US Airways To Repaint 737's

FlyUSCG · Sat Jun 10, 2006 10:31 am

Now I dont have the facts or any kind of press release that you would all like, but my friend who is working for US Airways in PHX just called to chit chat as he was on his way through the maint. hangar and he was telling me about how one of the aircraft (I dont remember if airbus or Boeing) had at least 4 different parts of painted in the new US Air livery (just from swapping parts I guess). But he then told me how most of the noses on the 737's are all white now as they are getting ready to have them repainted in the new color scheme. I asked him a couple times to be sure and he reassured me that almost defintiley, the 737's will be getting repainted. They just want to do the Airbus's first. So although there isn't any hard proof, i'm willing to bet that he knows what he is talking about. So I just wanted to let everyone know because I had seen before all the "no they wont" posts on here and just wanted to show that there is indeed a good chance

[Edited 2006-06-10 03:34:25]

[Edited 2006-06-10 03:36:43]

FCYTravis · Sat Jun 10, 2006 10:49 am

I don't think there was ever really any question that they would be repainted. Given that they make up a substantial portion of the combined US Airways fleet and that they are going to be around for at least another 10 years or so, and further given the atrocious state of the paintjobs on many of the US East examples, they've got to repaint them eventually.

AA737-823 · Sat Jun 10, 2006 10:50 am

Okay, so are they repainting USWEST airplanes, or USEAST airplanes, or both?
US East has some 737 in SERIOUS need of repaint...

steeler83 · Sat Jun 10, 2006 11:37 am

Where will the US planes be repainted at? PHX and CLT for US West and East respectively?

AirCop · Sat Jun 10, 2006 11:49 am

Currently the US West Airbuses are being repainted at Roswell.

EMBQA · Sat Jun 10, 2006 12:56 pm

Quoting FCYTravis (Reply 1):
I don't think there was ever really any question that they would be repainted

Actually the long term plan is to go all Airbus, so I'm not sure if you'll see the Boeings get painted.

Quoting Steeler83 (Reply 3):
Where will the US planes be repainted at? PHX and CLT for US West and East respectively?

Other then Delta, no US airline paints their own planes. It is all outsourced.

D L X · Sat Jun 10, 2006 1:13 pm

Quoting EMBQA (Reply 5):
Actually the long term plan is to go all Airbus, so I'm not sure if you'll see the Boeings get painted.

Yeah, but they aren't parking the 737s any time soon, regardless of the fact that they will go all airbus eventually.

(Although... the longer they keep 737, 757s and 767s in the fleet, the less painful it would be to buy Boeing in the future.)

SonOfACaptain · Sat Jun 10, 2006 1:26 pm

Quoting EMBQA (Reply 5):
so I'm not sure if you'll see the Boeings get painted.

Plans call for all HP planes to be painted by '07, so you will definitely see a 737 painted in new colors.

-SOAC

HPRamper · Sat Jun 10, 2006 2:06 pm

Quoting AirCop (Reply 4):
Currently the US West Airbuses are being repainted at Roswell.

The ex-ATA 757s were also painted at ROW, and they fly on the East certificate.

FlyUSCG · Sat Jun 10, 2006 5:25 pm

My friend mentioned they are going to be painted somewhere in Louisiana I believe. And as others have said, I'm guessing it will be their entire fleet

N1120A · Sat Jun 10, 2006 5:33 pm

Quoting FlyUSCG (Reply 9):
My friend mentioned they are going to be painted somewhere in Louisiana I believe. And as others have said, I'm guessing it will be their entire fleet

A lot of planes are painted in Alexandria at AEX because of the long runway and the cheap rent for the paint shop keeping costs down.

etops1 · Sat Jun 10, 2006 11:01 pm

the east planes are getting painted at new liberia louisiana and the west a/c are getting painted in roswell nm. and yes the 737's will get pianted in the new livery. we have a total of 70 a/c painted in the combined fleet. they run 3 every week at the piant shop. so every week you will see more a/c in new paint mostly coming from the west. the plan is to have all the west planes painted by the end of 2006 but that might go into 2007 given time constraints.

PHLBOS · Sat Jun 10, 2006 11:22 pm

Quoting AA737-823 (Reply 2):
Okay, so are they repainting USWEST airplanes, or USEAST airplanes, or both? US East has some 737 in SERIOUS need of repaint...

Since the America West name is being phased out and, as you stated, the US East planes needing a repaint; I would assume that both West & East 737s (that aren't being retired or scrapped) will be receiving the new treatment.

