Originally Posted by e6bpilot

You guys crack me up. How long have you worked here?
They will extend the life of the 700s a la the good old classic fleet. They will renegotiate their deal with Boeing via veiled threats and a trip to Mobile Downtown airport, and then we will be flying the Max 7 when it finally appears.
They are taking Max 8 deliveries in lieu of and making a killing on that deal. SWA and Boeing are tied together for life. There will be no other fleet until after the last 737 rolls off the Renton floor.
SWA is in a sustained period of taking lumps in the earnings department in order to build the fleet, network, and technology infrastructure that they need to be competitive over the coming decades. This is yet another blow, but it is not a big deal at all. This airline will be insanely profitable again in the future with an all 737 fleet.
I am a complete cynic, but I am also a realist. The efficiencies that SWA gains by being a single fleet airline are huge.