QF B737 Replacement Competition

[Flying Fox]

Just finished reading this article -

Airbus, Boeing to battle for multi-billion dollar Qantas order

As Qantas’ current Boeing 737s approach retirement age, the airline will soon select their replacement.

www.executivetraveller.com

It got me to thinking. I know that it comes down to price but what would us as customers like to see QF purchase? A320 or B737?

I'm thinking that Airbus has an advantage here as QF already have an order of 109 units and IMHO it would make sense to only have one type of aircraft in the broader QF/JQ fleet.

I'm sure that it will be a hard fought contest and there will be much written about it.

 

[Mattg]

From a pure cabin comfort perspective, the A320 is a better plane because the seats are an inch wider due to the wider fuselage.

 

[NM]

Perhaps B737-Max might be a good choice from a pax perspective. Less customers willing to use them, meaning more availability for award redemption, upgrade and social-distancing when on-board .

But, in the reality of my own personal opinion, I really don't mind. For short-haul domestic flights, either is ok for me, with a very slight advantage going to the A320 family due to slight wider cabin.

 

[jakeseven7]

Hate both narrow bodies but if I had a gun to my head would prefer the A320.

 

[kookaburra75]

Perhaps B737-Max might be a good choice from a pax perspective. Less customers willing to use them, meaning more availability for award redemption, upgrade and social-distancing when on-board .
But, in the reality of my own personal opinion, I really don't mind. For short-haul domestic flights, either is ok for me, with a very slight advantage going to the A320 family due to slight wider cabin.

Hmmm... on one hand we have the Boeing product which first flew in the 60's and has been incrementally upgraded (but not changed) from mechanical to sort-of-digital flight systems, or the Airbus product which first flew in the 1990 and was designed from the ground up with modern flight systems....
Having done the run to NZ on Air NZ A320s, QF B737 and rarely A330s, I was happy with the A320. But, will they serve spirits in J?

 

[jb747]

The A320/321/NEO is a vastly superior family of aircraft.

 

[N860CR]

The A320/321/NEO is a vastly superior family of aircraft.

The Cessna 310/340 series is arguably a superior family of aircraft

 

[Must...Fly!]

Boeing will be throwing big discounts, you can be sure of that. They need orders. But I feel the logical answer is the A320 family. It is superior and Boeing have been left behind. Any potential work that the B737s might be better suited to can be surely catered to by subsidiaries. Don't overlook the use of A320s by QLink in WA - a very good place to experiment.

 

[jakeseven7]

Lets be honest, the A320 family just looks right in QF livery so it should just win

 

[Flying Fox]

The A320/321/NEO is a vastly superior family of aircraft.

My thoughts too. I think they would be more comfortable for passengers. I think that the A320/321/NEO family of aircraft would be able to cover more routes whilst having parts/pilot commonality. I don't believe that the B737Max has the same range of product offerings.

Given that pilots will now need additional training for B737Max; I'm sure that this would also assist Airbus with their business case.

 

[NM]

Given that pilots will now need additional training for B737Max; I'm sure that this would also assist Airbus with their business case.

And I expect another consideration for QF management will be their options around pilot's contracts. They may have a desire to establish a new contract for a new aircraft type and base it on the Jetstar model, so they may consider the A320NEO in mainline colours gives them the ability to put crews under a new contract. Probably not what the crew wants to see happen, but this may be a factor in the end decision process.

 

[OZDUCK]

Personally, while I have felt more comfortable in the A320 family I believe that it will be a Boeing order. To me it seems that Boeing will offer an 'unbeatable' pricing deal on the B737 Max in order to claw back sales and good publicity.

 

[jase05]

I vote for whichever has decent J seating

 

[NM]

I vote for whichever has decent J seating

and catering

 

[jb747]

My thoughts too. I think they would be more comfortable for passengers. I think that the A320/321/NEO family of aircraft would be able to cover more routes whilst having parts/pilot commonality. I don't believe that the B737Max has the same range of product offerings.

Given that pilots will now need additional training for B737Max; I'm sure that this would also assist Airbus with their business case.

I doubt that the training issues of the Max will matter all that much. It's hours as opposed to months. But, it remains a rubbish aircraft, with a terrible reputation.

And I expect another consideration for QF management will be their options around pilot's contracts. They may have a desire to establish a new contract for a new aircraft type and base it on the Jetstar model, so they may consider the A320NEO in mainline colours gives them the ability to put crews under a new contract.

They will play that game no matter what they buy.

Personally, while I have felt more comfortable in the A320 family I believe that it will be a Boeing order. To me it seems that Boeing will offer an 'unbeatable' pricing deal on the B737 Max in order to claw back sales and good publicity.

I'm sure someone could offer me an unbeatable deal on a 1970 Lada, but with a flash dash. It would not make it a good deal.

 

[Seat0B]

But, it remains a rubbish aircraft, with a terrible reputation.

That was what I was thinking too. There is a lot of bad press to be overcome, and given the emphasis that Qantas publicly places on safety, I think this might just all be in the too hard basket.

 

[Scarlett]

The answer might already be in post 1: if the QF group still have over 100 narrow body orders with Airbus and the market remains depressed below a point where those orders are actually needed (they were destined for JQ and 3K growth I believe), it would seem the simplest answer is to use them as the mainline 737 replacement.

Who would've thought the 'All Boeing' QF of yesteryear (B707, B747, B767- did that also happen at any stage after the merger with TN and their A300s?) could transition to an almost all Airbus fleet?

 

[Must...Fly!]

Who would've thought the 'All Boeing' QF of yesteryear (B707, B747, B767- did that also happen at any stage after the merger with TN and their A300s?) could transition to an almost all Airbus fleet?

Not many, but would be a result of nothing other than Boeing's failures to bring the right products to market.

 

[jakeseven7]

Not many, but would be a result of nothing other than Boeing's failures to bring the right products to market.

And stop their new products falling out of the sky due to poor quality assurance procedures....

 

[jb747]

Not many, but would be a result of nothing other than Boeing's failures to bring the right products to market.

It was also a case of taking long term customers for granted.

Back when QF ordered the A330/380, Boeing had also been in the competition with a mix of 767-400 and 777. QF was well aware of what other airlines were being charged for aircraft, but Boeings offer was much more expensive. They’d assumed that as an all Boeing airline, it was unlikely that they’d change. So, they thought it reasonable that QF would pay lots more than someone like Emirates (for instance).

Since then, they’ve had lots of information on the 320, years of operation of the 330 and 380. Whilst the 380 had its issues, it’s biggest problem was simply that its niche was eroded, the aircraft itself works fairly well. The 320 and 330 work very well.

If they don’t go with 320 and 350 you’d be left wonder which table the money passed under.