United Airlines will accelerate its Boeing 737 MAX delivery schedule and buy 25 additional jets in a sign of confidence that air travel will return in 2022.
United Airlines Buys More 737 MAX Aircraft
Announced by Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Nocella to staff in a note this morning, United Airlines will add to its already substantial order for 737 MAX aircraft.
- 25 new 737 MAX aircraft for delivery in 2021
- Delivery of 40 737 MAX moved to 2022
- Delivery of 5 737 MAX moved to 2023
- In addition to the 24 737 MAX already scheduled to be delivered in 2023
United has firm commitments on a total of 188 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
Nocella noted:
That’s 94 new aircraft in the United fleet over those two years. And that’s good news for our employees, our customers, the environment and the communities we serve around the world.
These new aircraft represent the best the industry has to offer in terms of customer amenities, experience and comfort. In fact, flights on our MAX aircraft in 2018 and 2019 had the highest average customer satisfaction score of any large narrowbody aircraft. And from an environmental perspective, these aircraft offer 15% better fuel efficiency compared to current-generation aircraft. That’s an important benefit for the environment, as we establish our industry-leading, 100% green commitment to sustainability. It’s also a benefit to our bottom line whenever we have to buy less fuel.
It’s interesting that Nocella argues the 737 MAX offers industry best customer amenities, experience, and comfort. Quite the contrary, I’d argue that without IFE screens and with a tiny mid-aircraft lavatory, the aircraft is not even the most comfortable 737 in the United fleet.
Nevertheless, a United employee tells me that United has nicely re-designed the interior of the 737 MAX, adding a bulkhead between cabins.
Nocella believes that United has turned the corner and that recovery is in sight:
Today, we’re even more confident in our ability to navigate the recovery, regardless of the inevitable bumps and dips in the months ahead. With a number of our aircraft nearing the end of their lifecycle and the growth opportunities that we know will exist in the COVID-19 recovery period, this agreement will help us to grow as demand returns and renew our fleet with more environmentally friendly, customer-pleasing aircraft.
Defending why United would buy planes when it is laying off staff, Nocella expressed hope in a third government bailout, but argued the new aircraft investment would lead to more employment in the longterm:
“And as the end of the pandemic nears and vaccines continue to roll out, today’s fleet announcement helps position us to meet the demand we expect to see in 2022 and 2023 and puts us on a path toward more opportunities for our employees in the future.”
CONCLUSION
United Airlines is accelerating its 737 MAX delivery scheduled (after delaying deliveries during the pandemic). It is also ordering 25 additional aircraft. Over time, the 737 MAX will become the workhorse of the United narrowbody fleet.
Thanks to H for sharing the images!
As reluctant as I am to fly the MAX it appears that it is going to grow in use in the U.S. and be, in a few years, very difficult to avoid. One more reason to hope that Jet Blue expands, especially in the DC market.
Oh, and, I got nostalgic with your typo of the “727 Max.” I got all excited for a throwback to a tail mounted engine and flight engineer.
THIS!!!!!!
Don’t forget the back stairs.
Sorry to disappoint you!
This is a negative development for those of us who fly and have status on UA. The 737MAX is a poor excuse for a new aircraft to begin with – having been cobbled together in such a grotesque way that it’s not even aerodynamically stable under certain circumstances. And, somehow, we seem to often see it being equipped with cramped, very uncomfortable cabins – which is something I’m not hearing about with new Airbus aircraft (aside from those that LCC’s purchase, that is).
The idea of flying in an aircraft that I’m not 100% confident in and doing so in an unnecessarily cramped cabin feels like the airline is collectively giving us the finger. Maybe not to the extent of AA (the Oasis interior is a baseball bat to the back of the head), but it’s still insulting and makes me want to consider other options when travel gets back to normal. Maybe Delta?
Yet US Congress sees fit to shovel billions of taxpayer dollars to Airlines who are well capable of financing themselves. There will be a day when your children and grandchildren look back with disdain on trillions in unnecessary spending that they were saddled with. SMH
Fully agree, the Trump tax cuts did pretty much nothing for economy (only enriching the top 1% and corporations, at the peak of the stock market) while further ballooning the national debt.
Well, it seems likely that new Boeing airplanes, particularly any version of the 737 MAX, can be had a premium price these days. So, as far as the business end of the decision goes, there is that … 😉
Unfortunate that UA keeps ordering inferior narrowbodies and widebodies
I think on the PaxEx side of things, people have this misconception of the MAX as an across-the-board cramped and uncomfortable aircraft largely in part to the fact that the first legacy carrier in the US to use it, American Airlines, has an extremely dense configuration compared to their existing 737-800NG (which incidentally are being retrofit to squeeze more seats in). In the case of United Airlines, no such process took place. The United 737 MAX 9 features the same 179 seats as the existing 737-900 and 737-900ER in the fleet, with 20 First Class and 159 Economy, but with a much-improved interior featuring the new First Class seat, personal device holders at all seats, and rear-facing power outlets instead of those under your seat. On the United 737 MAX flights I’ve flown on, the lavatories are no different than those on the 737NG. Combine that with high-speed Wi-Fi (my speed test showed 140 Mbps download) and mood lighting, and you’ve got a really well-rounded passenger experience.