Editing Boeing 757 (section)

=== Further developments ===
While the 757 program had been financially successful, declining sales in the early 2000s threatened its continued viability.<ref name=slow/><ref name="wichita">{{Cite web |last=McMillin |first=Molly |date=August 10, 2004 |title=Wichita's final 757 to take a bow |url=http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/9361132.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050427170157/http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/9361132.htm |archive-date=April 27, 2005 |access-date=April 10, 2012 |website=Wichita Eagle}}</ref> Airlines were again gravitating toward smaller aircraft, now mainly the 737 and A320, because of their reduced financial risk.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kingsley-Jones |first=Max |date=April 11, 2003 |title=Omens good for old 757s despite production axe |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/omens-good-for-old-757s-despite-production-axe-173310/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522175550/http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/omens-good-for-old-757s-despite-production-axe-173310/ |archive-date=May 22, 2013 |access-date=July 27, 2011 |website=Flight International}}</ref> An airline industry downturn and the large number of relatively young 757s already in service also reduced customer demand.<ref name=wichita/> In 2000, spurred by interest from Air 2000 and Continental Airlines, Boeing reexamined the possibility of building a longer-range {{nowrap|757-200X}}.<ref name=b31/> The proposed derivative would have featured auxiliary fuel tanks, plus wing and landing gear upgrades from the {{nowrap|757-300}}, resulting in a higher MTOW and a potential range increase to over {{convert|5000|nmi|sigfig=3}}.<ref name="b31">{{harvnb|Birtles|2001|p=31.}}</ref> However, the proposal failed to garner any orders.<ref name=757_O_D_summ/><ref name=end/> In March 2001, Boeing delivered the first {{nowrap|757-200SF}}, a second-hand {{nowrap|757-200}} converted for freighter use, to [[DHL Aviation]].<ref name=dhl/> The {{nowrap|757-200SF}} marked the manufacturer's first foray into passenger-to-freighter conversions.<ref name=very/>

[[File:Shanghai Airlines Boeing 757-26D B-2876 Gu.jpg|thumb|[[Shanghai Airlines]] received the last production 757, B-2876, in November 2005.|alt=Front quarter view of twin-jet aircraft at takeoff, with extended gear.]]
Customer interest in new 757s continued to decline, and in 2003, a renewed sales campaign centered on the {{nowrap|757-300}} and {{nowrap|757-200PF}} yielded only five new orders.<ref name="end">{{Cite web |last=Norris |first=Guy |date=October 21, 2003 |title=Sales drought takes 757's scalp |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/sales-drought-takes-757s-scalp-172670/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105125705/http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/sales-drought-takes-757s-scalp-172670/ |archive-date=November 5, 2012 |access-date=July 27, 2011 |website=Flight International}}</ref> In October 2003, following Continental Airlines' decision to switch its remaining {{nowrap|757-300}} orders to the {{nowrap|737-800}}, Boeing announced the end of 757 production.<ref name=end/> The 1,050th and last example, a {{nowrap|757-200}} built for Shanghai Airlines, rolled off the production line at the Renton factory on October 28, 2004,<ref name="last757built">{{Cite web |date=October 28, 2004 |title=Boeing Marks Completion of its 757 Commercial Airplane Program |url=http://boeing.mediaroom.com/2004-10-28-Boeing-Marks-Completion-of-its-757-Commercial-Airplane-Program |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303202346/http://boeing.mediaroom.com/2004-10-28-Boeing-Marks-Completion-of-its-757-Commercial-Airplane-Program |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |access-date=September 26, 2014 |publisher=Boeing}}</ref> and was delivered on November 28, 2005, after several months of storage.<ref name="final">{{Cite web |title=Aircraft Profiles: Boeing 757 |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/boeing+757.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120724042007/http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/boeing%2B757.html |archive-date=July 24, 2012 |access-date=April 1, 2012 |website=Flight International}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Steinke |first=Sebastian |date=May 2005 |title=Last 757 Leaves Final Assembly |url=http://www.flug-revue.rotor.com/FRHeft/FRHeft05/FRH0501/FR0501a.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216203913/http://www.flug-revue.rotor.com/FRHeft/FRHeft05/FRH0501/FR0501a.htm |archive-date=February 16, 2008 |website=Flug Revue}}</ref> With the conclusion of the 757 program, Boeing consolidated 737 assembly at its Renton factory, downsizing its facilities by 40 percent and shifting staff to different locations.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Norris |first=Guy |date=February 24, 2004 |title=Boeing consolidates at Renton as 757 line ends |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/boeing-consolidates-at-renton-as-757-line-ends-177951/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120724081406/http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/boeing-consolidates-at-renton-as-757-line-ends-177951/ |archive-date=July 24, 2012 |access-date=December 19, 2011 |website=Flight International}}</ref>

