challeygat300 wrote:

KDAL wrote:

qfatwa wrote:

Thanks SXDFC; is there only one repaint line underway currently?

There are currently three repaint lines running. Some early Heart planes getting a fresh coat but the vast majority are Canyon repaints.

Do you know, are repaints getting cabin mods as well (-800)?

That’s a great question. The only thing the paint shop does is paint the exterior of the airplane. Unfortunately, the interiors have not been updated to the latest cabin design as far as I know. I haven’t heard when that is supposed to happen either. You would think that Southwest would be interested in having a consistent in cabin design both for the passengers as well as the flight crews. If anyone knows one that has been changed, let me know the tail number.

challeygat300 wrote:

KDAL wrote:

qfatwa wrote:

Thanks SXDFC; is there only one repaint line underway currently?

There are currently three repaint lines running. Some early Heart planes getting a fresh coat but the vast majority are Canyon repaints.

Do you know, are repaints getting cabin mods as well (-800)?

Not sure when the power ports in the seats and the big bins will start to arrive. If that’s what you were referring to.

SXDFC wrote:

challeygat300 wrote:

KDAL wrote:

There are currently three repaint lines running. Some early Heart planes getting a fresh coat but the vast majority are Canyon repaints.

Do you know, are repaints getting cabin mods as well (-800)?

Not sure when the power ports in the seats and the big bins will start to arrive. If that’s what you were referring to.

I believe the cabin mods are only happening to MAX aircraft. Would be nice if the non-BSI NG aircraft got a little freshening because it is a pretty jarring difference between the old cabins vs. new ones. DL does a really good job keeping their cabins across the fleet looking fresh and updated.

sonnyr23 wrote:

Anthony Gregory's roots were Air Tran.

He wasn't ever at AirTran. He graduated Purdue and came to Southwest as an analyst.

Thank u for correcting that. You know how Gossip, Rumors, and Hear Say makes for The usual Break Room Chatter.

SXDFC wrote:

challeygat300 wrote:

KDAL wrote:

There are currently three repaint lines running. Some early Heart planes getting a fresh coat but the vast majority are Canyon repaints.

Do you know, are repaints getting cabin mods as well (-800)?

Not sure when the power ports in the seats and the big bins will start to arrive. If that’s what you were referring to.

No I meant (had hoped) WN were converting the forward cabin’s “counter top” to the newer setup with the extra galley up front. Are they retrofitting into older AC?

challeygat300 wrote:

SXDFC wrote:

challeygat300 wrote:

Do you know, are repaints getting cabin mods as well (-800)?

Not sure when the power ports in the seats and the big bins will start to arrive. If that’s what you were referring to.

No I meant (had hoped) WN were converting the forward cabin’s “counter top” to the newer setup with the extra galley up front. Are they retrofitting into older AC?

In short answer no, unless its an ETOPS -800 then those got life rafts and the new seats and slight interior update but a full retrofit never happened.

There’s no plans that I know of to convert the ETOPS -800s or any another older -800s to the G7 mod. The reason you see the new seats on the ETOPS birds (8301-8329) and the non ETOPS (8600-8604) is because those seats were used for the refurbished -700s picked up in the later part of the 2010s.

IMHO, with all of the MAX8, and soon to be MAX7 ETOPS birds entering the fleet, I wouldn’t be surprised if the -800ETOPS ends up staying more to the mainland and Caribbean. Just my own two cents..

Sucks the old 800 birds never got a full retrofit. Those things in the old configuration are the absolute worst for inflight.

SXDFC wrote:

There’s no plans that I know of to convert the ETOPS -800s or any another older -800s to the G7 mod. The reason you see the new seats on the ETOPS birds (8301-8329) and the non ETOPS (8600-8604) is because those seats were used for the refurbished -700s picked up in the later part of the 2010s.

IMHO, with all of the MAX8, and soon to be MAX7 ETOPS birds entering the fleet, I wouldn’t be surprised if the -800ETOPS ends up staying more to the mainland and Caribbean. Just my own two cents..

Last paragraph….already starting to see this for the mainland. So i can see this continuing.

SXDFC wrote:

IMHO, despite the fading issues with Canyon Blue, that color scheme could have lasted another 10 years as WNs livery. It looks way better than the current paint job.

100% THIS!
I think the Heart c/s is the worst of the three...

As the title suggests. Southwest has painted a yet to be delivered Max8 in their classic gold colors. Looks good!

https://avgeekery.com/southwest-classic ... vPb7eSqnyk

If I see one more photo from that location…heh

Now pull that thing back into paint and paint the flap fairings red and windows white!

Silver1SWA wrote:

If I see one more photo from that location…heh

Now pull that thing back into paint and paint the flap fairings red and windows white!

Don't care about the red flap fairings, as the -200s/-300s/-500s didn't have them, but YES, without the white window outlines this 'retro' scheme just doesn't look finished.

mga707 wrote:

Silver1SWA wrote:

If I see one more photo from that location…heh

Now pull that thing back into paint and paint the flap fairings red and windows white!

Don't care about the red flap fairings, as the -200s/-300s/-500s didn't have them, but YES, without the white window outlines this 'retro' scheme just doesn't look finished.

The red on the NGs was a nice touch though. N714CB wore the retro livery best (version 1.0) and what a missed opportunity here not making the MAX look as sharp.

Well as a different opinion, I feel the current livery is their best yet.

Silver1SWA wrote:

mga707 wrote:

Silver1SWA wrote:

If I see one more photo from that location…heh

Now pull that thing back into paint and paint the flap fairings red and windows white!

Don't care about the red flap fairings, as the -200s/-300s/-500s didn't have them, but YES, without the white window outlines this 'retro' scheme just doesn't look finished.

The red on the NGs was a nice touch though. N714CB wore the retro livery best (version 1.0) and what a missed opportunity here not making the MAX look as sharp.

Yeah I agree that would’ve been nice. But at least we get to see a Max in desert gold. Even if it’s not perfect it looks sharp. I think many carriers wouldn’t have even bothered with a retro paint job. Gotta take what we can get nowadays.

The maxes keep rolling in. 1st delivery of October. N8782Q

OMA can probably support WN nonstop service to FLL with WN having connected more passengers to the MIA/FLL market in Q2 2022 than AA, DL, or UA.

Even though AA had previously operated seasonal daily nonstop service to MIA from OMA, AA has reduced OMA-MIA nonstop service down to seasonal, Saturday-only nonstop service that operates from 11/5/2022 to 3/25/2023.

There is likely room for WN on OMA-FLL with AA down to Saturday-only nonstop service on OMA-MIA and no ULCC's currently serving the MIA/FLL market nonstop from OMA.

Any likelihood of WN taking advantage of the opportunity that is there to add OMA-FLL nonstop service once WN has more planes and more pilots, especially with the cuts that AA has made on the OMA-MIA route?

FlyingMSY wrote:

Some more photos of N871HK, courtesy of Woodys Aeroimages:
https://twitter.com/AeroimagesChris/sta ... 7858220032

Is there any particular reason why WN seems to insist on getting their own retro color scheme wrong? So far as I can tell, the only jets they ever had with a golden-hued top and unpainted windows were, like, 2 727’s.

The Southwest of my childhood was so distinct with the mustard top and cockpit/passenger windows painted with a white border… I can’t figure out why they’d delete that from a supposedly traditional livery?

I could be wrong but i see OMA - FLL as a Seasonal Flight or Saturday Only Flight. For the time being OMA customers on Southwest wanting to go to FLL will connect in MDW, BNA, or STL if STL still has a FLL turn or 2.

No OMA to BNA but there is one STL to FLL flight. There also is a non stop OMA to ATL which should have connecting opportunities to FLL

sonnyr23 wrote:

I could be wrong but i see OMA - FLL as a Seasonal Flight or Saturday Only Flight. For the time being OMA customers on Southwest wanting to go to FLL will connect in MDW, BNA, or STL if STL still has a FLL turn or 2.

WN doesn't currently have any nonstop flights to FLL from OMA according to https://www.southwest.com/route-map-lis ... =RTMAPLIST.

Here is the current WN nonstop service out of OMA to MCO:

• Weekend-only through 10/31/2022
• Saturday-only from 11/5/2022 through 11/19/2023
• Holiday nonstop flights on 11/22/2022, 11/23/2022, 11/26/2022, 11/27/2022, 11/28/2022
• Saturday-only from 12/3/2022 through 12/17/2022
• Holiday nonstop flights from 12/21/2022 through 1/2/2023 except on 12/25/2022 and 1/1/2023
• Saturday-only from 1/7/2023 through 3/4/2023
• Daily from 3/9/2022 through 4/10/2023

WN also has Saturday-only OMA-TPA nonstop service from 11/12/2022 through 12/31/2022.

MCO and TPA are the only Florida destinations that currently have WN nonstop flights out of OMA.

N766UA wrote:

FlyingMSY wrote:

Some more photos of N871HK, courtesy of Woodys Aeroimages:
https://twitter.com/AeroimagesChris/sta ... 7858220032

Is there any particular reason why WN seems to insist on getting their own retro color scheme wrong? So far as I can tell, the only jets they ever had with a golden-hued top and unpainted windows were, like, 2 727’s.

Five 727s, leased from PeopleExpress (not all at the same time) from about 1982-85. And you're right, this 'retro' does resemble the scheme on those 727s more than what was on their 737-200s and early -300s during that time period.

