Boeing Launches New Higher Capacity, Longer Range 737 (737-900ER)

Boeing ^ | July 18, 2005

[pissant]

I'm currently working on a couple of projects at the Renton, WA plant where they make the 737. THey are still selling like hotcakes!

[RayChuang88]

The 737-900ER carries more passengers and will be able to perform transcon service year round without technical stops to refuel. JetBlue sometimes has to refuel on their transcon flights.

In Southwest configuration, the 737-900ER will probably seat about 180 passengers in Southwest's standard 33.6-inch seating pitch. Use light enough seats and Southwest could fly non-stop between US West Coast and US East Coast destinations quite easily, mostly because with the Aviation Partners winglets installed I expect the still-air range to be over 3,100 nautical miles, more than enough to fly as far as Los Angeles-Manchester, NH non-stop in both directions year-round.

Mind you, I don't think Southwest will buy much more than 40 planes, since these larger planes will be dedicated to long-range trancontinental service and for flights from the US Northeast (Manchester, NH, Providence, RI, Islip, NY, and Philadelphia, PA) down to southern Florida (West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale).