As long as Gary Kelly is at the helm, Hawaii is about as exciting as it will get. You are talking about a company that cannot take foreign currency as payment. Seriously.
Everyone here has all these big ideas about 787s and being a real airline. It just ain’t happening.
In around 5 years when the big push to update our Apollo era tech is complete, then maybe this airline will take some big steps. Of course, by then we will be in a full blown recession.

My money on the EASA ban is that it’s political as you eluded to. Somewhere I read China offered to recertify the MAX immediately if the FAA certified the Comac C919, but I can’t find the article.

Maybe United is getting the -700s from Southwest?

Maybe Southwest is selling them to help finance the purchase of Frontier or other A320 operator?

LOL... I don’t think think this place would sell aircraft to finance a sale.

That seems like three steps down the road....if it were true.

So your contention is that SWA has already decided they are buying Frontier, negotiated with Boeing and UAL to sell off 700's, and somehow the only news that is publicly acknowledged is UAL agreeing to buy some used 700's?

🙄






...

If we are selling 700’s, they are rung the **** out.

We started a 321 program years before the first one arrived, and we already had Airbus's in our fleet.. For the 787, we have guys getting trained and managers managing already and the a/c doesn't arrive until late 2021...

SWA has never flown anything but a 737, so I'd guess very few on your sen. list with much Airbus experience.

It also took SWA over a year to get ETOPS certified..

I'd say it'll take more than a year to get a new fleet program up and running.. Especially being a whole different way of doing things. If SWA started today, it wouldn't be flying before July 20, 2020


Cue SMFlyer offering the jumpseat...………...…...……………... again..:rolleyes:

Regarding SWA pilots with Airbus experience, there are probably more than you might imagine. I have flown with several and also others with 75/76 experience, often years of it. So there is a suprising variety of different experience at SWA. Those who have flown Airbus aircraft report positive experiences with it.

I was hired 2 1/2 years ago and have been quite surprised on the ambivalence of most pilots towards the 737s. Most regard it as a tool but an unlovable one. Many folks I fly with, often with years of experience, speak of the type with disdain rather than the glowing reports I had expected. Most seem to like the performance but other than that don't love it.

So I think there would be enthusiasm for a new type among many SWA crew members.

As to your time frame of a year to get it up and running, I think that would be wildly optimistic. If they went to Airbus and signed an agreement for, say, 100 A320s, I'd be surprised to see them in revenue service in less than 18 months even with full support from Airbus and if there weren't issues getting into the delivery slots already secured by other carriers. I think getting a full program up to speed would take a long time.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...122c9515e9.jpg

Don’t worry, we’ll just crush you with our wallet, send your aircraft to Delta, and keep you around so you’ll also have the honor of being a 737 whiz. ;)

Why would Boeing need to be involved in a negotiation for SWA to sell used -700s to United?

Three US carriers were affected by the MAX groundings. American is already receiving used Airbus that were previous Frontier aircraft as new planes arrive for Frontier.

If United were to get used -700s from SWA, their exposure to the MAX grounding is mitigated.

If SWA purchases Frontier, they immediately have an Airbus program with trained crew members and roughly 90 existing aircraft, with that number to over double within the next 5 years. Their exposure to the MAX grounding is mitigated and they eliminate one of their ULCC threats, as well as a Denver battleground contender.

It might would be a Win-Win-Win for all 3 US airlines affected by the MAX grounding (except Frontier of course).

I don’t think Indigo has any intention of selling Frontier.

ya got me there, I had forgotten about the 727's... Hope pulling a search on airliners.net wasn't too much of an effort.

Looks like a Braniff registration.

Herb won it from Hardy by arm-wrestling. :D

I'm absolutely sure there many. But form what my friends tell me, any future Airbus training program will pretend those guys don't exist and be will be written by 3 F-15 IPs who have never flown the Bus.

I laughed. Because it is true.

So true it hurts.

We will only buy the Airbus if they will install a button that with one touch will bring the powered pilot seats all the way up and the rudder pedals all the way forward. This will save some of our co-workers time when leaving the aircraft.

The window shades will kill that deal.

It'll also zero out all the headings etc, and turn off the FDs. ;)

Even money says they’re F-16 IP’s with mad PowerPoint skills and belong to the Good Sh*t squadron with impeccable flag ties, and maxed out sick bank.

Won't work. The flurry of spinning knobs, tilting the radar to +15 and switching off FDs happens while exiting the runway. It would take a major change in operational philosophy to move that flow until later.

LOL...... You're probably right. ;) Will it automatically kill the APU as soon as the parking brake is set?

Credible sources say the 19 737-700’s are coming from Southwest; former AirTran aircraft coming off lease.

What kind of interest rate are you getting?

You’d think that’s be in the news....we were going to park roughly 20 old 700’s and now are parking around 10 per mgt.

SWA tried to buy Frontier years ago. FAPA didn’t want to be part of SWAPA, and felt their careers would be better going with BB and Republic. Amiright?

No. You’re not right.

I was there. Pretty close to the truth.

That’s the funniest damned thing I’ve read all year!!! LMAO! :D

IIRC, GK gave SWAPA/FAPA something like 36-48 hours (can't remember exactly, but it was a very unrealistic timeline) to come up with an SLI agreement.

One of the rumors around here was that GK just wanted to get a look at their books, and then used the pilots inability to come to an agreement as a reason to back out of the deal.

Also, IIRC, the FAPA guys were pretty dug in and wouldn't even come to the table for most, or all, of the short time given.

I’d say most of that is accurate from what I recall. I believe they also wanted something like a 10 year fence around Denver which was a non starter as well.

I remember reading comms that it was the Bankruptcy judge that issued a 72-hour deadline.

That could be. It's been a while and I've slept since then. In any case, it was an unrealistically short time frame to come up with any kind of SLI. :eek:

If Southwest really wanted to buy F9, they would have. They didn't. It didn't have anything to do with an SLI, that was an excuse.

I agree. Like I said a few posts ago, the rumor was that GK just wanted to look at the books, didn't like what he saw, and blamed the lack of SLI as an excuse to back out of the deal.

Not true, could have had a SLI that was 75% agreeable by inverting their seniority list and stapling it to the bottom of ours ....haha...somewhat joking somewhat true

Spoken like a true "RSW"! :D