Not that this means anything, but Sky Marks already supposedly a model showing a US 733 in the new scheme available.
http://www.skymarksmodels.com/index2.html
(One has to hunt through the web-site to get to the photo)

SonOfACaptain · Sun Jun 11, 2006 1:36 am

Quoting PHLBOS (Reply 12):

Here you go. Looks very nice.

-SOAC

apodino · Sun Jun 11, 2006 1:41 am

On a related note, it was announced in an employee newsletter this week that USAirways would be painting an A-320 in Philadelphia Eagles colors. Now the old west had several special paint schemes on 757's. I wonder if these stay or go.

PHLBOS · Sun Jun 11, 2006 1:55 am

Quoting Apodino (Reply 14):
On a related note, it was announced in an employee newsletter this week that USAirways would be painting an A-320 in Philadelphia Eagles colors.

A model showing such would literally fly off the shelves in terms of purchases/orders.

Quoting Apodino (Reply 14):
Now the old west had several special paint schemes on 757's. I wonder if these stay or go.

IIRC, the last rumor (don't take it as Gospel) was that the themed 757s would be repainted to the new standard scheme.

Personally, I think they should keep the themed 757s (just change the America West titles to US Airways) and give the Philadelphia Eagles treatment on another 757 and be done with it.

Quoting SonOfACaptain (Reply 13):

Thanks for the image posting, I didn't have time to fiddle w/the image link.

barleybo · Sun Jun 11, 2006 2:58 am

Any coming changes in the interiors, or the all important seat pitch? Please give me 32+ !!!!!!!!!!

We're Nuts · Sun Jun 11, 2006 3:45 am

Quoting Barleybo (Reply 16):
Please give me 32+ !!!!!!!!!!

Ha! Want a master bath, too?

SonOfACaptain · Sun Jun 11, 2006 5:39 am

Quoting PHLBOS (Reply 15):
IIRC, the last rumor (don't take it as Gospel) was that the themed 757s would be repainted to the new standard scheme.

It was announced on a webcast that most of the HP theme planes will stay. Whether things change, who knows, but that is what we know of right now.

Quoting Barleybo (Reply 16):
or the all important seat pitch? Please give me 32+ !!!!!!!!!!

I am 99.999999999% sure you won't see any increase change in seat pitch. The 190's will have 31 inches also.

-SOAC

ca2ohHP · Sun Jun 11, 2006 5:53 am

I doubt you'll see many of the current 737 fleet repainted. Apparently the FAA is now requiring an additional maintenance program on 733/734 aircraft and the cost will be too high for the condition the fleet is in. Scott Kirby has told us the company is in preliminary talks with Airbus and Boeing on a 733/734 replacement.

tooluther · Sun Jun 11, 2006 6:15 am

Do we get a Steelers 320 also? or Panthers in CLT for that matter?

etops1 · Sun Jun 11, 2006 6:56 am

the themed 757's are staying. the 737's are getting painted in the new livery. yes we are in talks with boeing and airbus on a 737 replacement maybe the 737-900 . we will probrably paint anairbus in the steelers liveray and a panthers livery. but you will for sure see an eagles jet flying around in the fall. do not be surprised at all if we decide to go with boeing for a 737 replacement. it all depends on the environment guys. things change in the airline industry . we may decide to re-new the leases on the 737's or we may decide to dump them. however the market conditions are, then we will make decisions on what a/c stay or go and what replacement we need. all i can say is that there will be interesting times and changes coming in the near future. this is not you old usairways . we are new and improved. positive things are happening and every usairways employee should be proud of what this airline is becoming.

ERJ170 · Sun Jun 11, 2006 7:06 am

Quoting Tooluther (Reply 20):
Panthers in CLT for that matter?

Well, since most professional sports teams in North Carolina represent ALL of North Carolina.. could we see a Carolina Hurricanes 757 should they win the Stanley Cup (or the Carolina Panthers if they ever get near a play-off).

FCYTravis · Sun Jun 11, 2006 7:17 am

The 737-900 as a replacement for the 733 and 734? That's WAY too many seats for the markets those aircraft are in. I can't see that at all. The 739 is more like an A321.

Alaska's 739s are configured 16/156, while US Airways' 733s are configured for 12/114. You're talking a 125-seat aircraft vs. a 170-seat one.

HPRamper · Sun Jun 11, 2006 7:35 am

Quoting SonOfACaptain (Reply 18):
It was announced on a webcast that most of the HP theme planes will stay.

Maybe they'll finally do away with the Ohio paint job though...these days it's rare to even hear the terms "Ohio" and "US Airways" in the same sentence.

ca2ohHP · Sun Jun 11, 2006 8:11 am

Quoting Etops1 (Reply 21):
we may decide to re-new the leases on the 737's or we may decide to dump them.

No the leases will not be renewed. The problem they're having is what to replace them with between now and 2012 as composite technology is adapted to narrowbodies.

D L X · Sun Jun 11, 2006 9:34 am

Quoting Apodino (Reply 14):
On a related note, it was announced in an employee newsletter this week that USAirways would be painting an A-320 in Philadelphia Eagles colors.

Oh god. Say it ain't so.

I'll say this: I'll never board it. Not as long as the Redskins still exist.

Anyways, I think they should keep a lot of the blue planes blue. I understand repainting all the planes that don't say "US AIRWAYS" and I understand that Pheonix and Vegas are hot, but Boston and Albany are not. Neither is Detroit, or Philly. The blue planes look very nice next to the white planes, and vice versa, Since the white planes are basically just a variation of the blue. So why don't they keep those dark planes? I'm sure the heating cost is lower in the winter just like the cooling cost is lower in the summer for the white planes in PHX.

AA737-823 · Sun Jun 11, 2006 10:40 am

Wow, that is a GREAT looking 737!
That may be my favorite aircraft for this paint job.. That and the 762. I think their new livery looks great on the 762, and the 733... not real crazy about it on the 319 or 757s....

You guess they'll order Boeings to replace them? That'll be the day. I'd love to see it, but they've said several times (haven't they??) that they're going all-Airbus.

I don't see the 737-9ER fitting into the picture at all... unless they're looking for a lower cost 757 replacement as well. They've got some ancient 757s in the combined fleet.

DLKAPA · Sun Jun 11, 2006 11:00 am

Quoting D L X (Reply 26):
Anyways, I think they should keep a lot of the blue planes blue. I understand repainting all the planes that don't say "US AIRWAYS" and I understand that Pheonix and Vegas are hot, but Boston and Albany are not. Neither is Detroit, or Philly. The blue planes look very nice next to the white planes, and vice versa, Since the white planes are basically just a variation of the blue. So why don't they keep those dark planes? I'm sure the heating cost is lower in the winter just like the cooling cost is lower in the summer for the white planes in PHX.

Heating and cooling costs would be lower, but scheduling costs would not, as black planes would end up having to fly their own routes, same as whites, and as a result, dispatch costs would rise.

D L X · Sun Jun 11, 2006 11:31 am

Quoting DLKAPA (Reply 28):
Heating and cooling costs would be lower, but scheduling costs would not, as black planes would end up having to fly their own routes, same as whites, and as a result, dispatch costs would rise.

Not really. I actually did my master's thesis in airline scheduling. (And had there not been 9/11, I might be rich now.) This stuff can be programmed fairly easily - just like how you don't assign 777s to 737 schedules. They could call it a different type, like "737W" and "737B" for scheduling purposes.

But, it probably wouldn't matter much if blue planes got sent to PHX and white planes got sent to ALB on occasion. US sent blue planes for years to PHX and other hot places long before the merger.

I just think it looks nice to see the mix of paintjobs since they are so cohesive.

DLKAPA · Sun Jun 11, 2006 11:53 am

Quoting D L X (Reply 29):
(And had there not been 9/11, I might be rich now.)

If I had a dime for everyone in the industry, I'd be rich too. Wink

Quoting D L X (Reply 29):
hey could call it a different type, like "737W" and "737B" for scheduling purposes.

Wouldn't that add a new (albeit small) cost structure?

AC777LR · Sun Jun 11, 2006 12:06 pm

I think that US Airways should paint the 737s that are losing paint right away, I mean I know they are 100% safe but some of them look like eye soars at the gate. Are they going to upgrade the interior like what Air Canada is doing? Also is AC doing the painting on the A330-323Xs for US?

etops1 · Sun Jun 11, 2006 12:16 pm

Quoting FCYTravis (Reply 23):

i have a feeling you haven't been listening to the web casts or have not attended any town hall meetings. doug parker has stated the 737-900 as a replacement for the 737's. and beleive me, i know what i am talking about .

thegooddoctor · Sun Jun 11, 2006 2:24 pm

Quoting D L X (Reply 26):
So why don't they keep those dark planes? I'm sure the heating cost is lower in the winter just like the cooling cost is lower in the summer for the white planes in PHX.

Two Words: Fleet Integration - US will be under a single certificate within the next couple of years, so keeping two fleets would be a pain in the @$$, if nothing else.

