TheBOSman

Also notes that the current order of 737s will be the end of the AirTran 717s. Second article says this, meant to post both and deleted it by mistake so I found a newer updated one.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...,6577821.story

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-1...-208-jets.html

runnigel

Really? I see no mention of the 717's in the article...

PVDtoDEL

I didn't see any mention either...

I did see a mention in the blog entry I wrote, but that won't be up for another 13 hours...

N830MH

Here the official release from WN:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Boeing...03570.html?x=0

Here the PR from Boeing:

http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=2072

WN will orders 150 737-8MAX & 58 737-800NG.

Congratulates to WN & Boeing. This is first order the 737MAX. Keep it up the good work!!

OPNLguy

There was some mention of the 717s here:

http://leehamnews.wordpress.com/2011...737-max-order/

Mike Van der Ven, COO

•717s in leases 2017-2020+ and will work to see what the alternatives are but will operate through lease terms if we have to.

I thought I read elsewhere this morning that all the 735s, 733s, and 717s could be gone by the year 2024, but I can't recall where exactly it was, nor have I been able to find any mention of that date. Maybe my coffee hadn't kicked in yet..

Edit: here's a list of what's to be delivered, and when:

http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/a...ys-out-59.html

N830MH

That was very interested thing that I can see. Can WN will have conversion the firm orders from 73G into 738 aircraft? Perhaps, WN would considered to order 739ER anytime soon. Unless if they have a labor agreements. If they have a negotiate deal from WN.

kerflumexed

Thanks for posting the link to that chart. So that is a total of 350 firm orders. I wonder how many will be for actual growth as opposed to replacements. In 2017 or so there will be some 700's ready to be put out to pasture as they will be 20 years old. And all the classics plus the 717's will disappear.

It also looks like the cockpit layout will be the same in order to preserve a common type rating with the existing 737 fleet.

I also understand that the 737Max will have built in FAA approved peanut bag aisle dispenser spec'd at 27 bags per second. The ejector system will be automatically disabled until second segment climb has started. A companion drink dispenser system is in the planning stage but will not be available until 2018.

OPNLguy

FYI, nowhere have I seen any mention of the specific variant (-7, -8, or -9) of the 737 Max we'll be getting, only that we've ordered/optioned the 737 Max.

How did you come up with the -8; an assumption, or did you read that somewhere?

texashoser

With a schedule like that, it sure seems at least all the 733's could be retired by 2016 or so. Aren't there only about ~75 of those left in the WN fleet? Retiring all those, including new orders, gives you guys about 100 more aircraft in 2016 than you do today. I can't imagine you're going to be operating so many flights in 2016 that will require a net gain in excess of 90-100 jets from what you have today.

OPNLguy

I don't have the exact number offhand, but it's a lot more than 75... We also still have the 25 of the 735s.

3Cforme

In totals, planespotters.net comes pretty close to Southwest's fact sheet fleet of 9/30/2011. p.net shows 170 active 733s and 25 active 735s.

alggag

On a related note, are the 25 -500s all the -500s Southwest has ever operated? Were there any others that have since left the fleet or are those all of the originals?

lougord99

It was my understanding that all of the 733's that received winglets ( not sure how many that is ) would be in the fleet long term.

OPNLguy

The 25 735s are all the ones we've ever had, and were delivered roughly 1988-1992. Their number range is N501 to N528 because there some numbers in that range where we could not get the SW suffix, so those numbers (N516, N517, and N518) were skipped, hence 28-3=25.

We were also supposed to get 14 more of the 735s (N529-N543) but orders for those 735s were converted to additional 733 orders back in the early 1990s.

OPNLguy

The blended winglet 733 retrofit order was originally for 90 shipsets, presumably for the 90 youngest 733s for better ROI time. The last new 733 delivery was in the fall of 1997.