Airbus scores Air Asia order

\ The minute you have two different types, no matter how easy the training
is
from one to the other, you need to distinct pilot rosters, and if a plane
breaks down and the spare you have isn't the same type, you need to change
not
only the plane but to crew as well.

In the current environment, if a plane breaks down, they take any spare
737
and put it at the gate and the original crew works that flight.

Southwest had put a fair amount of pressure on Boeing to maintain the type
rating.

Southwest's 737-700's have cockpits that "look" like the cockpits of their
737-200-300-500 series airplanes. Boeing was able to do this for them,
while still retaining "glass" cockpits on 737NG's destined for other
airlines.

"Jeff Hacker" wrote:

Southwest's 737-700's have cockpits that "look" like the cockpits of their
737-200-300-500 series airplanes. Boeing was able to do this for them,
while still retaining "glass" cockpits on 737NG's destined for other
airlines.

Just as a point of clarification: All 737NGs have glass cockpits. It's just that
there are two options for the format of the data displayed on the glass. One is
a more modern EFIS like display. The other is an electronic representation of
the mechanical instruments found on older 737s.

SWA currently flys the older format. Presumably, when the 300s are gone, they
may chose to enable the other format option.

On Sat, 18 Dec 2004 22:17:02 GMT, "Jeff Hacker"
wrote:


"Nik" wrote in message
...

"Not the Karl Orff" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Nik" wrote:

"AJC" wrote in message
[snip]

discounting, at least according to Boeing, was up to 60%

Don't fool yourself. Even if Boeing is right that a discount of unto 60
percent were offered by AI this can only be because Boeing itself had
offered a discount on their product - relatively speaking - not too
significantly lower. Relatively speaking if Boeing had only offered 20% AI
would have offered 25%.

The matter is that this in no way goes against my belief that the NG
decision was wrong. The old - even if improved - design of the 737 also
represents old - even if improved - manufacturing techniques. "Old" in
this context does not only means the product itself but also they way it
is made!

Nik


Actually Boeing's manufacturing technique on the NG 737's is quite different
from the "classics" - they have speeded up the process and made numerous
changes. The 737-NG and the 737-Classics ('200-'300-'400) are pretty much
different airplanes altogether.

That's not to say that Airbus doesn't make an arguably nicer product in that
size range. The A318's, A319's, A320's and A321's compete roughly size wise
with Boeing's 737 600's, 700, 800's, and 900's, but for the passenger, their
slightly wider fuselage makes the planes seem more comfortable than Boeings.
I just returned from a trip with my 93 year old father - I was literally
able to push his full-size wheelchair down the aisle of a Northwest 320 to
the first row of coach (row 5). Can't do that on any of the Boeings :-)


Another poster commented on smaller windows on the Airbus models,
which I must say I have never noticed, but I do notice the more
spacious cabin. On the point of comparison between the 321 and
737-900, again the Airbus product has the advantage of extra doors
allowing high density seating arrangements. Currently the -900 has
resticted passenger capacity due to lack of exits, preventing many low
cost and charter carriers from operating the type, very short-sighted
on Boeing's part.

--==++AJC++==--