FCYTravis · Sun Jun 11, 2006 2:50 pm

No, I haven't attended the town hall meetings given that I'm not an employee - just someone who sits in US/HP planes enough to rate a coloured plastic card that says I'm "elite" in some "FlightFund" something or other :p

I don't doubt that he's said it but wow, that makes zero sense given the huge disparity in seat capacity. Maybe the unspoken thought here is that the Embraer 190s will replace the 737s and the 737-900s will slot in above the A321 for transcon runs, bumping the A321s to other service?

[Edited 2006-06-11 07:51:40]

HPRamper · Sun Jun 11, 2006 6:23 pm

It doesn't make sense to fly a different type of aircraft for every ten extra seats. Why go for the 737-900? We don't need anything to fill the gap between the 321 and the 757...of which we may be getting more of. In fact, I don't see a big problem with the 733s and 734s eventually retiring and only leaving the E-planes, A319, 320 and 321 and 757 in the domestic fleet. And I'd gladly trade away those ugly 321s for 757s.

At the very least, if we do get the 900, I wish we could drop the 321. The only routes those planes are great for is the Northeast-Florida milk runs.

cltguy · Sun Jun 11, 2006 10:55 pm

Quoting ERJ170 (Reply 22):
Well, since most professional sports teams in North Carolina represent ALL of North Carolina.. could we see a Carolina Hurricanes 757 should they win the Stanley Cup (or the Carolina Panthers if they ever get near a play-off).

Doubt it. There is no history of NHL planes at USAirways...also there is not a large Hurricanes fan base in Charlotte (the newspaper just did an article on it this past week)

A Carolina Panthers plane would be much more likely since there is an NFL history with USAirways...it also helps that the Panthers have been a loyal USAirways customer for 10 years now.

And just for the record the Carolina Panthers have gone to the playoffs 3 times, even playing in the Super Bowl once. They are predicted to make another playoff run in the upcoming season.

flyboyaz · Sun Jun 11, 2006 11:08 pm

Quoting Apodino (Reply 14):
On a related note, it was announced in an employee newsletter this week that USAirways would be painting an A-320 in Philadelphia Eagles colors

Actually it's going to be an A319...still....should be cool to see! We don't know what it looks like yet, it's still in the design stage.

I can't imagine us getting the B739 unless they want to replace some of the 757's with that...for domestic use. I imagine the ER version could do a PHX-HNL run but that's cutting it pretty close to the plane's range. It would make sense to go to an all Airbus fleet in that regards, but they told us they are not making any sole commitments to any single aircraft maker...as evidence of the E190 order. The E190 is a bit too small to replace all the 737's. I would think the 319 and 320 would be able to do that nicely. The E195 wouldn't hold that many more seats than the E190 so I don't think that's a wise replacement either...who knows.

D L X · Mon Jun 12, 2006 12:48 am

Quoting DLKAPA (Reply 30):
Wouldn't that add a new (albeit small) cost structure?

Not really. Airlines fly subfleets anyways. (Think about all the different configurations of 767s and 777s that UA flies - all the airlines have software to keep them flying where they're supposed to.)

Quoting Thegooddoctor (Reply 33):
Two Words: Fleet Integration - US will be under a single certificate within the next couple of years, so keeping two fleets would be a pain in the @$$, if nothing else.

It's not about certificates - it's only about a computer assigning planes to routes.

Sean-SAN- · Mon Jun 12, 2006 8:25 am

Evidently on the West, the E190's and 319s would replace a portion of the 737 fleet to cities with limited capacity needs (ABQ/BUR/ONT/YVR) ... and the 739's can help on routes that lost capacity with the 752's going to Hawaii, as well as routes that can use additonal lift (SAN/JFK/LAX/DFW/SEA). PHX-PHL/CLT/PIT will eventually be mostly A321, as it is already. LAS stays mostly 757.

steeler83 · Mon Jun 12, 2006 8:52 am

Quoting SAN-" class=quote target=_blank>Sean-SAN- (Reply 39):
and the 739's can help on routes that lost capacity with the 752's going to Hawaii, as well as routes that can use additonal lift (SAN/JFK/LAX/DFW/SEA).

US has or has ordered 739s? I thought they were going to hold onto their 752 aircraft for some time before making a replacement, and I thought they'd go with an A321 for such a replacement for the 752 birds...

Sean-SAN- · Mon Jun 12, 2006 10:09 am

Not yet, just speculation. And they would likely be the new 739ERs.

FCYTravis · Mon Jun 12, 2006 10:10 am

Quoting D L X (Reply 38):
It's not about certificates - it's only about a computer assigning planes to routes.