If your going to do it do it right!

N766UA wrote:

FlyingMSY wrote:

Some more photos of N871HK, courtesy of Woodys Aeroimages:
https://twitter.com/AeroimagesChris/sta ... 7858220032

Is there any particular reason why WN seems to insist on getting their own retro color scheme wrong? So far as I can tell, the only jets they ever had with a golden-hued top and unpainted windows were, like, 2 727’s.

The Southwest of my childhood was so distinct with the mustard top and cockpit/passenger windows painted with a white border… I can’t figure out why they’d delete that from a supposedly traditional livery?

It was explained that there was no practical reason for the black on the nose and since it fades easily it was better to go without it. They claim the white around the windows didn’t hold up well and would peel early so that’s why they decided not to paint them. I don’t know, I don’t recall it being that bad. I always thought N714CB looked amazing in the gold with white trim. As for the gold color, up close the paint actually sparkles.

sonnyr23 wrote:

No OMA to BNA but there is one STL to FLL flight. There also is a non stop OMA to ATL which should have connecting opportunities to FLL

There is a Sunday only flight. SW1799

It looks good, but it does need the white windows.

Midwestindy wrote:

BNA-RSW, CMH-RSW, DAL-RSW, IND-RSW, MCI-RSW, MKE-RSW, PIT-RSW, PVD-RSW, STL-RSW cut for October

BWI-RSW, MDW-STL reduced

Did you mean MDW-RSW reduced?

Midwestindy wrote:

BNA-RSW, CMH-RSW, DAL-RSW, IND-RSW, MCI-RSW, MKE-RSW, PIT-RSW, PVD-RSW, STL-RSW cut for October

BWI-RSW, MDW-STL reduced

Not surprised. Besides the impact to the Fort Myers area, RSW itself isn’t due to open to normal flight operations until Tuesday 10/11. Wishing everyone the best in southwest Florida.

Such a shame about RSW and certainly hope that things get back to normalcy as soon as possible. I worked in RSW in 2011 for 1 year and came close to returning to RSW last year with Southwest.
In all the 15 stations i worked at for Southwest i have to say that RSW, CHS, and ECP had the Heaviest Load Factors.
On a 700 with 143 booked in RSW to say BNA it wasn't unusual to have 200 plus bags.
I always will remember that when i was dropping bags on an inbound flight at RSW this one customer that had 2 Heavy Tagged Golf Bags probably 75 lbs each said that he played with this set of clubs on weekdays and played with this set on weekends & holidays.
He was serious as rain. I contacted a few of my ex coworkers in RSW and they are all doing fine.

Not sure why people think this was a nice livery. Those colors were goddam awful. Rather than a golden hew all I always got to see was some musty mustardy mucus yellow with ugly orange stripes.

Quite a few times when i was Non Reving or trying to Non Rev from RSW to say MKE or MDW 2 days before my travel day i would see 20 plus seats open and then at 5pm just 13 hours till i non rev the day before those 20 plus available is now down from 1 to 3 available or zero.
A few times i rented a 1 way Rental for like $10 to $20 from Hertz or Budget to TPA which was about 120 mile drive and had better odds of getting a seat Non Reving as an Employee.
ECP, CHS, and ORF were difficult Southwest Stations to Non Rev out of.

oldannyboy wrote:

Not sure why people think this was a nice livery. Those colors were goddam awful. Rather than a golden hew all I always got to see was some musty mustardy mucus yellow with ugly orange stripes.

I don’t think anyone is suggesting it is a beautiful scheme…it’s nothing more than a bit of nostalgia like the other airline retro schemes. Maybe we can see the return of club seating for a bit more nostalgia? I always enjoyed trying to avoid making uncomfortable eye or foot contact with people seated directly across from me!

I hated the white around the windows.... so I find this revised retro scheme much nicer than the original...

Midwestindy wrote:

Sadly this may be the kick WN needed to add more FLL service.

They’ve invested tons in VPS, SRQ, MIA, and other Florida airports the past few years, and basically nothing towards FLL.

Here are the Q2 2022 PDEW's to MIA/FLL from the top markets in the contiguous U.S. that don't currently have any WN nonstop service to FLL:
LGA/JFK/EWR/HPN-MIA/FLL - 9057 (excludes ISP-MIA/FLL, SWF-MIA/FLL, and TTN-MIA/FLL)
LAX/BUR/LGB/ONT/SNA-MIA/FLL - 2076
BOS-MIA/FLL - 2024 (excludes PVD-MIA/FLL and MHT-MIA/FLL)
LAS-MIA/FLL - 978
SFO/OAK/SJC-MIA/FLL - 890
CLT-MIA/FLL - 712
CLE-MIA/FLL - 566 (excludes CAK-MIA/FLL)
SEA-MIA/FLL - 478
SLC-MIA/FLL - 382
CVG-MIA/FLL - 378
SAN-MIA/FLL - 371
RIC-MIA/FLL - 297
JAX-MIA/FLL - 260
ORF-MIA/FLL - 216
SDF-MIA/FLL - 213
MEM-MIA/FLL - 209
CHS-MIA/FLL - 192
PDX-MIA/FLL - 158
AVL-MIA/FLL - 156 (AVL not currently served by WN)
TYS-MIA/FLL - 151 (TYS not currently served by WN)

Most of the above markets already have plenty of nonstop flights to MIA/FLL on other airlines.