Since the end of production, many Boeing 757s have remained in service, mainly in the U.S.<ref name=eden100/><ref name="taipei">{{Cite web |date=October 31, 2004 |title=Boeing's last 757 rolls off the assembly line |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2004/10/31/2003209132 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010232358/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2004/10/31/2003209132 |archive-date=October 10, 2012 |access-date=July 27, 2011 |website=The Taipei Times}}</ref> From 2004 to 2008, the average fuel cost for typical mid-range U.S. domestic 757 flights tripled, putting pressure on airlines to improve the fuel efficiency of their fleets.<ref name="fuel">"$3.3&nbsp;Million a Day – That's How Much American Airlines is Losing in the Era of Insane Fuel Prices." ''Fortune'', May 12, 2008, p. 94.<!-- (American Airlines' 757-200, St. Louis to San Francisco fuel expense: US$4,153 in 2004; US$14,676 in 2008) --></ref> In May 2005, the FAA granted regulatory approval for manufacturer-sanctioned [[Wingtip device|blended winglets]] from [[Aviation Partners Inc.|Aviation Partners Incorporated]] as a retrofit on the {{nowrap|757-200}}.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Freitag |first=William |last2=Schulze, Terry |year=2009 |title=Blended winglets improve performance |url=http://www.boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine/articles/qtr_03_09/pdfs/AERO_Q309_article03.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629121337/http://www.boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine/articles/qtr_03_09/pdfs/AERO_Q309_article03.pdf |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |access-date=July 27, 2011 |website=Aero Magazine |pages=9, 12}}</ref> The winglets improve fuel efficiency by five percent and increase range by {{convert|200|nmi|sigfig=3}} through the reduction of lift-induced drag.<ref name="blended_winglets">{{Cite web |last=Faye |first=Robert |last2=Laprete, Robert |last3=Winter, Michael |year=2002 |title=Blended Winglets |url=http://www.boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine/aero_17/winglet_story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629044709/http://www.boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine/aero_17/winglet_story.html |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |access-date=July 27, 2011 |website=Aero Magazine}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=June 27, 2008 |title=As fuel costs spiral, winglets are a simple way for airlines to cut fuel consumption |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/06/27/224961/as-fuel-costs-spiral-winglets-are-a-simple-way-for-airlines-to-cut-fuel-consumtion.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080703220223/http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/06/27/224961/as-fuel-costs-spiral-winglets-are-a-simple-way-for-airlines-to-cut-fuel-consumtion.html |archive-date=July 3, 2008 |access-date=July 27, 2011 |website=Flight International}}</ref> Continental Airlines was the first carrier to order winglets for the {{nowrap|757-200}}, and in February 2009 became the first operator of {{nowrap|757-300s}} with winglets.<ref name="Continental_Winglets">{{Cite web |last=Norris |first=Guy |date=February 4, 2009 |title=Continental Receives First Wingletted 757-300 |url=http://aviationweek.com/awin/continental-receives-first-wingletted-757-300 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807014014/http://aviationweek.com/awin/continental-receives-first-wingletted-757-300 |archive-date=August 7, 2016 |access-date=July 27, 2011 |website=Aviation Week & Space Technology}}</ref> Aviation Partners further developed the blended winglet into the Scimitar Blended Winglet, which improves fuel burn by 1.1% over the original blended winglet.<ref name="Scimitar blended winglets">{{Cite web |date=February 15, 2017 |title=Icelandair the First to Operate 757-200 Scimitar Blended Winglets in Europe |url=https://www.aviationpartnersboeing.com/pdf/pr/2017/APB_ICE_757SBW%20PR_Final%202-15-17.pdf |access-date=September 20, 2024}}</ref> Icelandair and United Airlines have retrofitted their 757-200s with Scimitar Blended Winglets.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 27, 2016 |title=United Moves Forward with 757 Scimitar Winglets Installation |url=https://airlinegeeks.com/2016/10/27/united-moves-forward-with-757-split-scimitar-winglets-installation/ |access-date=September 20, 2024 |website=AirlineGeeks}}</ref>

[[File:United Airlines, Boeing 757-33N(WL), N77865 - LAX (19250114029).jpg|thumb|[[United Airlines]] 757-300 taking off from [[Los Angeles International Airport]] in April 2015 with blended [[winglet]]s, which reduce [[lift-induced drag]] and improve [[fuel efficiency]].|alt=Side view of twin-jet aircraft ascending.]]