But you're missing the point. A large part of the point of the merger is to take advantage of the significant synergies available by improving fleet utilization.

Once the certificates are merged, US Airways East planes won't have to sit around on the ground at their West Coast outstations waiting for turnaround hub scheduling back to the East - they can be loaded up with pax and fly on to Phoenix, then Phoenix to San Francisco, San Francisco to Las Vegas and back to Charlotte. There is a significant opportunity for US to add more flights without adding more planes, by keeping the US East jets in the air more.

Keeping east/west "dark/light" subfleets would entirely defeat this part of the merger planning.

[Edited 2006-06-12 03:11:33]

gigneil · Mon Jun 12, 2006 10:18 am

Quoting Etops1 (Reply 21):
yes we are in talks with boeing and airbus on a 737 replacement maybe the 737-900

Quoting Etops1 (Reply 32):
doug parker has stated the 737-900 as a replacement for the 737's. and beleive me, i know what i am talking about .

Um, why would anyone ever buy new 737s when they're taking delivery of new A320s?

More importantly, why would you order new 737-900s when you have a fleet of A321s?

The answer: you wouldn't.

N

D L X · Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:29 am

Quoting FCYTravis (Reply 42):
But you're missing the point. A large part of the point of the merger is to take advantage of the significant synergies available by improving fleet utilization.

I'm not missing the point. I get the point. I just don't think it's as big a point as others do.

People, this is what airlines do. They shift planes around a lot. What passengers see as one basic type may be 2 or 3 configurations for the airlines. The airline I worked for had multiple configurations for single types, and selectively placed them on routes. In fact, the whole idea behind my project was how to allocate these flights and still keep the planes in the air for the largest share of the day (in other words, shortest times on the ground, no waiting around). It can be done, and it's probably not that hard.

But you may be right that it's more trouble than the airline may want to go through.

desertjets · Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:36 am

Quoting D L X (Reply 44):
I'm not missing the point. I get the point. I just don't think it's as big a point as others do.

I get your point and see your point, but to maintain two subfleets of aircraft just for aesthetic purposes seems stupid, for the lack of a better word. The value of having a single identity and public image is far greater than having blue and white planes sitting next to each other at the gate. Sure you can program your computers to do it, but why?

CentPIT · Mon Jun 12, 2006 12:17 pm

Quoting Sean-SAN- (Reply 39):
and the 739's can help on routes that lost capacity with the 752's going to Hawaii

Well, this is interesting.

Quoting Sean-SAN- (Reply 39):
PHX-PHL/CLT/PIT will eventually be mostly A321, as it is already. LAS stays mostly 757.

Why did AW drop the third PIT-LAS flight? When are the PHX flights going to all A321s? PIT has an A319 and two A320s on this route.

frugalqxnwa · Mon Jun 12, 2006 4:12 pm

Quoting Gigneil (Reply 43):
Quoting Etops1 (Reply 21):
yes we are in talks with boeing and airbus on a 737 replacement maybe the 737-900

Quoting Etops1 (Reply 32):
doug parker has stated the 737-900 as a replacement for the 737's. and beleive me, i know what i am talking about .

Um, why would anyone ever buy new 737s when they're taking delivery of new A320s?

More importantly, why would you order new 737-900s when you have a fleet of A321s?

The answer: you wouldn't.

N

They probably want an aircraft that has a capacity comparable to both A321 and 752 with performance more on the 752 side, possibly to eventually replace the 757 and 321.

FCYTravis · Mon Jun 12, 2006 5:43 pm

Given that the A321s are all virtually new, an "eventual" replacement for them would be a decade or more off. Today, they make up the backbone of US Airways' transcontinental fleet, serving SEA, SAN, SFO, LAX and PHX from the East Coast hubs. Replacing them this soon would seem to signal a major and fundamental shift away from Airbus.

kyair · Mon Jun 12, 2006 10:03 pm

I have a hard time believing US will order the 739ER. As stated, the 757s & 321s should be able to handle the 170+ seat range just fine. Keep in mind, US has and will likely again add second-hand ETOPS 757s for more international flying.

I'm not sure of the 733/734 lease expiration dates, but renewing them if they expire soon wouldn't be a bad idea in my opinion. US is just a quarter or two removed from bankruptcy protection and is just starting to come out from the biggest financial mess imaginable. They are doing great now by most accounts and I think it would be prudent for them to think long and hard about their fleet plans. I'd love to see them buy Boeing again and I think it's a real possibility. I'm just not sure right now is the time. Lets get through the integration process first and see how the bottom line looks after that.

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