Originally Posted by
gloopy
I don't see it as much of a gamble at all. I think the odds of delays and inconvieniences for all this computer created, hyper outsourced supply chain stuff are an absolute certainty. Waiting avoids all that 100%. The promises for fuel efficiency may or may not hit target, but even if they do, 10-15% is nice, no doubt. But we know how much that will equate to in savings, and we also know how much capital we would have to lay out. It just doesn't add up.
Even if we miss some calculations, it won't be by billions. Waiting to buy all these iPlanes will save some massive capital we can hopefully use to pay down more debt with (which will save more capital) as well as other positive return investments like the refinery, etc. Many airlines have been burned with their automatic "I'll take it!" approach to anything new. This appears to be a very reasonable approach with minimal if any potential downside.
It's the bet I'd make too but with 3K orders already amassed you could get bit if MAX/NEOS turns out to have been the right move and your oldest airplanes start to become a headache.
So I think it's still a gamble but probably a safe bet. The other airlines see their bets as safe too I guess.
Question though. In the years to come the 738 will begin to approach the 20 year old mark. I'm sure there will be a plethora on the open market and probably cheap by then. The only question is how expensive are these NEOs in bulk?