United and Delta have recently cancelled or put an indefinite hold on some of their new-plane orders, cutting back on plans for new wide-bodies.
At the same time, they’re calling for more narrow-body planes, in shifts based on a shifting competitive situation on long-haul routes to Europe and Asia, where competition from discounters such as Norwegian. While passenger numbers are growing, many are going to the discounters.
Boeing and Airbus are always happy to have full order books to guarantee busy production schedules, but the long wait for new planes also allows for adjustments like these, sometimes substituting other planes for the original order.
Delta, a few months ago, cancelled the orders for 787s it had inherited in its merger with Nothwest Airlines. In part that may be due to Delta’s recent preference for Airbus wide-bodies, but Delta also has a slowdown on A350 deliveries.
On the other hand, it has increased its orders for 737 single-aisle planes to replace aging 757s; it recently added 10 737-900 extended range planes to its orders, bringing its total 737 order to 130.
United, which had originally ordered 25 A350s and then upped the order to 35, last week deferred delivery of its first four, which were scheduled to arrive next year. United already has a fleet of 787s, the most direct A350 competitor, and had intended the A350s to replace its retiring 747s. Those slots will now be filled from an existing order of 777-300ERs.