Prior to the United-Continental merger in 2010, the 757 remained the only narrow-body aircraft in use by the large fleets of all three U.S. [[legacy carrier]]s: American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.<ref name=ac/><ref name=FI14/> During this period, the 757's capacity and range capabilities had remained largely unequaled among narrow-body airliners;<ref name="FI757">{{Cite web |last=Ostrower |first=Jon |date=September 5, 2010 |title=Icelandair's 757 replacement dilemma |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/flightblogger/2010/09/icelandairs-757-replacement-di.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100909155015/http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/flightblogger/2010/09/icelandairs-757-replacement-di.html |archive-date=September 9, 2010 |access-date=July 3, 2015 |website=Flight International}}</ref> when selecting replacement aircraft, airlines have had to either downsize to smaller single-aisle aircraft in production with fewer seats and less range such as the {{nowrap|737-900ER}} and A321, or upsize to the larger, longer-range [[Boeing 787 Dreamliner|787 Dreamliner]] and {{nowrap|[[Airbus A330|A330-200]]}} wide-body jets.<ref name=ac/><ref name="push">{{Cite web |last=Wallace |first=James |date=February 20, 2008 |title=Push is on for a midrange Dreamliner |url=http://www.seattlepi.com/business/article/Push-is-on-for-a-midrange-Dreamliner-1265026.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017225618/http://www.seattlepi.com/business/article/Push-is-on-for-a-midrange-Dreamliner-1265026.php |archive-date=October 17, 2012 |access-date=June 7, 2011 |website=Seattle Post-Intelligencer}}</ref> The [[Tupolev Tu-204]], a narrow-body twinjet introduced in 1989 with a design similar to the 757's,<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 26, 1991 |title=Tupolev Takes on Boeing |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1991/1991%20-%200430.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120724063731/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1991/1991%20-%200430.html |archive-date=July 24, 2012 |access-date=May 2, 2012 |website=Flight International}}</ref> is offered in a 200-seat version and has seen limited production for mainly Russian customers.<ref>{{harvnb|Eden|2008|p=186.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Karnozov |first=Vladimir |date=April 27, 2011 |title=Tu-204SM struggles as key supporter backs away |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/tu-204sm-struggles-as-key-supporter-backs-away-355994/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120724142448/http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/tu-204sm-struggles-as-key-supporter-backs-away-355994/ |archive-date=July 24, 2012 |access-date=May 3, 2012 |website=Flight International}}</ref> Within Boeing, the 215-seat, {{convert|3200|nmi|sigfig=3|adj=on}} range 737-900ER had been regarded as the closest aircraft in production to the 757-200 after the latter ceased production.<ref name="900ER">{{Cite web |last=Schofield |first=Adrian |date=July 20, 2005 |title=Boeing's 737-900ER Seen As Direct Competitor To A321 |url=http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=aviationdaily&id=news/739B07205.xml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322021345/http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=aviationdaily&id=news%2F739B07205.xml |archive-date=March 22, 2012 |access-date=July 3, 2015 |website=Aviation Week & Space Technology}}</ref> The [[Airbus A321neo]] LR and XLR variants finally provided a suitable 757-200 replacement on market in terms of range and capacity, and Icelandair and United Airlines have ordered the A321XLR to replace the Boeing 757 on their longer-range routes.<ref>{{Citation |title=Icelandair signs deal for 13 Airbus A321XLR as it replaces Boeing 757s |date=April 7, 2023 |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/icelandair-orders-25-airbus-a321xlr-it-replaces-boeing-757s-2023-04-07/ |access-date=September 20, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Taylor Rains |title=United executive said the new Airbus A321XLR will replace Boeing 757 routes and open new ones |date=August 25, 2024 |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/see-cities-united-plans-to-fly-new-airbus-a321xlr-2024-8 |access-date=September 20, 2024}}</ref>