That MAX actually improved the landing speed issues over the 737 NG -800 and -900 aircraft.

The 737-800/900 has a roll stability issue with landing flaps 40. The wings "wag" back and forth. For that reason, the airplanes are normally landed with Flaps 30 which adds 8 or 9 knots to the approach and landing speeds. The MAX, -8 and -9, have fixed this problem so flaps 40 are the normal landing flaps setting resulting in landing speeds which are 8 or 9 knots slower than the -800/-900.

And the Airbus passengers who were killed in a flyby at an Airshow???? AF296... remember?????

I think there's at least a not-entirely-irrational "So, did they miss anything else?" fear here. I'd be inclined to recommend some mix of switching to (similarly-sized) 757s where possible and moving any shorter-term 737 MAX orders down to "standard" 737 planes.

This isn't a full-blown cancellation, but I think a demand of "You will go back, review everything, and assure us that there's not another disaster lurking in the wings and we'll go from there" isn't unreasonable, even if it fouls up fleet replacement timetables. However, something else coming along and grounding the plane again in a year or two (even if it is a preemptive catch)? That's gonna be a problem for everyone.

Edit: Also, I don't think Boeing will have much (if any) luck penalizing anyone who dumps a MAX order because of this, given the obvious mess they made of the process. If anything, they're probably "on the hook" for damages from folks who already have aircraft in hand who just saw big chunks of their fleet grounded.

Why not just fly Southwest and not jump through all of those hoops?

Thanks for that clarification. It still seems the landing speeds will be quite high for the MAX10 considering it's going to be a heavier plane but with only four tires for braking. Tell me if I'm wrongly projecting, though.

The band aids and sticky tape over the 50 year old design killed people. Boeing has crushed Airbus in the widebody market, but the 797 needs to get here soon as a 757/737 replacement that can compete with the A320/321.

Of the US carriers Delta appears to have chosen the more modern planes with the A220 & the A321neo, completely avoiding the 737 mAX.

The MAX currently makes up a tiny percentage of UA's narrow-body fleet; even once they take delivery of all 100, and assuming an equal number of retirements, it still represents 15-20% of their fleet.

If the proportion grows in the future, that's a sure sign that UA considers the matter settled.

The problem is not should UA cancel or not. The actual issue is UA will NEVER cancel the order.

1. Even the MAX grounding covers UA's 7M9, so far there is nothing conclusive suggesting 7M9 might have the same or similar problem as 7M8.

Note - UA did not order 7M8.

2. UA uses 737s again because of the merger with CO. That's why many pilots are type certified for 737s, but not A320. If UA switches its order to Airbus, UA will have to cough off more money for training purposes. In this climate, it does not like Airbus is going to give UA a great deal.

Note - the uncertainty of UA's A350 order also impacts its bargaining power with Airbus.

3. Last but not the least, UA's commitment with Boeing actually helps both UA and Boeing, which UA can, at the minimum, bargain for more discounts with any new or existing orders, while Boeing can live on another day.

UA has so few Max9s now it isn't impacting their operations or consumer perceptions.

And just like the 787 started flying again after the battery issue was resolved, so too will the MAX.

UA isn't going to invest into another fleet/crew type for a short term issue.

As this thread had started to become a reprise of the B737MAX [Grounded as of 13 March 2019] thread, have moved much of this thread over into the MAX thread. Let's focus the discussion of the MAX issue in the MAX thread and not have two threads on the same topic.

This thread was started to ask if UA should switch to A321neo. That can be done without rehashing the MAX discussion. There is plenty of ground for discussion on the A321neo and United

If the thread agains drifts off in focusing on 737 MAX issues, those postings will be moved to the MAX thread.

WineCountryUA
UA coModerator