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Ground strikes around the world of the 737 MAX have affected many carriers. Southwest Airlines is one of the most affected carriers. As the first global operator of its kind, Southwest's planning and fleet projects have taken a hit. In order to preserve as much capacity as possible, Southwest maintains its 737-700s in service a little longer.
Boeing 737-700 Southwest
Most of the Southwest fleet is Boeing 737-700. Some of them came from AirTran after the finalization of their merger in 2012. A good number of Boeing 737-700s were delivered in the late 90's, so some of them they are 20 years old or older. For a cheap carrier, the maintenance of old planes is expensive. So when Southwest Airlines reviewed its fleet strategy, they decided that it was time to replace them as soon as possible. The Boeing 737 MAX was supposed to replace these planes.
The grounding of the 737 MAX hurts the southwest
Ch-Aviation reports that Southwest Airlines is delaying the withdrawal of several Boeing 737-700s. Originally, 18 Boeing 737-700s were scheduled to end their service lives with Southwest Airlines in 2019. Southwest Airlines now retains seven for a longer period. Thus, only 11 Boeing 737-700s will be coming out of the Southwest fleet in 2019.
This shortage of capabilities hurt the southwest. Southwest recently announced that it was withdrawing the 737 MAX from service until early 2020. This represents a much later schedule than the one Boeing had previously complied with. In addition, Southwest suspends flights to Newark-Liberty and will strengthen its operations to LaGuardia Airport, an airport focused on key domestic flights.
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The Boeing 737-7
One of the Boeing 737-700's replacements was the smallest member of the 737 MAX family: the Boeing 737-7. Seven 737-7 were expected to join the Southwest fleet in 2019. Until the grounding is lifted, no 737-7 will enter the Southwest fleet. In the end, the Boeing 737-7 offers better economic operating conditions than the older Boeing 737-700.
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Until the grounding is lifted, however, Southwest will have to run the Boeing 737-700 a little longer. This will have an impact on Southwest's operations and will affect their bottom line. It remains to be seen whether or not there will be more news from Southwest Airlines.
The 737-700 can accommodate up to 143 pbadengers in a six-seat all-in-one configuration. Once the 11 will be removed from service this year, Southwest will operate a total of 501 Boeing 737-700s. This means that the majority of the Southwest fleet will still be Boeing 737-700s.
Did you fly on a Southwest Boeing 737-700? What do you think of the Boeing 737-700? Let us know in the comments!
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