There are a few resumptions that WN could make out of FLL such as FLL-BOS/CVG/LAS/LGA with WN having operated nonstop service to FLL from BOS/CVG/LAS/LGA prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

FiscAutTecGarte wrote:

I hated the white around the windows.... so I find this revised retro scheme much nicer than the original...

It's supposed to be an homage, not a rough approximation. No WN 737 ever more a golden-topped, unpainted window-y color scheme. The 727's had golden tops and unpainted windows, but they had "Southwest" on the fuselage. The 737's should be mustardy and white; this is like a bastardization of the 2 and it looks wrong.

N766UA wrote:

FiscAutTecGarte wrote:

I hated the white around the windows.... so I find this revised retro scheme much nicer than the original...

It's supposed to be an homage, not a rough approximation. No WN 737 ever more a golden-topped, unpainted window-y color scheme. The 727's had golden tops and unpainted windows, but they had "Southwest" on the fuselage. The 737's should be mustardy and white; this is like a bastardization of the 2 and it looks wrong.

Well it's their plane and their legacy, so they can decide how they want to pay homage.

I think it's a gorgeous jet. We all have different taste. I'm certainly no purists...

I had originally thought that WN would have unveiled a retro livery similar to the one applied to N871HK for its 50th Anniversary livery in June 2021, but WN unveiled the Freedom One livery instead on June 18, 2021 (WN's 50th Anniversary).

Here is a picture of what N500WR (the WN plane that is in the Freedom One livery) looks like:

This last week we said goodbye to N724SW and N725SW who are meeting their maker in BHM. The N7XXSW birds are quickly disappearing.

Agree with some here. White window outlines, red flap fairings, and please paint the lower half of the winglet. The split tone looks awful.

n471wn wrote:

This last week we said goodbye to N724SW and N725SW who are meeting their maker in BHM. The N7XXSW birds are quickly disappearing.

Just flew 725 on my last trip. It still flew well and had relatively few problems for being so old. I saw that it was being retired at the end of the month though.

SWADawg wrote:

n471wn wrote:

This last week we said goodbye to N724SW and N725SW who are meeting their maker in BHM. The N7XXSW birds are quickly disappearing.

Just flew 725 on my last trip. It still flew well and had relatively few problems for being so old. I saw that it was being retired at the end of the month though.

It is at BHM now. N727SW is scheduled to be retired at end of month.

n471wn wrote:

SWADawg wrote:

n471wn wrote:

This last week we said goodbye to N724SW and N725SW who are meeting their maker in BHM. The N7XXSW birds are quickly disappearing.

Just flew 725 on my last trip. It still flew well and had relatively few problems for being so old. I saw that it was being retired at the end of the month though.

It is at BHM now. N727SW is scheduled to be retired at end of month.

Will we see a new Nevada One 800?

-Rowen

res77W wrote:

n471wn wrote:

SWADawg wrote:

Just flew 725 on my last trip. It still flew well and had relatively few problems for being so old. I saw that it was being retired at the end of the month though.

It is at BHM now. N727SW is scheduled to be retired at end of month.

Will we see a new Nevada One 800?

-Rowen

I sure hope so!

Seems like WN has been rather quiet about network restoration for next year. I assume the delay of the MAX 7 is probably one of the reasons. Is it me, or is WN always struggling to have the fleet capacity to do what they want to do? It seems they are just unlucky in dealing with the downsides of having just one type of fleet; remember when they had to retire a huge amount of 737-300/500s? Now it's the MAX that's causing these delays since 2019.

[twoid][/twoid]

avi8 wrote:

Seems like WN has been rather quiet about network restoration for next year. I assume the delay of the MAX 7 is probably one of the reasons. Is it me, or is WN always struggling to have the fleet capacity to do what they want to do? It seems they are just unlucky in dealing with the downsides of having just one type of fleet; remember when they had to retire a huge amount of 737-300/500s? Now it's the MAX that causing these delays since 2019.

Haven’t they been saying they want to get it restored by summer (or end of year at least) fairly often? I feel like I see it pop up in an article every couple months.