I apologize for the "kernal" comment
And I too began my career on the ramp 29 years ago, so you've got me by a year
Considering it's 2015 and the company makes a billion dollars a year, the decision to retire those pigs should have been made years ago. We make money despite ourselves. Tripping over dollars to save dimes
Leaving cargo/pax behind, flying at lower altitudes i.e. burning more fuel, max blast takeoffs reducing engine life, and if you're a true team player RNP approaches aren't available to the -300's either. And let's not even get into the Spindles, lack of parts, and the re skinning of the whole fleet.
I could go on and on but these are just a few of the items that lean towards replacing the classics years ago. So to answer your question, yes I can "fathom" the financial decisions that go into retiring a fleet. Apparently our company doesn't though
Back in 1985 the -300 was a fine machine. it's 2015, time to turn the page