Reviewing seat guru I've found a cornucopia of 737-800/900 configurations at United, and more then one -800 configuration at American. Can someone clarify what configuration, and seat count, is considered standard?
Also I notice AA has a 738 with 150 seats? I imagine these might be the original batch of 737s delivered in the 90s, If this is correct, do they staff it with 3 FAs?
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RE: American And United 737 Configurations
| Quoting flyboy80 (Thread starter): If this is correct, do they staff it with 3 FAs? |
After 100 passengers in capacity, the aircraft must be staffed with one additional f/a for every 50 (or part of) afterwards.
RE: American And United 737 Configurations
American's newer 737-800s 3LC-3ML are outfitted with 150 seats. These were the first 737s to be fitted with the new leather seats with AVOD. There were issues reorganizing the cabin to fit an additional row back in with the new seats, until 3MM rolled off the line.
EDIT: To answer the question of AA's flight attendant staffing. All 737's were configured with 150 seats upon the introduction of MCE. One row was taken out, and seats 16BE and 17BE had tray tables plugged over them to render the seat unusable to bring the seat count to 150, thus requiring one less FA. Once the row was added back in (with the exception of 3LC-3ML) all 737s were staffed again with 4 FAs, regardless of the configuration.
[Edited 2015-10-04 17:32:10]
EDIT: To answer the question of AA's flight attendant staffing. All 737's were configured with 150 seats upon the introduction of MCE. One row was taken out, and seats 16BE and 17BE had tray tables plugged over them to render the seat unusable to bring the seat count to 150, thus requiring one less FA. Once the row was added back in (with the exception of 3LC-3ML) all 737s were staffed again with 4 FAs, regardless of the configuration.
[Edited 2015-10-04 17:32:10]
RE: American And United 737 Configurations
| Quoting PDX88 (Reply 2): American's newer 737-800s 3LC-3ML are outfitted with 150 seats. These were the first 737s to be fitted with the new leather seats with AVOD. There were issues reorganizing the cabin to fit an additional row back in with the new seats, until 3MM rolled off the line. |
I've noticed that they block the middle seat in row 16 and a few more rows with a table on the seat. But those rows are just regular economy. Are they selling them for any more money. Those should theoretically be the best regular economy seats on the plane.
RE: American And United 737 Configurations
| Quoting eaa3 (Reply 3): I've noticed that they block the middle seat in row 16 and a few more rows with a table on the seat. But those rows are just regular economy. Are they selling them for any more money. Those should theoretically be the best regular economy seats on the plane. |
Yes, they're sold as "Preferred Seats." Not quite MCE (since there's no extra legroom) but still sold for a few bucks more than other economy seats due to their desirability.
RE: American And United 737 Configurations
United is standardized on 12F/40E+/66Y for 737-700s.
United is standardizing down to 16F/54E+/96Y for 737-800s. There are many 16F/48E+/90Y still in service that will be reconfigured and a handful of 14F/141Y from the GUM fleet soon to be reconfigured.
United is standardizing down to 20F/42E+/117Y or 20F/39E+/120Y for the 737-900s and 737-900ERs. (See some fairly recent posts in United Fleet Upgrade Status - Part 26 (by KarelXWB Sep 15 2015 in Civil Aviation) for a discussion of shifting one row from Y to E+ on later reconfigurations.) There are many 20F/51E+/96Y still in service that will be reconfigured.
[Edited 2015-10-04 17:56:00]
United is standardizing down to 16F/54E+/96Y for 737-800s. There are many 16F/48E+/90Y still in service that will be reconfigured and a handful of 14F/141Y from the GUM fleet soon to be reconfigured.
United is standardizing down to 20F/42E+/117Y or 20F/39E+/120Y for the 737-900s and 737-900ERs. (See some fairly recent posts in United Fleet Upgrade Status - Part 26 (by KarelXWB Sep 15 2015 in Civil Aviation) for a discussion of shifting one row from Y to E+ on later reconfigurations.) There are many 20F/51E+/96Y still in service that will be reconfigured.
