Originally Posted by
Ottopilot
Only UAL calls 737's guppies. I'm not sure why. The -500 looks like one, but the other 200 planes don't. I had a little A319 call my -900ER a guppy in SFO. If a -900 is a guppy, so is the 757. Same airframe. Same seats.
747's: you can try to keep them, but as part of the original discussion, I don't think they will survive the merger long-term. CAL parked theirs, along with anything that is old or has more than two engines. Its a money thing. I don't like the CAL way of marketing airframes and routes, but I have no say in the matter. CAL always has the smallest airframe in any given market, but they do make money, so what more can I say?
I love how the 737-900 is alway being compared as an equal to the 757. How come LCAL doesn't fly it across the Atlantic then? it's because the -900 isn't the same and isn't capable. Oh ya, the 757 isn't the best plane to cross the Atlantic either with the fuel stops that are widely reported. How often has any model of the 767, 777, A330, or 747 ever had to stop for fuel coming back to the east coast of the US?
The Guppy is an awesome plane though. I spent 11 years on it. It is like my Harley Softtail. Fun on short rides but sucks if you are strapped to it for 5 hours straight. My rear end would get used to it nicely at SWA rates I have to admit.