Originally Posted by
shoelu
They look the same as they did 2 years ago because there hasn't been a loss of 88 airframes. A loss would mean a fleet reduction and that isn't happening.
Gary continued, "Our objectives with respect to today's fleet announcement are to efficiently and aggressively manage our invested capital, shift the mix of new aircraft to the MAX, and replace more than 100 Boeing 717s and Boeing 737s being retired over the next three years with more economical aircraft. To accomplish that and still maintain a relatively flat fleet, we will augment our Boeing deliveries with pre-owned aircraft.
I believe the industry term is up-gauging. SWA is up-gauging the fleet to the tune of 2552 additional revenue generating seats available for sale with the replacement of the 717.
All that makes sense but how does the -800 fit into the equation?
There's a huge difference between flat fleet and flat capacity while upgouging is occuring. The -800 allows a significant number of additional pax to be flown with zero additional pilots. Which MAX version is it, the 700 or 800 equivalent?