Originally Posted by Hotel Kilo

MAX is not all growth. Some are replacements for retirements of older 73s. The last number I think I saw was about 300-400 extra pilots to accommodate MAX. It's not a number in the thousands like some seem to think.

MAX is delayed principally due to the engine cowl icing issues for the LEAP. The first engineering solution didn't work for the FAA, so Boeing had to go back to the drawing board and redo it. That 2nd iteration is in flight testing now and is looking promising. Boeing just cleared a lot of test points with a pretty major one happening just last month. Otherwise it's a solid aircraft. We do expect to see it certified by late fall of this year. It could be earlier given Boeing is really cranking out the test flights with a "MAX"-imum effort. There is new leadership in Commercial Airplanes division and a new head of the MAX program. They are getting it right.

The NEO lie flats was a debacle. I won't go into the details here. There is another vendor being courted to do the seats. I think we'll see some rapid movement on that front. We really want the 321 NEOS on the transcon routes. D1 seating is what we want on those aircraft. Things are looking better on that front.