Could Delta Sell Their 737s to Southwest and American — and Stock Up on More Airbus Planes?

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