United Airlines is betting big on Boeing’s 737 Max 10, the largest model, with an order for 150 of the 230-seat planes as it updates and expands its fleet. The order also includes 50 of the smaller Max 8 and 70 Airbus A321neos.
The -10 order is the largest Boeing has for the plane, and comes on top of a previous United order. All told, the order, which the airline calls part of its “United Next” plan, paints the airline as optimistic on airline recovery and growth. All orders taken together, United will take 500 new planes between now and 2026, with an average of one every three days in 2023.
The new arrivals will be matched, to some extent by departures of older planes, especially including small regional jets. United is planning to pull those out of major markets wherever it can; at capacity-limited airports including its hubs in Newark and San Francisco, a 50-seat jet uses up the same slot as a 130-seater, but with less capacity or revenue.
The upgauging will allow United to sell many more premium seats in the new planes; the regional jets are basically single-class, even when there is a slightly-premium seat or two. United says the new more efficient engines mean the larger planes will offer more seats at a lower emission cost. About 200 of the regional jets will be retired.
The replacements and expansion will also drastically reduce the average age of United’s fleet, currently significantly older than American’s and Delta’s.
