Posted on 03/29/2021 6:39:18 PM PDT by BenLurkin
The Dallas-based low-cost airline said under the agreement it would also convert 70 of its firm orders for Max 8 planes to the smallest and slower-selling jets, the Max 7s. It also added 155 options for 737 Max 7 or Max 8 airplanes through 2029.
Southwest, which operates an all-Boeing 737 fleet, said its order, the largest Max sale since two crashes caused a worldwide grounding in March 2019, is a vote of confidence in the planes. U.S. regulators lifted the 20-month grounding of the 737 Max in November and many other countries have followed suit since then.
The carrier had said it was weighing whether to add Airbus A220 planes to its fleet to replace older Boeing jets, but in October, Southwest’s COO Mike Van de Ven said having two types of planes would be “a big undertaking for us,” citing issues with pilot training and maintenance.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnbc.com ...
I’m very pro Airbus at this point.
Just like a vote of confidence in the "vaccine"?
Were both crashes Max 8's? Was that the only one that was grounded?
How about that trick auto trim system that was supposedly the culprit? Is the optional 3rd attitude sensor now standard equipment?
Some sales exec and his team are celebrating tonight. Nothing like being golden for a few years.
“Is the optional 3rd attitude sensor now standard equipment?”
Actually their was no 3rd sensor. It was the 2nd one that was optional.
Isn't that the model whose engines use dilithium as a fuel?
Has he forgotten that the "MAX" is a different type of plane than the 737 and requires different pilot training?
Their whole fleet from the beginning was 737’s. Something to do with maintenance. They once had cheap flights at smaller airports. Not anymore so I quit flying.
And a poor design with the engines improperly set on the wings.
They had some 717s after buying a competing low cost carrier, but as I recall, sold them to Delta.
An odd and old rarity.
“...and an aluminium-lithium fuselage.”
So if it gets hit by lightning, will it hold a charge?
Maybe, but the A220 is a vastly superior aircraft. And Boeing now thinks they own you.
Southwest is no longer low cost. Third world nations should stick with older 737s until their pilot’s abilities are on par with Southwest’s.
Actually there is nothing wrong with the 737 MAX design
No wait, hear me out.
The engines do sit differently on the MAX, but there is nothing wrong with the design. What got Boeing in trouble was the plane handled differently than a regular 737.
Boeing had 2 options:
1. Have pilots retrain on the new 737 MAX. Safest but more expensive for the plane purchasers.
2. Make the MAX fly just like a regular 737 using the MCAS software. No pilot retraining required.
It’s the equivalent of someone saying “we drive Ferrari’s, but are now buying Porsche cars, but they have to handle like a Ferrari”
That’s what the problem is. They tried to make the new MAX handle like the old 737 planes but they botched it. Now MAX pilots have to train without the MCAS, just like they should have in the beginning.
Southwest wants to buy the smallest plane because it’s asking too much to sit without scrunching your shoulders in if you’re the unfortunate one stuck in the middle. I’m pretty slim and I had trouble with having enough space. I don’t care to fly ever again...
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