I know an airline that operates plenty of 737s — and a couple of other carriers who may need a few.
Delta’s 737 Jets
Delta flies 217 of the Boeing 737 aircraft.
The one I ride most often is the 737-900ER (which makes up almost 60% of Delta’s 737 fleet). René rode the plane’s first Delta revenue flight and had nice things to say about it.
Less than four years later, he shared the same sentiment many of us have.
It’s way too cramped at 180 seats — 11 more than the 757-200 75S that operate some domestic Delta One flights. Yes, the D1 seats take up more space than standard first class seats. But the 75S is almost 20 feet longer than the -900ER.
Whenever I’m selecting itineraries, I roll my eyes in disappointment when a 737-900ER is flying one of the segments. Depending on fare and schedule differences, I’ll sometimes opt for an A321 or even a 757.
Sure, it’s not as awful as the CRJ-200. But I’m generally on CRJ-200s for only an hour or so; my 737-900ER rides are usually between two and four hours.
I like the A321s — and am happy Delta is stocking up on them. And Delta recently received its final Boeing airplane on order. The mothership is now full steam ahead with Airbus.
What if Delta sold off a bunch of their 737s and acquired more A319s and A320s from other airlines? (Delta, after all, has a history of buying used planes.)
I know there are plenty of logistical challenges involved (pilot retraining, etc) and don’t expect Delta to call me saying, “Great idea! We decided to have a 737 garage sale today!” (Or maybe would it be a hangar sale?) But let’s just say…
American and Southwest Need 737s
Not sure if you heard but the 737 MAX has had some problems.
Other than Boeing, no one Stateside knows this more than American Airlines and Southwest.
AA received 24 of the doomed planes, with another 76 on order. They’ve canceled 737 MAX flights until at least November.
Southwest, meanwhile, took delivery of 34 of the 280 they ordered. Ouch. And the airline of LUV was planning to retire is older 737-700s this year. (That, from what I’ve read, is on hold). They pulled out of Newark because the jets are grounded. And they’ve canceled a bunch of flights into 2020.
Now, the plane’s flight controls may have to be redesigned.
So. Guess who could use some reliable 737s that don’t have the “MAX” suffix attached to their name?
Airbus is American-ish
One thing I love about Boeing is they’re an American company that builds many of its planes right here in the good ole US of A. I always loved hearing about Boeing receiving big orders.
But since they’ve dropped the ball with the MAX — and let’s not forget that whole “a wireless device could maybe crash the plane” thing we wrote about a few weeks ago — I’m far less enthused about them.
Airbus has built A320s in Mobile, Alabama since 2015. And they’ve long had a presence in Wichita, Kansas.
Airbus also recently starting constructing A220s in Mobile. And they’re funneling money into the American economy: taxes, wages, and spending.
Would This Idea Fly?
Do you like Delta’s 737? Or would you rather see the mothership get more Airbuses? (Personally, I find Airbus planes more comfortable that many Boeings.)
Please share your thoughts in the Comments section below! –Chris
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Just stop…please
Airbus has been building 320s in Mobile for years.
@Leona: Thank you for pointing that out! I amended the article.
So much here…
I like the Airbus over Boeing narrowbodies on delta. They just feel more spacious.
Southwest used the max as an excuse for Newark, a city they always struggled with.
While DL could sell them, everyone seems to need capacity right now, so not sure they’d be able to logistically do deals fast enough for everyone to be flying by Thanksgiving.
@Noah: It definitely would be a logistical challenge — but people can dream, right? 😉 Thanks for the comment!
I’m not quite sure why Delta would want to help its competitors by supplying them with additional aircraft/capacity. Also, neither the 320 nor the 319 offer nearly the same capacity as the 739, so Delta would be effectively arming their competition while disarming themselves. Plus, I think the CASM of a 737-900ER is lower than that of a 320 or 319, so once again, they’d be hurting themselves while helping their competition. I could go on…this is just a really, really bad idea.
@Mfb123: Thanks for the comment!
They could replace the 737-700 and some 737-800 planes with the A319 and A320, but they could also get some A321 planes.
Used to be a Boeing fanboy when I was younger and more naive. But after millions of miles later, I prefer Airbus across all segments, so I like this idea. Delta should find a way to trade or sell planes to the other airlines who are more into 737… This helps everyone since most airlines now want to streamline fleet type.
I think Alaska is the perfect candidate. They really hate their A321 from Virgin, why not sell each other the unwanted plane.
I’d really like to see Delta focus on A220 for lower end of the fleet and have A319, A320 and A321 as mainline narrowbody. Get A321XLR to replace 757 on longer routes. Use 767/A330/A330neo and A350 as main widebody for long haul. Use newer 767 until retirement and replace with A330/A350. Either trade the 777 for A350 or 767. Delta has a large enough 767 fleet, and it fits the route demand for its bases.
@Will: I do love me some A330s! Interesting idea with Alaska. That’d be an interesting swap with DL!
Maybe Delta Airlines should get the Airbus A340 from Virgin Atlantic, or the Airbus A380 fleet that Air France got rid of. I wonder what Delta Airlines would do with the A340-600 or the A380, if they ever get any. They should also consider the A320NEO, or they should get some A319NEO planes.
I think that it would be a good idea if Alaska Airlines really hates their A320 fleet from Virgin America. Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia did not merge with Alaska Airlines, it was just Virgin America. The only Airbus planes that fly for a Virgin airline is the A330-200 (Virgin Australia), and both the A330-300 and the A350-1000 (Virgin Atlantic). I think it would be interesting if Alaska were to get the Boeing 777-200LR planes from Delta, but they do not currently have plans to do so, but Delta is retiring the 777-200LR. It is not just single aisle planes that they are moving towards Airbus, but also the twin aisle planes, they are getting more A330NEO and A350 planes.
How about giving some 737-900 planes to United Airlines? I think that would be an interesting idea.
Southwest Airlines is not a great airline. Their 737-700 is very uncomfortable and cramped. Same thing for the 737-800 on Southwest Airlines. The 737-800/737-900 is great on Alaska Airlines, and American. The only airline I have ever been on a 737-700 with is Southwest. The 737 is not a problem. It is an issue that Southwest crams 144 seats in the 737-700, where even the CRJ-900 or E-175 has more space, even in coach, although Southwest only gives you coach seating. On American and Alaska, the 737 is just fine, but not nearly as good as an A321S on American Airlines.