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.

Originally Posted by Wolf424

Can’t remember where I saw it, but I thought I saw or heard that the lie flats couldn’t pass crash testing, so Delta is asking for new bids for a replacement design, and they plan to install regular 321N seat configs in the tails that haven’t flown because of it

Originally Posted by The new guy

So if certification is in q4, when will our deliveries begin? Summer 2027?

Originally Posted by FangsF15

Yes. Someone on FB noted the reservation system showed the huge FC (aka “Delta Premium Select”) configuration with 44 DPS seats* as being available for ticketing, just don’t remember when those flights were scheduled to start. But soon, I believe.

*The configuration will temporarily replace the 16 lay-flat pods with 36 additional FC seats (total 44). The original DPS section of 12 seats won’t change, nor the 54 C+, nor 66 Main cabin. When the lay flats are certified, they will simply replace the additional 36 temporary DPS seats with the pods. Final Transcon configuration will have 144 seats to the ‘regular’ 194

Originally Posted by FangsF15

Definitely possible. Also possible some don’t understand the system as game said. It never ceases amaze me some of the super basic questions that get asked on FB my pilots who are not new.

I also know of several people who got a surprise award, who didn’t remember that years earlier, they had put in an optimistic bid and forgot all about it. Oops…

Originally Posted by Uninteresting

gotta make sure to beat off ual out of kennedy with their new “coastliners”
https://simpleflying.com/united-airl...rbus-a321neos/

Originally Posted by Hotel Kilo

Well had we not fubar'd the initial seats with a "rookie" vendor, we'd not be in this position and our lie flat NEOs would be running by now. But then again, look at our uniforms if you want to know about the geniuses behind this.

Originally Posted by Hotel Kilo

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.

Originally Posted by FangsF15

I think you are right about all those things (though -Max hiring may be a bit early still?). I would add one more, though:

4. C-suite hiring direction following 23M7 cost epiphany.