Sparking media questioning, Southwest Airlines recently sent some representatives to visit an unknown European Airbus A220 operator to check out some aircraft, however has since explained the trip.
Initially reported by The Air Current, which is run by Jon Ostrower, the news surfaces as airlines are caught in between a rock and a hard place with the Boeing 737 MAX, which remains grounded after two fatal crashes that killed 346 people (JT610 and ET302).
What shocked the industry was the fact that a long-term Boeing 737 customer that’s iconic in the aviation industry for setting up their entire business around the aircraft was reportedly checking out competing aircraft, that, from a passenger and technological standpoint, are far-superior.
Southwest Airlines operates 34 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, which, paired with their existing fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft, takes their entire fleet up to 754 aircraft.
Since the Federal Aviation Administration followed other worldwide regulators and announced it would also enforce a grounding, Southwest has had to send their 737 MAX aircraft to be temporarily wrapped up and stored.
Large amounts of flights have been cancelled, adjusted or placed on other aircraft to compensate for the loss of the 737 MAX, which Southwest has planned to be out of service until August.
Reflecting on the headline, Southwest Airlines’ Chief Executive Officer, Gary Kelly, noted the visit was purely coincidental as they had booked the viewing “a long time ago”.
Kelly stresses the airline has no intention to cancel any Boeing 737 MAX orders and he still believes the aircraft is the “best single-aisle airplane in the world”.
Adding to his statement, he mentioned just because the company is an all-Boeing operator, doesn’t mean it will be in the future. Just like all airlines, Southwest Airlines is interested to see what’s available and how it’s performing.
The next step for Southwest and other airlines after reintroducing the 737 MAX is to regain passenger confidence, which the industry is divided about. Will Boeing be able to relight the candle or are they left smoking in the dark?
Feature image by Tomás Del Coro
Love Southwest It’s The Airline That I Fly
Boeing got over the rudder hard-over issues on the 737s in the late 80s/90s and they got over the battery issues with the 787s too.
I think they will recover but they need to change the safety culture at the company because they can’t afford another major disaster. They’re already being sued by their own shareholders, Ethiopian and Lion Air will want their pound of flesh, as will the victims families and then there are all the other airlines to be compensated for out of action planes plus cancelled orders.
Despite all that, it’s not in the airlines or publics interests for Boeing to go under.
Last chance saloon now Boeing, you need to listen to the critics including your own staff, stop cutting corners and prioritise safety over deadlines!
I agree this probably has little to do with the grounding of the 737MAX. Early 2018 SouthWest delayed deliveries of it’s small 737-7 order. SouthWest has 500 737-700’s to be replaced. While the 737-8 seems a very good aircraft, they need a efficient future proof below 150 seat aircraft. The A220-300 weighs 5t less than the 737-7., which translate in lower fuel costs.