On my last flight (DL517 ATL-SEA H/B763/J) I was talking to the pilots about the heavy jet cut off. They said that some of the 757-300s were heavies and 757-200 were regulars. If you look on the flight tracker page for “B753,” you’ll notice that all of the domestic flights are heavies and the ones flying to and from Hawaii are not. flightaware.com/live/flight/NWA219 Why? On those 5+ hour flights, you’d think they would make the heavy jet list.
It has to do with MTOW, not current weight, and I believe it is somewhere in the 255,000 lb. range. Depending on how they’re configured, some 753’s fall in the heavy range.
AIRCRAFT WEIGHT CLASSES
a. Heavy. Aircraft capable of takeoff weights of more than 255,000 pounds whether or not they are operating at this weight during a particular phase of flight.
b. Large. Aircraft of more than 41,000 pounds, maximum certificated takeoff weight, up to 255,000 pounds.
c. Small. Aircraft of 41,000 pounds or less maximum certificated takeoff weight.