=wake/><ref>{{Cite web |title=New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia Metropolitan Airspace Redesign Project – FAA's Wake Turbulence Separation Standards |url=http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/nas_redesign/regional_guidance/eastern_reg/nynjphl_redesign/documentation/dei_statement/vol_2/media/fig_1_04_AircraftSeparation.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607015455/http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/nas_redesign/regional_guidance/eastern_reg/nynjphl_redesign/documentation/dei_statement/vol_2/media/fig_1_04_AircraftSeparation.pdf |archive-date=June 7, 2011 |access-date=July 29, 2011 |publisher=Federal Aviation Administration |page=1}}</ref> The 757 became the only sub-{{convert|300000|lb|kg|sigfig=3|adj=on}} airliner to be classified as a "[[Wake turbulence category|heavy]]" jet, alongside wide-body aircraft, under FAA separation rules.<ref name=vortex/>