ckiggins

I guess I just assumed that "AA" would be assigned to American - so that there wouldn't be any other aircraft registered to "AA" other than theirs.

AAFA

First new 737s will go into service 4/14. 1247/1345 ORD-LAX. AA coding it as B9 instead of B8 for us. 1565/851 ORD-MSP

Some info:

The new B737 aircraft will feature various enhancements to the interior. Here’s what we and our customers can look forward to:



Larger, “wheels first” stowage, overhead bins- The new 737 overhead bin accommodates 120 roller boards versus the existing 737 that accommodates 68 roller boards.



A new Panasonic Digital IFE system with 20 new drop-down LCD monitors mounted under the overhead bins will replace the old style CRT monitors that are over the aisle, allowing better viewing for customers.



In both First Class and Coach, the seats are designed with an articulating mechanism that produces a cradling motion and provides for better weight distribution and more comfort. First Class seats feature a greater recline angle with less movement toward the seat behind. Coach seats offer more knee room as well.



One A/C power port at each seat in First Class, and two A/C ports for every three seats in Coach – effectively putting power readily available at every seat throughout the plane.



About 25% less fuel burn per mile than the MD80, translating to about 800,000 gallons per aircraft per year. Some of this fuel efficiency is generated by “blended winglet” extensions you can see at the tip of each wing. These winglets improve engine takeoff performance and increase the range of the aircraft.



Newer engine technology adds to fuel savings further decreasing our impact on the environment. Additionally, the B737-800 is quieter than the MD80 and significantly reduces CO2 emissions.



The new aircraft will have 16 first class and 144 coach class seats. That’s 12 more seats than our existing B737-800s.

FWAAA

What's missing that permits two more rows of coach seats? Galleys? Closets? Lavs?

AAFA

Behind the lavs, before you hit the galley, there were two carts. One on either side with cabinets above for storage. They removed them and moved the lavs further back so they are right in front of the galley.

FWAAA

That makes sense. Thanks.

Of course, that means that means less storage space - for BOB meals, drinks, trash, something. Wonderful on transcons and other long flights.

AAFA

Nah. They are removing the ovens and putting cabinets with shelves where the ovens were. The only thing this definitely means is that wherever this baby goes there will be no coach hot meal service. So the good news is that they can't try flying this thing to Europe!

Dalguy

Due to the increased number of seats 160 on the new 737 versus 148 on the older 737's, AA will be very proactive in limiting the movement of the aircraft throughout the system. The additional seats require an additional flight attendant.

AAFA

We'll see how well that works. They can build the trip selections with the regular amount of flight attendants and have an extra position put on daily if aircraft changes occur.

Mrp Alert

Wirelessly posted (FlyerTalk.com/wap is fun : BlackBerry9530/4.7.0.114 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/105)

An extra fa is never a bad thing

zman

Agreed, but interesting AA strategy that was decided before the economy tanked.
B6 has done the opposite, (have removed seats to get down to 150
and added 3" to 6" more room) then AA and now they only need 3 FA's.
The new config has 12 more seats (~8%) then the existing AA 737 fleet
and 24 more seats (~18%) then the MD's.

We will see whose MBA;'s are right.

sts603

I believe that the legacies fly with higher average load factors than the LCCs - especially WN. Also, FA costs between AA and B6 probably aren't substantially different whereas the average fare paid by the AA traveler is probably notably higher than a B6 fare. In other words, my hunch is that on AA those 10 seats need to be filled on average a lower percentage of the time to pay for the extra FA than they would on B6 and on AA those seats will be filled on average a higher percentage of time than on B6.

For the FF its a double-edged sword - the worst upgrade chances in the AA system (though AA still has more F seats per Y on most planes than most of the competitors) but better service in F. My guess is on most 738 flights - two will work Y and two will work F at least through the meal service in F.

greggwiggins

Or that they'll cut out the coach hot meal service on flights to Europe.

greybeardy

I'd be really surprised if these birds are ETOPS (I hope I have the right alphabet soup here) certified. So no Europe.

Robt760

CHICAGO and TULSA, Okla., April 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- American Airlines today took an important step toward a significant investment in its long-term future by welcoming two Boeing 737-800 aircraft into its fleet on the eve of their maiden passenger flights.

As American begins the process of replacing its MD-80 fleet, employees, customers and public officials commemorated the arrival of its first new 737- 800s since December 2001 with ceremonies at company facilities in Chicago and Tulsa. The new airplanes, which go into service April 14, are the first of 76 737-800s that will arrive through the first quarter of 2011.


Link to release: AA Invests in Its Future With First Deliveries of New Boeing 737-800s

Dalguy

Jetblue removed the rows of seats for 2 main reasons.

1. Lower their costs by reducing F/A headcount.

2. Lower the weight of the airplane to reduce number of fuel stops on their transcon flights.

Zman - avg full "Y" fare on AA is usually significantly higher than the unrestricted Jetblue fare. If the flight is at capacity there are usually more full fare seats sold, due to RM limiting the number of seats in the lower fare buckets. In addition 16 of AA's 160 seats can be sold for the additional premium "F" fare. Therefore AA should make more money on a full flight than Jetblue. Unfortunately if AA is not running a full flight, they have a hard time bringing in that premium revenue.

STS - Currently the worst upgrade chances on AA is on the A300 (16F to ~250Y).