Originally Posted by nopac6

Evidently you don't fly west coast to HI then my friend. As far as an urban legend, I heard it from your own guys in LAX ops and in HNL ops. United DOES block seats on many 737 Hawaii flights, you can believe it or not, it's up to you. Replacing an older 757 with a newer 739 is NOT a sound strategy if the airplane isn't up to the task and according to your own pilots, quite often it isn't.

As far as the passengers, of course they'd prefer a newer interior over an older one, ALL OTHER THINGS BEING EQUAL. But if you think anybody gets online at Kayak.com or Orbitz or any of the other fare comparison websites and has their travel decisions affected by the type of aircraft on the route you're nuts. Fare and expediency (best connections) are 99% of the decision-making process. Hell, most passengers wouldn't know a 757 from a Ford Tri-Motor, let alone an older 757 vs a newer 737.

Look, I'm glad we're getting a *** load of new airplanes and I think the 738 and 739 are good machines when used on the right routes. But seeing what the Smallsack-led management has done to our mainland-Hawaii flying is heartbreaking. Don't take my word for it, talk to the people who really know: the agents on the west coast and in the islands. You want to see EMBARRASSMENT, go talk to those poor people.