[Edited 2015-10-04 17:56:00]
RE: American And United 737 Configurations
| Quoting PDX88 (Reply 2): American's newer 737-800s 3LC-3ML are outfitted with 150 seats. These were the first 737s to be fitted with the new leather seats with AVOD. There were issues reorganizing the cabin to fit an additional row back in with the new seats, until 3MM rolled off the line. |
I'm sorry I'm not an AA insider, and I'm very confused. What do 3LC- 3ML mean?
So the 150 seat configuration is the newer of the configurations? Aren't some aircraft configured with 160 seats as well? Are the planes used in separate markets, or are they all becoming 150 seat airplanes?
RE: American And United 737 Configurations
| Quoting flyboy80 (Reply 6): I'm sorry I'm not an AA insider, and I'm very confused. What do 3LC- 3ML mean? |
I believe he is referring to all the aircraft starting with the ship number of 3LC and ending with the ship number 3ML.
You can see the corresponding N numbers here: https://sites.google.com/site/newamericanfleet/american-mainline/boeing-737-800
RE: American And United 737 Configurations
| Quoting flyboy80 (Thread starter): Also I notice AA has a 738 with 150 seats? I imagine these might be the original batch of 737s delivered in the 90s, If this is correct, do they staff it with 3 FAs? |
New delivery 738's still arrive with 150 seats. I suspect (but do not know) that new management simply hasn't gotten around to renegotiating the Boeing contract --pretty low priority during integration process. Most of the previously delivered 738's were reconverted to 160 seats earlier this year. This winter another batch of the newer 738's are supposed to be converted with the stated objective to standardize on a single configuration for AA's 738 fleet.
*NO CARRIER* -- A Naval Aviator's worst nightmare!
RE: American And United 737 Configurations
So was 150 the standard configuration for AA for some time pre merger? So by adding an extra-row (6 seats) and unblocking four seats which have tables, the aircraft will be at the industry standard of 160 seats?
RE: American And United 737 Configurations
and one place the room came from for the extra row is first class. You'll notice all of the 160 seats aircraft are missing the coat hanger behind the last row of F. They also reworked the last row in F to recline differently than the rest of the F seats. Then slightly moving all of the seats closer and there is room for an extra row plus unblocking the seats with the semi-permanent tray table.
An MD-80 is great... in first class
RE: American And United 737 Configurations
| Quoting flyboy80 (Reply 10): So was 150 the standard configuration for AA for some time pre merger? So by adding an extra-row (6 seats) and unblocking four seats which have tables, the aircraft will be at the industry standard of 160 seats? |
When the 738s started to arrive in 1999, the seating was 20F/126Y. Then, came MRTC, taking 2 rows out of coach. So, it was 20F/114Y. After 9/11, the decision was made to take out 1 row of F and replace with 2 rows of Y, still maintaining MRTC. So, it was 16F/126Y. Then, when MRTC was ended, only 1 row of Y went back into coach, meaning 16F/132Y.
This was for the fleet delivered between 1999 and 2002. Then, when AA started to take delivery of new 738s in 2009, the configuration was changed. A smaller Y galley was installed, since 738s fly routes that have no hot meals in Y. I can't remember if the new planes had 2 or 3 more rows of Y, and the older planes went through a reconfiguration process to have the same seat configuration, new seats, and the LCD screens rather than the old CRT monitors over the aisles. Whatever the seat count was, it was over 150, meaning that AA had to assign 4 F/As to a flight.
This was before MCE was introduced. It was because of MCE than the seats in 16 and 17 were made unusable, so that the F/A count was 3, rather than 4. That seat count was 150 total.
RE: American And United 737 Configurations
| Quoting PDX88 (Reply 9): Nope. The only 150 seaters are 3LC-3ML, until they can be refitted with the extra row. Everything delivered after those (3MM and younger) has 160 seats. |
Oh good. That means management got around to negotiating the change with Boeing (and forgot to mention that to its 738 pilots).
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