TWA Guy

http://boeing.mediaroom.com/2017-06-...00-737-MAX-10s

Boeing, United Airlines Announce Order for 100 737 MAX 10s
United will also add four new 777-300ERs to its fleet

LE BOURGET, France, June 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] and United Airlines [NYSE: UAL] today announced an agreement at the 2017 Paris Air Show to convert 100 of its current 737 MAX orders into 737 MAX 10s, becoming the largest single 737 MAX 10 customer in the world.

United also announced an order for four additional 777-300ER aircraft.

"The 737 MAX 10 will enable us to continue using larger and more efficient aircraft within our domestic network and better meet the needs of our customers today and into the future," said Andrew Levy, United Airlines executive vice president and chief financial officer.

"The addition of this advanced aircraft to our fleet will enable us to continue to offer the state-of-the-art flying experience our customers expect when traveling with us," said Gerry Laderman, United Airlines senior vice president of finance, procurement and treasurer.

United expects to begin taking delivery of the 737 MAX 10 in late 2020.

United has flown nearly every version of the 737 that Boeing has produced. The new 737 MAX 10 will add to that legacy, providing United with another in a long line of highly successful aircraft.

"We're excited that our long partnership with United will extend far into the future," said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Kevin McAllister. "The 737 MAX 10 will provide even more flexibility to United's route schedule and will bring to their operation the best economics of any airplane in the single-aisle segment. We're proud that United's 777-300ER fleet continues to grow."

United has now ordered a total of 18 777-300ERs and began taking delivery of the aircraft last year. The 777-300ERs feature the airline's all-new United Polaris business class, featuring custom-designed, exclusive-to-United seats, an elevated dining experience, new custom bedding from Saks Fifth Avenue and new amenity kits.

Like all of Boeing's 737 MAX models, the MAX 10 incorporates the latest technology CFM International LEAP-1B engines, Advanced Technology winglets, the Boeing Sky Interior, large flight deck displays, and other improvements to deliver superior efficiency, reliability and passenger comfort in the single-aisle market.

The 737 MAX is the fastest-selling airplane in Boeing history.

EWR764

I am guessing this is a conversion of some MAX 9 orders and the result of the earlier 73G cancellation. Makes sense as the MAX 10 appears to be able to do anything the 9 can do (which is more than the -900ER), with more pax. Good to see more widebody lift, too.

warrenw

Not surprised. However I would have thought they would have ordered 8 not 4.

qukslvr619

to 737 MAX 10s. I see they are specifying that these are domestic adds so any speculation that MAXs would be used over the pond kind of dodged. Not surprising and I know the days of the 757 on non-Premium transcons are long gone, but I would have liked to have seen 321s in this category. Of course never say never, but the current configuration of anything 737 larger than a 737-800 in my opinion is just a long tube. The space-saver lavs are awful and the benefit of the 321 is that it is set up similar to a 757 and the cabin is broken up by the placement of the doors, although I have seen a 321 high capacity version that re-arranges the door placement to allow for more seats.

The irony of the 77W top-up is that they have 77Ws awaiting seats so they don't even have the previously ordered planes flying but the number seems to indicate a fleet size similar to the retired 744s so obviously appears to be replacing that capacity.

Hipplewm

Can the max 10's be fitted with lie flat and replace 757 on transcons or they just not wide/big enough?

EmailKid

For all intents and purposes 37 and 57 are essentially same tube, so if you can fit lie flat in 757 you can fit it in 737.

In fact 737 flies in an all Biz configuration, though of course not in UA colors.

spin88

The 737 and the 757 are the same width, although the 757 feels more open (which may be the design, or also having 2L entrance). This said, I much, much, much prefer the wider (by 6" A321/A321neo). United continues with this order to get the cheapest, narrowest planes possible, and will be the "customer uncomfortable" airline moving forward.

IADFlyer123

They can - the posters from the show do have flatbeds on these (16/20 to be precise). Its another question if UA will do it. COnsidering it is the same length as a 321, if AA can fit 3 classes on it, UA should be able to fit it too.

EWR764

The DL configuration of the 321 (presumably UA's would look similar) sort of obviates the 757-effect of the 2L/R doors as they function more like overwing exits since they are not used for pax boarding and the crossaisle is not a class divider. The mid-cabin lav in Y is nice but UA has something similar with the -900 midlav. The Airbus spacelavs in the rear bulkhead are awful, arguably worse than the Boeing slimlav.

It's also worth noting that the MAX 10 comes with the 'hat rack' doors aft of the wing standard, unlike the -900ER where they are optional and plugged by most airlines where the 739ER is in a 2-class configuration. I wonder if UA would cluster lavs around that door (like the 753) to free up space at the back of the airplane and 'break up' the cabin, which is a configuration people seem to value?

Of course, Boeing has no answer for the wider A32X cross-section, but I can't say a slimlined, spacelav'ed A321 is a joy to fly in either.

For what it's worth, 12 of 14 frames either have Polaris interiors fully installed or are undergoing installation. N2243U and N2644U (last two of the initial batch) are awaiting seats. 43 was just turned over to United last week and 44 made its first flight over the weekend, neither have seats.

Duke787

Wonder if the 757s have enough cycles left to last until the 797 launches. Given the UA/Boeing connection it wouldn't be a big stretch to see UA as a 797 launch customer and the 797 being the 757 lie-flat replacement.

Since the 797 is at least 7-9 years away, I'm guessing UA might have to explore options with the Max 10s but perhaps the 757s can go the distance.

EWR764

If deployed primarily on transcons, Hawaii and TATL (which they are), then the answer is probably yes, depending on what Boeing plans for a MOM EIS. Some of the most elderly UA 757s are approaching 100k hours, but at <30k cycles they still have plenty of life in them.

NH_Clark

UA deal with Boeing doesn't surprise me. For those pleading the 320/321 case, IMHO, we won't see UA orders with Airbus in the future.

spin88

I 100% agree, and I assume they will try to figure a way out of the A350 order. United just looks at these things on a spreadsheet with costs and potential revenue slots (aka seats) they can jam into the plane, and passenger comfort is just not in UA's DNA at this point, so is not part of the decision process.

TurboFan779

So what about the other 4 77Ws on Boeing's books?

qukslvr619

I forgot about DL's configuration and I thought they were setup more like AA non-transcon/pmUS 321s. I noticed the hatrack door was not plugged in the stock photo, so I guess that will mean some sort of break in the rows although I'm sure it will just end up being a 2 seat config row to allow egress rather than an actual row taken out. You are right about the slimline Airbuses though...I absolutely hate the narrow armrests of slimline seats. I realize its for weight savings, and maybe its great for bigger-framed people, but for smaller people like myself it usually means my seatmate will end up with all of the available armrest.

I stand corrected; from the doom/gloom/complaints about false Polaris advertising because of so few aircraft flying with the advertised seat, I was under the impression that there weren't that many 77W's currently flying.