Originally Posted by
baseball
The 757 could have been upgraded and the line could have been opened. Boeing engineers need to go to work and start competing with Airbus. The 757 is the answer to a bigger and more capable air-frame in the 170 to 200 seat capacity range. power, legs, lift. great HDA capability, and shorter runway ability. Good capability in the 757 and great stopping ability.
You don't seem to know what you are talking about. The 757 cannot be upgraded because there are not enough of them to satisfy the demand for a 150-200 passenger jet. The 757 line cannot be "opened" because they no longer have the jigs or other manufacturing hardware. To re-create all of that would cost nearly as much as developing a brand new airframe.
The 757 is only popular today because they are cheaper than when they were new. Every airline wants a 150-200 passenger jet, but no one wants to pay for a new one. The truth is, a 757 is often more capable than what operators need (or more accurately, want to pay for).
Boeing DID have to create the 737 MAX. The NEO was gaining so many orders that Boeing would have had to give up all narrowbody market share for the next 30 years if they didn't respond fast. Southwest, nor any other airline, told Boeing that it HAD to be a 737. What forced their hand was the market was only willing to pay $120 million per plane. The only way Boeing could do that was to use an already existing production line.
None of that is an excuse for cutting corners and making a poorly designed system to keep the handling characteristics the same in order to avoid simulator training. THAT is where they went wrong.