Hi All,Are the 737 livery to be deleted from United Virtual Airlines Fleet www.united-virtualairlines ? Surely this is an error?Regards,BOUNDARY

They will also virtually furlough a number of pilots.Paul

They will also virtually furlough a number of pilots.Paul

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Hi All,Are the 737 livery to be deleted from United Virtual Airlines Fleet www.united-virtualairlines ? Surely this is an error?Regards,BOUNDARY

Well, United did ground its entire 737 fleet. As of today, the last remaining few have been retired. Have to fly the Air-Grayhound from now on.Its a shame William Boeing's own airline no longer flies 737s (my .02 on the matter)

I was under the impression that UAL went with the A320 simply because the NG simply was not ready in time. Am I wrong?Paul

I was under the impression that UAL went with the A320 simply because the NG simply was not ready in time. Am I wrong?Paul

I believe it was a Cost factor,Boeing was Just finishing the NG's and had little wiggle room for the Price of their new airplanes *Due to debts in development*Airbus on the other hand, Offered up a nicely discounted contract. So they went with it.........

Economics at work again...Andrew

Hi,It is interesting to me that UAL an American and dare I say local airline to Boeing chose Airbus a European manufacturer on cost alone. Conversely Ryanair a European operator did not go with the regional player Airbus, prefering Boeing as the 737NG was chepaer when his negotiating was completed, or should I say "thumb screws were removed!!" he heI know there are other factors at play like economic downturn and the terrorist attrocities at the time all played a hand in aiding the Ryanair deal. It is however quite amazing how two large airlines went with the manufacturers they did and choosing not to shop local. Just shows in supporting the Global economy rather than local economy there is enough for everyone.Liam Fassam

I think you'll find that when spending millions of dollars per unit, that fact that one product is "local" won't weigh heavily in your final choice.Paul

Airbus on the other hand, Offered up a nicely discounted contract. So they went with it.........

Which Boeing has often complained about since such discounts and other deferred payment plans Airbus typically offers are made possible by the huge government subsidies they receive from the countries that own EADS. Boeing argues that the playing field often isn't level for such "competitions" over price...

Which Boeing has often complained about since such discounts and other deferred payment plans Airbus typically offers are made possible by the huge government subsidies they receive from the countries that own EADS. Boeing argues that the playing field often isn't level for such "competitions" over price...

Such is life]:Ryan Briggs.

Another consideration was that the 737NGs didn't even enter service until ten years after the A320. I asked my Uncle, a United pilot, back in 1993 why they didn't get more 737s and he said because United wanted something with a faster more efficient wing. At the time United approached Boeing about that but they were not willing to change the 737. United had the Airbus deal in place before Boeing committed to the NG. I couldn't appreciate it then but now that I actually fly 737-800s I realized how slow the "Classic" 737s are. Continental was flying theirs around at Mach .74 where a normal day in the NG and A320 it .79. A friend of mine flew the 737s and then the Airbuses for United and said the same thing about the speeds. Of course he is now serving his second furlough from United.

Another consideration was that the 737NGs didn't even enter service until ten years after the A320. I asked my Uncle, a United pilot, back in 1993 why they didn't get more 737s and he said because United wanted something with a faster more efficient wing. At the time United approached Boeing about that but they were not willing to change the 737. United had the Airbus deal in place before Boeing committed to the NG. I couldn't appreciate it then but now that I actually fly 737-800s I realized how slow the "Classic" 737s are. Continental was flying theirs around at Mach .74 where a normal day in the NG and A320 it .79. A friend of mine flew the 737s and then the Airbuses for United and said the same thing about the speeds. Of course he is now serving his second furlough from United.

the A320 was interesting in that it was sort of an airliner ahead of its time, when it was designed and rolled out. Since the day it came to market it's received numerous changes and upgrades particularly in the field of Avionics/Software......makes me wonder how much longer the airframe will be a competitive piece of work?there's been 2195 Deliveries of the A320, and there's another 2,000 on Order........ first delivered in 1988, Not too shabby.Ryan Briggs

Gents-Having been "around the periphery" at this point in UAL's history- there was significantly more to UAL's decision than wing design, speeds, airframe costs, passenger comfort or delivery timelines...If you rewind the clock and go back in time to examine what strategic objectives were on the table at UAL around the time the decision was made to purchase the Airbus, you'll find all manner of intrigue related to UAL's expansion into Europe, attempts to secure fifth freedom flying, additional prized slots at key major European hubs (controlled by the governments who were major players in EADS) and plain, good-old-fashioned ego on the part of the CEOs.In any circumstance such as this- just follow the money.At the end of the day, Airbus put together a more attractive deal than did Boeing- but the attractions and cost advantages in many cases had nothing to do with the price of aluminum packed with seats...This is global business on a mega-scale. Very political.

United purchased all those Airbus back when they started up Ted. I do not remember the exact date as to when Ted was open to service, but I do believe it was at least ten years ago, which would make them putting in the orders for the planes right before the NGs were to be built. When Ted was shut down, (I, like most people, are still unsure why they opened up Ted in the first place) all the Teds Airbus were repainted in United livery.Thus, now that United is a total broke airline with their market share a fraction of what it once was, it came down to retiring more of their smaller planes as they continue to cut flights. Since it makes no sense in today's climate to have two planes that have similar function and range from two manufactuers that require seperately trained pilots. So they choose to get rid of their 737s because they were the older and more out of date planes.Unlike American which had the cash, and are actively replacing their MD-80s with new, and loaded out 738 NGs. And has something like 30 orders for new 787s, while United has zero orders for new aircraft.United has however contacted both Boeing and Airbus about possible bids for an eventual replacement of their entire 757,767,777, and 747 fleet, however I do not believe either Boeing or Airbus has taken it seriously.