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.
Just one question…..what happens when the MAX8s get grounded for yet another Boeing f__k up? What if that’s two years or more down the road and our fleet is composed of a larger percentage of them?
It’s obvious that rightly so the FAA and general public want Boeing’s head to roll and have an ax to grind with them, so I wouldn’t rule that out.
An engine cowling being shed due to the anti-ice being left on isn’t that far fetched. If it results in a crash the general public fueled by the media will go absolutely ballistic and create a ton of pressure to ground *ALL* MAXes as they all have the composite lip. The FAA already has it out for Boeing and now Spirit Aerospace.
For a bunch of supposedly really smart people it sure is dumb of SWA upper management and BOD to keep doubling down on putting all our eggs in the MAX basket.