MAX order Restructured: 25 MAX10 from Mid 2023 - No MAX8

[pauly7]

Reading between the lines maybe VA aren't happy with the software fix at this point in time.

As posted in the other MAX thread it’s been widely reported that VA didn’t really need these replacement airframes at this point anyway and were deemed a very frivolous purchase by the former CEO, widely criticised as a purchase VA could not afford.

So I heavily suspect they’ve used this Boeing crisis to wriggle out and defer which will help the new CEO immensely in getting the airline under control.

It’s a fiscally responsible move. It’s also a responsible brand move for them too.

 

[jb747]

Swapping out it’s 100 odd 737 fleet for another type just isn’t going to happen. The cost to convert would be astronomical.

Hopefully one outcome of the MAX debacle will be removing the common 737 type endorsement. At that point you need to train MAX pilot separately, and they will not be able to cross operate the different types within the fleet.

QF mainline already has a vast number of pilots with Airbus experience.

Buying the MAX would be crazy.

 

[Berlin]

QF mainline already has a vast number of pilots with Airbus experience.
Buying the MAX would be crazy.

Exactly my thoughts.

 

[flyer89]

Buying the MAX would be crazy.

So they’ll probably do it then.

 

[tomlee1986]

good decision on the finance and also the safety front.. no passenger would want to fly on a plane that has such serious defects which may cause their deaths!

 

[HS-TQE]

An alternate suggestion, I do wonder if Scurrah will put the short-haul international route under "review" (e.g cut loss-making Pacific Island/lower yielding NZ services and shuffle the deck chairs). Freeing up the 738s back to the domestic network to allow the A320 replacement at TigerAir to continue.

Routes like HIR and DUD/ZQN which are clearly loss making are surely candidates to be axed entirely with no replacement. Whilst the likes of AKL and CHC would probably be scaled to meet partner requirements (e.g the codeshares with DL, HA, HU, etc).
VA has already replaced POM services with Alliance Airlines Fokkers, I can't see VA using Alliance beyond the POM services.

The failure of VA to gain traction on their NZ services (despite advertising full service including meals) will surely have to be under the microscope after July, any changes/cuts to VA's short haul international would have to be signed off mid-year for NS (October) start.

 

[ozfflyer]

if you ask most punters a few weeks after 737 max 8s start flying, what is a max 8 & most wouldn't have a clue. This deferment is all about forward leisure bookings being awful & airlines in Europe, Uk & Asia falling over every week or so. The recession we had to have, is biting big time right now. Many people under 40 have never ever seem a real recession & many whoa re overcommited financially now, will get burned big time, when they lose their jobs.

 

[jakeseven7]

if you ask most punters a few weeks after 737 max 8s start flying, what is a max 8 & most wouldn't have a clue. This deferment is all about forward leisure bookings being awful & airlines in Europe, Uk & Asia falling over every week or so. The recession we had to have, is biting big time right now. Many people under 40 have never ever seem a real recession & many whoa re overcommited financially now, will get burned big time, when they lose their jobs.

I don’t know, two aircraft hurtling to ground in rapid succession with today’s social media plus the formal investigation results still to come out plus Boeing’s continuously awful public statements keeping this story in the news and alive is going to tick along for a while.

What’s your reference for VA’s forward leisure bookings being awful? The cancellation of the order has been broadly discussed and referenced already and nothing has come up about forward bookings?

 

[ozfflyer]

I don’t know, two aircraft hurtling to ground in rapid succession with today’s social media plus the formal investigation results still to come out plus Boeing’s continuously awful public statements keeping this story in the news and alive is going to tick along for a while.

What’s your reference for VA’s forward leisure bookings being awful? The cancellation of the order has been broadly discussed and referenced already and nothing has come up about forward bookings?

will be old news once the max 8s start flying again.

Spoke to 2 travel reps, one from VA & another competing with VA on many routes. Both blaiming election, but much bigger issue is recession.

 

[Bagpuss]

Swapping out it’s 100 odd 737 fleet for another type just isn’t going to happen. The cost to convert would be astronomical.

Manufacturer discounts and incentives do make this possible and has happened before :

BBC NEWS | Business | Easyjet ditches Boeing for Airbus

news.bbc.co.uk

I have read commentary that the reason for Boeing rushing the B737 MAX was due to SouthWest considering switching.

 

[AviatorInsight]

I have read commentary that the reason for Boeing rushing the B737 MAX was due to SouthWest considering switching.

And AA, so Boeing managed to take half their order off Airbus.

 

[ozfflyer]

all airlines need to defer costs. Delaying delivery of any aircraft just makes good financial sense. How many airlines have fallen over in last 6 months ?

 

[Bagpuss]

all airlines need to defer costs. Delaying delivery of any aircraft just makes good financial sense. How many airlines have fallen over in last 6 months ?

If there was a surprise about Virgin deferring the MAX order it was purely that it came so quick after Paul Scurrah took over as CEO. Though the issues with the aircraft probably played into the decision too.

 

[here2go]

all airlines need to defer costs. Delaying delivery of any aircraft just makes good financial sense. How many airlines have fallen over in last 6 months ?

Fuel increases as Trump starts throwing his weight around in the Middle East and disrupting supply lines is a good reason to have more economical aircraft

 

[Bundy Bear]

Southwest was never going to switch away from the 737 they have too many of them.
It was American Airlines that were looking at going with Airbus and who Boeing were able to get them to buy the 737Max.
I am hoping that a new 757/767 combination comes along, single aisle dual aisle, that way customers who have had lots of 737s can look at going to a widebody.

The 787 is really too much plane for most airlines, not in size but in range.

Australia, China, USA, Europe really need a plane that can carry 300 passengers up to 5,000kms but isn't as heavy as a 787 or A330

Hopefully the new CEO and with assistance from the right people can look at the route map and see what isn't working and get rid of it.

I am disappointed AirNz and Virgin cut ties.

Places like Esperance, which was on a Fokker50 has now gone to Rex, and Geraldton is also going that way, a Fokker100 was always going to be too much aircraft.

Certain routes are just too big for a 737.

 

[AIRwin]

Virgin Australia Group restructures Boeing 737 MAX order

09 December 2020: Virgin Australia Group has announced it has reached an agreement with Boeing to restructure its B737 MAX order and delivery schedule.

newsroom.virginaustralia.com