Tutti
← Back to Squawk list
Reports: Boeing poised to land blockbuster United order
Boeing is poised to win a multibillion dollar order from United Airlines, according to several news reports that have surfaced during the past 24 hours. (travel.usatoday.com) Altro...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
The great work avaiation workhorse just gets better. Boeing rocks!
Merged airlines need to quickly get to a single maker fleet in order to reap the benefits in maintenence cost savings. That United has taken this step with Boeing says much about future orders. It also indicates that United has come to the realization that Airbus has no real truly useful jumbo for an American flag carrier.
I find it interesting that United is now looking at Boeing narrowbodies after retiring all the old United-livery B737s and repainting / reusing the Ted A320s in their place. (Granted, this was long before the Continental buyout-merger). Having flown on both in United service several years ago, I will say the A320 felt a little roomier / more comfy than the 737 (though as some have already said, interior depends a lot on airline choice).
The big question to me is how many aircraft, both narrow and widebody, United has after the Continental acquisition and how many of both types need replacing. Not to mention how much of the "United" service you see out there is actually being done by feeder airlines (Mesaba, SkyWest, All Wisconsin, etc) with RJs, and if that will be expanded.
The big question to me is how many aircraft, both narrow and widebody, United has after the Continental acquisition and how many of both types need replacing. Not to mention how much of the "United" service you see out there is actually being done by feeder airlines (Mesaba, SkyWest, All Wisconsin, etc) with RJs, and if that will be expanded.
[This poster has been suspended.]
15 years is about one half of the average age of a United airplane.
Winning the narrow body order and losing a wide body order, even for far fewer planes, would not be the greatest of wins for Boeing. The narrow body plane is not the profit maker the wide body planes are. Far few of them are need to be sold to make the same profit that 200 narrow bodied planes provide.
I would think Boeing sales is smart enough to see something like this and hinge this order against an order for wide body planes which United will need to make. Now when they fully incorporate Continental planes with United including Continentals order for the 787 & Continentials newer 777 & 767 they brings to the fleet. United must decide if their planes that are much older and in need of replacement really need to be replaced. Keep in mid there is the order for 50 Airbus A350 a plane yet to be built or flown which need to be considered. Plus Both United and Continental had orders totaling about 100 planes for the 787.
So there is a question of, with 150 wide body mid size planes on order, does United need to order more wide bodied aircraft at this time? I can see needing to replace the 747's currently in the fleet. Would United consider replacing them with A380's or would they consider the 747-8?
I would think Boeing sales is smart enough to see something like this and hinge this order against an order for wide body planes which United will need to make. Now when they fully incorporate Continental planes with United including Continentals order for the 787 & Continentials newer 777 & 767 they brings to the fleet. United must decide if their planes that are much older and in need of replacement really need to be replaced. Keep in mid there is the order for 50 Airbus A350 a plane yet to be built or flown which need to be considered. Plus Both United and Continental had orders totaling about 100 planes for the 787.
So there is a question of, with 150 wide body mid size planes on order, does United need to order more wide bodied aircraft at this time? I can see needing to replace the 747's currently in the fleet. Would United consider replacing them with A380's or would they consider the 747-8?
The A-380 is worthless to an American flag carrier. There are less than a dozen airports in the US equipped to handle the 380 on a day to day basis. In this day and age you can't be buying aircraft that can only fly two or three of your routes.
The A380 if purchased would be used on International flights now flown out oh SFO, ORD & LAX. Of them I believe only SFO might have a problem. Otherwise it is simply a gate remodled.
SFO isn't ready for the 380 yet, but there are virtually no places to abort or divert a 380 flight in the US. If you can't land in ORD, LAX, JFK, BOS, IAD or ATL you are out of luck.
I'm no fan of Airbus or the A380 but the A380 can land anywhere the 747 can land. The problem comes in on the ground with taxiways and gate handeling. Example the alternate for the A380's into IAD is BWI. IT can land there but must be parked at the deice station at the end of the runway as the taxiways are below grade level for the outboard engine. BWI. Would use gate buddies to deplan passengers.
Can't get it in PHL for some of the same reasons. But ask yourself if you want to spend hundreds of millions of $$ on planes that you can't use anywhere in your route structure. Hell, you can use the 747-8 for larger charters off the normal route structure but the A-380?? I'd rather be trying to put Concorde back in the air. It would make as much sense.